RTI: considerations for school leaders
Implement the action plan
Fidelity of Implementation
Implementation Guidelines
Professional Development
Evaluation and Revision
Scheduling Considerations
Parent-School Patnerships
Classroom Support for Teachers
Data Management
Potential School Resources
This process is complex and requires building an infrastructure, and because every shoals unique, the infrastructure will differ from school to school
Assessment
To implement RTI, schools need to develop guidelines concerning RTI-related procedures. These guidelines should provide information on how the school will implement the primary RTI components: high-quality instruction, frequent assessment, tiered interventions, and data-based decision making. A written record of these guidelines (i.e., a manual) will help school personnel implement RTI with fidelity.
Step2: determine the training goals
Scheduling is often overlooked, but it is important for the successful implementation of the RTI approach. As Mr. Irwin, Ms. Hooper, and the planning team start to think about the adjustments they need to make to accommodate those involved in the RTI process, they realize they need to schedule several activities:
When teachers first implement a new approach in class, they may feel overwhelmed by the additional or alternative demands. Mr. Irwin understands that he can reduce their stress by providing:
Parent-school partnerships are essential to improving educational outcomes for all students. In order to establish good parent-school partnerships, school personnel need to remember rules of basic courtesy when communicating with all parents, taking into consideration different cultural, linguistic, educational, economic, and racial backgrounds. The box below provides some suggestions regarding communicating with parents.
Schools implementing the RTI approach are finding that it typically requires a three- to six-year commitment, a range consistent with the findings from systems change research. Therefore, it is important for schools to set up a data management system that will enable them to examine student data over time (e.g., by grading period, by year, or across several years). A good data management system will help principals generate accountability reports, demonstrate the success of the approach, and facilitate the sharing of data with faculty, parents, other principals, and interested community members. Establishing a data management system involves:
Evaluating implementation is the final step in the change process. This step is critical for determining whether an intervention has been effective. During this step, school personnel perform two important tasks: assessing the fidelity of implementation and evaluating outcome data.
Whereas fidelity checks ensure that the RTI approach is being implemented correctly, schools use other sources of data to document student performance. These data may include:
Most Schools will have to balance:
Resources
Implementation guidelines
Professional development
Scheduling considerations
Teacher support
Parent-school partnerships
Data management
Instruction
Personnel
Time
RTI coach
Data-interpretation assistant
Instructional assistant
Research-based curriculum
Research-based supplements
culturally relevant materials
Universal screening measures
progress monitoring tools
data management system
To plan instruction
to collaborate with other teachers
to discuss student data
to meet with a coach or mentor
Step 3: Deliver the training
Step 1: assess staff members' professional development needs
Step 4: evaluate the success of the training
Analyze assessment data at the student, classroom, grades and school levels
Use this information in conjunction with observational data, teacher requests that are based on data, and information from other sources to identify areas of need
Set goals for professional development that will address teachers’ needs
Use the goals to determine the specific content for professional development
Determine activities for delivering professional development
Evaluate the professional development
Design, adjust, or refine ongoing professional development to address identified needs
90 minutes of uninterrupted core-reading time in the general education classroom
Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention time coordinated between teachers and intervention providers
Release time for teachers to plan instruction, to collaborate with other teachers, to discuss student data, and to meet with a coach or mentor
In-class supports
Release time
Encouragement and positive reinforcement
Developing procedures for collecting, entering, and sharing data
Training staff on data collection and management procedures
Setting up a database
Standardized reading scores
Progress monitoring data
The number of students referred for evaluations or identified as having learning disabilities
The number of students receiving Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions
Pupil data (e.g., number of absences)