1. Responsiveness to
Instruction
Preparing Our Kids for a Future

4. Benefits of RTI

5. The Importance of
Reading
 Children who read well, read more
 They acquire knowledge in numerous domains
 Children with limited reading-related skills rarely catch-up to
their peers without intensive intervention
 Many continue to experience difficulties throughout their
school years and into adulthood
• Christopher Lonligan (2004)

6. RtI is a set of
systematic,
increasingly
intensive
educational
interventions
designed to
target an
individual
student‘s
learning
challenges to
provide
supplementary
interventions
as necessary.
Traditional RtI
Tier 3
Individual
Intervention
(5%)
Tier 2
Small-Group
Intervention (15%)
Tier 1
General Education Activities
(80%)

7. Tier1
Effective Core Instruction for All
Students
Interventions Led by
Schoolwide Teams
Tiers 1 & 2
Students with
motivational issues
Students with
attendance issues
Students with behavior
issues
Tier 3
Students in need of
intensive remedial
support in universal
skills:
Reading, writing, number
sense, English language,
Tier 2
Supplemental
Interventions for
Some Identified
Students
Tier 3
Intensive
Interventions for
Individual
Students
Interventions
Led by
Collaborative
Teacher Teams
Tiers 1 & 2
Students in need
of supplemental
support in
learning essential
core standards
and English
Austen Buffum, Mike Mattos and Chris Weber, 2012

8. What about PSRC
Students?
 Often, students walk in with developmental delays
 How does this display in language, cognitive, and
behavior?
 And over time, learning deficits compound and result
in more students demonstrating increasing deficits in
the higher grade levels; thus the percentages
presented in the original RtI pyramid might be
underestimates (Bender, 2012).

9.  Dropout Nation – Frontline PBS
 Activity– Describe students and
external factors that impact our
students

10. YOUTUBE
Pyramid Response to Intervention: How to Respond When Kids Don't Learn

11. The Florida Center for Reading
Research Student Center
Activities
www.fcrr.org/curriculum/SCAindex.shtm

12. Problem-Solving Process

13. Essential RTI Components
 Screening
 Schoolwide, multi-level instructional prevention system:
Primary (Level I)
Secondary (Level II)
Tertiary (Level III)
 Progress monitoring
 Data-based decision making for:
 Instructional decision making
 Movement within the multi-level system
 Disability identification (in accordance with state law)
 Evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention

14. Process of RtI
1. Screening – a system for identifying students at risk for poor learning
outcomes.
2. Multi-level prevention system – at least three increasingly intense levels of
instructional support.
a)Primary, which is the core instruction and curriculum.
b)Secondary, which is in addition to the primary level and provides supports
targeted to students‘ needs.
c)Tertiary, also supplemental to primary, but more intense than secondary.
3. Progress monitoring – a system for monitoring the effectiveness of the
supports provided to students.
4. Data-based decision making for
a)Instruction – determining who needs assistance, what type of instruction
or assistance is needed, whether the duration and intensity are sufficient.
b)Movement within the multi-level system – when to move students to
something more or less intense, who is responding and/or not responding.
c)Disability identification – when to refer for special education evaluation,
how the student compares to his or her peers, did he or she receive
appropriate instruction. This, of course, is in accordance with the state
law.
d)Evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention

15. Process of RtI
Timely, Directive, System, Flexible Support-1) timely interventions at the
first indication that they need more time and support, 2) directive rather
than
invitational, so that students get the extra help they need 3) extra
support is not dependent upon which teacher the student has, but
implemented
systematically.
Shared Instructional Goals- 1) RtI will not be effective, if educators have
not first collaborated to identify common instructional goals. 2) PLCs rely
on frequent, timely common formative assessment data to determine
which students need additional time and support, not last year‘s
summative assessment data.
Buffum, Mattos, Weber (2009)
P21—Wiki Space

16. Process of RtI
Universal Screening- in both academics and behavior even before the school year
has begun to identify who need additional time and support.
1)Apply universal screening in a broader context that includes behavior as as
literacy and numeracy skills, and 2) to explicitly base decisions upon highly
specific
data. 3)We commonly refer to ―universal screening‖ as the
process that
schools use to identify students who are at risk for poor learning
outcomes.
Frequent Progress Monitoring-1)measure the effectiveness of an intervention
overall and for individual students. 2) Monitoring student progress as often as
twice each week, using very short, specific probes to detect small changes in
student learning.
Research-Based Interventions- ‗research that involves the application of rigorous,
systematic, and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid knowledge
relevant to education activities and programs.

