One major concern when developing a response to intervention (RTI) program is to select effective practices that will be successfully implemented and sustained with adequate organizational guidance and support. The purpose of this study was to explore patterns of student tier placement data as a school-based case example of the nature and utility of RTI in an applied setting. Specifically, this study aimed to explore the extent that the percentages of students placed in a three-tier program based on student oral reading fluency (ORF) level and growth trajectories reflect the standard RTI tier placement (80%, 15%, and 5%) at fall, winter, and spring in a school setting. Percentages of the total student population tier placement were explored with ORF data from third- and fourth-grade students (N = 429) at two schools in fall, winter, and spring. Results showed that school and ORF data reflected the standard percentages of student populations within each tier in fall, winter, and spring. However, slope data showed greater percentages of students in the more intensive tiers. Moreover, flexible grouping, or movement between tiers occurred for few students when movement occurred based on school or ORF level data. No significant differences were found between the school and ORF student tier placements in fall, winter, and spring. A significant difference was found in spring between placement methods with a larger proportion of students in Tier 1 based on the school assignments and a larger proportion of students in Tier 2 and Tier 3 based on ORF slope assignments.

In schools, didactic training is a common method for promoting intervention fidelity. Despite its prevalence, however, a number of literature reviews suggest that didactic training alone is not an effective way to promote intervention fidelity. Training seems to be more effective when coupled with daily or weekly performance feedback in applied settings. However, given the level of resources in typical public schools, this amount of performance feedback for all teachers and paraprofessionals may not be feasible. Therefore, there is a need to explore additional means of promoting intervention fidelity. The current study examines the effects of fluency training on intervention fidelity by paraprofessionals in an applied setting. Results suggest that systematic fluency training can improve intervention fidelity, even when the interventions are complex and are being conducted by paraprofessionals with limited formal education. The study's findings also suggest that ongoing monitoring of implementation fidelity is necessary, because maintenance of these effects is idiosyncratic.

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This study analyzes the effects of a Tier 2, small group intervention developed by the Exemplary Center for Reading Instruction (ECRI) that employs direct instruction strategies (including scripted sequenced lessons, teacher modeling, and repeated practice). The reading achievement of 15 English language learners (ELLs) in the ECRI intervention was compared to the reading achievement of 12 ELLs in a computer-based reading intervention. The reading achievement of 27 ELLs was also compared to the reading achievement of 48 non-ELLs in the interventions. Repeated measures ANOVAs and independent t-tests analyzed the results of the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement-II Brief, pre- and post-tests. ELLs in grades 1-3 improved from pre- to post-test in the ECRI condition. In grades 1-3, both ELLs and non-ELLs in the ECRI condition significantly improved. ELLs in both conditions significantly improved in grades 4-6. In grades 4-6, there was a significant difference between ELLs and non-ELLs in the ECRI condition at pre-test but the difference was no longer significant at post-test. Implications and limitations of the findings are explored.

Attitudes of Adolescent Students with Disabilities Regarding "Flextime" in a Response to Intervention Model Julie Daye Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education, BYU Educational Specialist in School Psychology One of the stumbling blocks to implementing Response to Intervention (RTI) in a secondary school is finding time for students to receive second level instruction. Evidence of effective implementation of RTI in elementary schools is more prevalent than in secondary schools. There is limited information on how to restructure school time and other resources in order to successfully implement RTI in secondary schools. Evidence is also limited regarding the impact of second level instruction on unique populations within a school. One population in particular includes students that are disabled and already receiving special education services. A junior high in a mountain west state; has implemented an element of RTI where schedules have been realigned in order to provide all students with intervention time. They call this 30-minute segment flextime, and students use this time to either attend required interventions or enrichment activities for those students who are not in need of an intervention. Students receiving special education services at this junior high were interviewed for the study. The students were selected by a special education teacher as participants likely to provide insightful responses. Data for this study were collected by open interviews with these students and the qualitative data were then analyzed with an inductive analysis approach. Participants reported that flextime was effective in helping them to improve and maintain good grades. All participants agreed that if they were in charge of the school, they would keep flextime. They also offered suggestions for improvement in flextime, which included possible scheduling changes to increase flextime and the time allotted to get from class to flextime. They also recommended changes be made in order to improve their ability to access the help needed during academic interventions.

Addressing training in Response to Intervention at the pre-service level has potential to reach educators during their formative years; preparing them to implement research-based practices upon entering the field and building the capacity to do so with more fidelity and less support. While the knowledge levels and perceptions of pre-service teachers are critical to the future success of RTI implementation, the level of training among pre-service educators is less understood relative to their colleagues in the field. This exploratory study was designed to examine pre-service general and special education teachers' perceptions of RTI, and self-efficacy in implementation. A survey, created and distributed to measure teacher candidates' (TCs) opinions and self-efficacy in RTI, found that TCs have positive opinions of RTI. They believe it to be effective for students, but have less ability to implement specific components in the classroom. The outcomes from this study suggest that special education majors had significantly higher ratings of their self-efficacy than elementary education majors. This has implications for curriculum changes in teacher training programs to better prepare educators to implement RTI in the classroom.

The traditional method of identifying students with disabilities has led to a new innovation being implemented at the school level. Response to Intervention (RTI) is an alternative approach that received federal approval with the passage of Individuals with Disabilities Educational Improvement Act (IDEIA) 2004. On July 1, 2010, RTI became the required process for determining identification of students with learning disabilities for all schools in the state of Florida. Implementation of this approach requires significant changes in how schools operate. Using a phenomenological study design, the purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the experiences of elementary school principals implementing RTI in their schools. After gaining the individual viewpoints of 16 principals through an interview process, the data was analyzed using Fullan‟s nine critical factors affecting implementation of a change project. Results indicate that principals found RTI implementation to be a difficult, but worthwhile experience.

In order to provide effective social, emotional, and behavioral supports to all students, there is a need for formative assessment tools that can help determine the responsiveness of students to intervention. Schoolwide positive behavior support (SWPBS) is one framework that can provide evidence-based intervention within a 3-tiered model to reach students at all levels of risk. This dissertation begins the process of developing a brief, teacher-completed rating scale, intended to be used with students in grades K-8 for the formative assessment of positive classroom behavior. An item pool of 93 positively worded rating scale items was drawn from or adapted from existing rating scales. Teachers (n = 142) rated the importance of each item to their concept of "positive classroom behavior." This survey yielded 30 positively worded items for inclusion on the pilot rating scale. The pilot scale was used by teachers to rate students in two samples drawn from general education K-8 classrooms: a universal tier group of randomly selected students (n = 80) and a targeted tier group of students with mild to moderate behavior problems (n = 82). Pilot scale ratings were significantly higher in the universal group than the targeted group by about one standard deviation, with no significant group by gender interaction. Strong results were found for the split-half reliability (.94) and the internal consistency (.98) of the pilot scale. All but two items showed medium to large item-total correlations (> .5). Factor analysis indicated a unidimensional factor structure, with 59.87% of the variance accounted for by a single factor, and high item loadings (> .4) from 26 of the 30 factors. The unidimensional factor structure of the rating scale indicates its promise for potential use as a general outcome measure (GOM), with items reflecting a range of social, emotional, and behavioral competencies. Future research is suggested in order to continue development and revision of the rating scale with a larger, more diverse sample, and to begin exploring its suitability for screening and formative assessment purposes.