19. Implementing Tier I
 Powerful classroom instruction begins with the
adoption and use of an evidence-based
curriculum, but effective teachers do not simply
teach such a program page-by-page in the same
way for all students. Rather, they differentiate
instruction, providing instruction designed to
meet the specific needs of students in the class.

20. Differentiating Instruction
 http://si2013planning.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/P21+Fram
ework
 Overview of the P21 Rainbow

22. YouTube
a visit to a differentiated classroom

23.  http://www.fcrr.org/curriculum/PDF/G45/45TRGPartOne.pdf
 Researchers strong recommend differentiated
instruction as the essential basis for RtI.—Factually,
scholars now consider differentiated instruction the
most effective basis for all instruction.

26. Tools for Differentiation
http://www.greenwichschools.org/
4 ----P21
http://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=9426

27. Middle School Practices for
Primary Prevention
 Improving the primary level of prevention (core
instruction)
 This practice is pivotal to RTI implementation success.
 Engaging students in their learning
 Every student knows the learning goals.
 Using a standardized curriculum
 Mr. X‘s 6th-grade math is the same as Ms. Y‘s 6thgrade math.
27

31. Snapshot…
 Data: good assessments—benchmark
and normative—and expert use of the
data
 Increased direct instructional time;
additional time for those behind
 Quality instruction in small, fluid, skill
groups
 Targeted accelerated growth;
knowledgeable reading specialists
Fielding, Kerr, Rosier, 2007

32. Creating a Positive Learning
Environment
 Behavior and academic achievement are inextricably
linked. A student‘s academic success in school is
directly related to the student‘s attention, engagement,
and behavior. The higher the expectation for scholarly
behaviors and the better the supports for students
experiencing difficulties—whether mild, moderate, or
severe—the more academic success can be
achieved.
• Austin Buffum, Mike Mattos, and
Chric Weber (2011)

33. Using Data….
 http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/practice_guides/dddm_pg_092909.
pdf
 Collect and prepare a variety of data about student learning. -To
gain a robust understanding of students‘ learning needs, teachers
need to collect data from a variety of sources.
 Interpret data and develop hypotheses about how to improve
student learning.-Working independently or in teams, teachers
should interpret the data they have collected and prepared.
 Modify instruction to test hypotheses and increase student
learning. -After forming hypotheses about students‘ learning
needs, teachers must test their hypotheses by carrying out the
instructional changes that they believe are likely to raise student
achievement.
 Page 17 on document for Action Plan

34. Using Data…..
 Teach students to examine their own data and set
learning goals--Students are best prepared to learn
from their own achievement data when they
understand the learning objectives and when they
receive data in a user-friendly format. Tools such as
rubrics provide students with a clear sense of learning
objectives, and data presented in an accessible and
descriptive format can illuminate students‘ strengths
and weaknesses

35. Personalized Learner
Assessment

36. Problem-Solving Process

37. Thinking and Learning
Styles

38. Multiple Intelligences

39. Multiple Intelligences
(continued)

40. Examples of Screening
Indicators and Tools

41. Examples of Measurable
Academic Skills and
Diagnostic Assessments

42. Progress Monitoring

43. Progress Monitoring
 Conducted frequently – at least monthly
 Designed to:
 Estimate rates of improvement
 Identify students who are not
demonstrating adequate progress
 Compare the efficacy of different forms of
instruction
 Thereby design more effective,
individualized instructional programs
for struggling learners
43

44. What is the Difference Between Traditional
Assessments and PM?
 Traditional assessments:
 Lengthy tests
 Not administered on a regular basis
 Teachers do not receive immediate
feedback
 Student scores are based on
national scores and averages
44

45. What About When It Isn‘t
Enough?

46. Movement from
Tier I to Tier II

47. Tier II
 After gathering accurate screening data on all
students, schools must analyze the data, validate
student needs, and match students that need support
with an effective intervention. In other words, schools
need the right interventions in place, the interventions
must be intensive enough to accelerate student
learning, and each intervention must be implemented
with fidelity.

48. Culture:“RTI = All Staff +
All Kids”
 Schools reported a cultural shift in language and thinking.
 Teachers think less about teaching content and more about
ensuring that students learn.
 “We [staff] all believe that all students can learn.”
 All staff own all students; no more “my student” or “his
student.”
 All teachers can teach reading and mathematics.
48

49. http://www.studentprogress.org/

50. CBM in Relation to RTI
There is no single, widely accepted ―model‖ of the RTI process.
In general, a school organizes its model into tiers. Each stage
represents a continuum of increasing intensity of support.
Tier 1:
Universal
screening
Screen all students. Students are identified “atrisk” early in the school year by reviewing
progress (e.g., state tests, benchmarks). Given
classroom support.
Tier 2:
Target
intervention
Additional support is given to students not
making adequate progress and is provided in
individual or small group settings.
Tier 3:
Intensive
intervention
Students whose needs are greater than general
education can meet receive individualized,
intensive support that targets the student’s skill
deficits (e.g., special education).

51. Tier II—Purposeful
Grouping
 Purposeful Grouping allows you to provide
personalized instruction in the general education
setting. It can help you design lesson plans that set
up all students for success, including those struggling
with particular skills from the curriculum.
 Small-group instruction that relies on evidence-based
interventions that specify the instructional procedures,
duration, and frequency of instruction

52. CBM in Relation to RTI
Key Terms
Curriculum-based assessment (CBA):
refers to a wide range of informal assessment
procedures within the classroom to monitor student
progress. The focus is on the instructional level of
students.
Requirements of CBA:
52
 Measurement materials are aligned with school
curriculum.
 Measurement is frequent.
 Assessment information is used in instructional
decision-making.

55. Progress Monitoring
 Teachers assess students‘ academic
performance, using brief measures, on a
frequent basis
 The major purposes are
 To describe rate of response to instruction
 To build more effective programs
55

56. CBM in Relation to RTI
Question:
Can assessments be valid and reliable if teachers grade tests
differently?
Answer:
Assessments for the purpose of progress monitoring can be valid and
reliable at the teacher level if teachers use a consistent manner in
grading. However, comparisons between teachers may not be valid
and reliable if different grading procedures are used.

57. CBM in Relation to RTI
Key Terms
Role of curriculum-based assessment
Planning
Assessment
Instruction
Informal
57
Formal

58. CBM in Relation to RTI
Key Terms
Curriculum-based measurement (CBM):
refers to a specific method of monitoring student progress
through direct, continuous assessment of academic skills toward
long-term goals. Typically schools use standardized assessments
to monitor student progress.
Technically, CBM is a form of CBA because it meets all the
requirements of CBA.
CBM is used to address the question:
―Is the student making progress towards a
58
grade-level expectation or long-term goal?‖

59. CBM in Relation to RTI
Informal:
Answer:
used to determine how well student performs compared to criteria for
mastery, self, and classmates. Seeks to identify the strengths and
needs of individual students without regard to grade or age norms.
Formal:
used to compare performance to others of the same age or grade.
Have standardized procedures for administering, timing, and scoring.
Assessments
Informal
Formal
Classroom assignments,
State testing, WJ-III,
journals, essays, reports,
WRAT, CTBS, WIAT,
59
discussion groups, reading logs
benchmarks

60. CBM Research
 CBM research has been conducted over the
past 30 years
 Research has demonstrated that when teachers
use CBM for instructional decision making:
 Students learn more
 Teacher decision making improves
 Students are more aware of their
performance
60

61. Progress Monitoring
 Evaluate effectiveness of instruction
 Individual students
 Entire class
 Identify goals, measure goals, adjust teaching as
needed
 Accelerated learning
 Targeted instruction
 Faster attainment of state standards
61

62. Movement from
Tier II to Tier III

63. Tier III

64. Steps to applying what you‘ve learned:
1.Analyze Curriculum
2.Prepare Probes
3.Probe Frequently
4.Graph the Data
5.Yield to the Results
64

65. Demonstrate Data Management
Techniques
Understanding the Steps
1. Analyze Curriculum:
Identify realistic, measurable instructional objectives.
Ask, ―What do I want the students to learn?‖
2. Prepare Probes to match curriculum:
A probe is a structured assessment tool used to monitor a
skill related to the objective. Probes must match learning
objectives. A variety of probes should be used.
Ask, ―How will I measure student learning?‖
3. Probe Frequently:
The more information you have, the more
accurate your instructional decisions will be.
65

66. Compare and Contrast Current
Assessment Practices
Using CBM for instructional decision-making:

Pre Instruction (before instruction)
Do learners possess pre-requisite knowledge/skills to achieve goal?

Formative (during instruction)
Are learners progressing?
If yes, are they being adequately challenged?
If no, why not? Is it the pacing? The content? The instructional strategies?
•
Summative (upon completion of instruction)
Did learners achieve desired instructional goal?

Diagnostic
66
(during or upon completion)
Why aren‘t/didn‘t students achieving the goal?

67. Demonstrate Data Management
Techniques
Understanding the Steps
4. Graph the Data:
Most dreaded, yet powerful, component of CBA.
a. Record and establish baseline for each student.
b. Construct the aimline to judge student progress.
c. Enter results of each probe as it is administered and scored.
5. Yield to the Results:
Look for trends in student performance. Ask, ―What are the
data telling me?‖ and ―How should instruction change
based on the data?‖
67
Let’s get started with a demonstration….

68. Demonstrate Data Management Techniques
Sample of CBM module
Title of Graph
Students‘ goal
90
% Correct
80
70
60
50
40
Aimline
30
20
68
10

69. Demonstrate Data Management Techniques
Sample of CBA module
Title of Graph
Students‘ goal
90
% Correct
80
70
Student 1
60
Student 2
50
40
Aimline
30
20
10
69

70. Demonstrate Data Management
Techniques
Step 3: Analyze data: aimlines and
trendlines
Now what? How do I know what it means? How do I
know when to revise instruction?
You can make decisions based on:

Recent consecutive scores or

The trendlines
70

71. Demonstrate Data Management
Techniques
Step 3: Analyze data: aimlines and
trendlines
Decision rules based on recent scores:
Question: Are the 4 most recent scores above
the aimline?
Yes
71
Increase student‘s goal
program
No
Revise instructional

72. Primary prevention is crucial because it supports the majority of your student
population.
All middle schools indicated that their most important RTI focus was solidifying their core
instruction and that improving their core instruction was pivotal to RTI
implementation success—to have at least 80% of their students meeting proficiency
standards. In middle school, the primary prevention is all content area instruction.
Ways that the staff in our study suggested improving their primary instruction include—
 Engaging students in their learning – While important in every classroom, at every
level of instruction, many middle schools emphasized their efforts to engage their
students in the primary level of instruction. Some of the techniques were to review each
section and lesson‘s objectives with the class, write out the day‘s objectives on the
board, quickly review past lessons, and generalize information to the next objectives.
Many of these techniques helped the students understand and generalize their learning
goals.
•Every student knows the learning goals.
 Some schools invested heavily in a research-based core curriculum that aligned with
their state standards and focused on fidelity of implementation to ensure that the
curriculum was implemented with high quality. Implementing a standardized
curriculum ensured that all students in all classes received the same lessons.
Once a school‘s staff thought that their primary level (core instruction) was solid, they

76. http://www.rti4success.org/

78. Movement from
Tier III to Tier II or I

80. Additional Resources
http://www.rti4success.org
 RTI Implementation Processes for Middle Schools (June
2011)
http://www.rti4success.org/pdf/0644MS_RTI_Implementation_Brief_d3.pdf
 RTI Scheduling Processes for Middle Schools (July 2011)
http://www.rti4success.org/pdf/0681MS_RTI_Rescheduling_Brief_d2.pdf
 RTI in Middle Schools: Frequently Asked Questions (August
2011)
http://www.rti4success.org/pdf/0572%20MS%20RTI%20FAQs%20d5[1].pdf
 Middle School Essential Components report (Fall 2012)
80