RTI Success: Proven Tools and Strategies for Schools and Classrooms

by Elizabeth Whitten, Kelli J. Esteves, Alice Woodrow

Overview

Accessible, hands-on RTI guidance and strategies for educators at all grade levels

This practical, ready-to-use resource gives teachers and administrators the tools to successfully implement RTI or strengthen an existing program to target students’ specific needs. Response to Intervention allows educators to assess and meet the needs of struggling students before they have fallen too far behind. Three expert authors explore this multi-tiered system of support (MTSS), offering over one hundred research-based, instructional techniques and interventions for use in diverse settings, advice on creating personal and positive learning environments, information on co-teaching, and approaches to purposeful grouping. Included in the book and as digital downloads are easy-to-use customizable forms to streamline assessment, implementation, and documentation. Also included is an extensive list of references and resources for further exploration.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631983467
Publisher:	Free Spirit Publishing
Publication date:	06/30/2020
Series:	Free Spirit Professional®
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	9 MB
Age Range:	4 - 18 Years

About the Author

Elizabeth Whitten, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Special Education and Literacy Studies and director of the special education internship study abroad program at Western Michigan University.

Prior to moving into higher education, she served as a special and elementary education teacher, principal, and director of special education.

She lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Kelli J. Esteves, Ed.D.,  is an associate professor of education and the coordinator of global experiences for the College of Education at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. She teaches courses on topics related to special education, developmental theory, and children’s literature.

She lives in Zionsville, Indiana.

Alice Woodrow, Ed.D., is director of special education at Allegan Area Educational Service Agency in Allegan, Michigan.

Alice has also served as the supervisor of special education in the Comstock (MI) Public Schools.

Table of Contents

List of Reproducible Pages

List of Figures

Introduction

The RTI Model
Why Implement RTI?
What the Research Says
About This Book and Digital Content
Does RTI Come with Challenges?
Before You Begin

Part I: Implementation

Chapter 1: Response to Intervention

What Is RTI?
Spotlight: The Evolution of Special Education
The Three Tiers of Instruction

Tier I
Tier II
Tier III

Five Principles of RTI

Chapter 2: Setting Up RTI Teams and the Problem-Solving Process
Response to Intervention Teaming Designs

Spotlight: Transdisciplinary Teaming

The RTI Navigation Team and Its Implementation Responsibilities

1. Establish Timeline and Scope of Initiative

Spotlight: Selection of the Navigation Team

2. Involve Staff and Parents in RTI Development

Spotlight: RTI Resources for Parents

3. Establish School Baseline

4. Inventory and Supplement School Resources

Spotlight: Administering RTI School Baseline Survey

5. Provide Targeted Professional Development

6. Draft RTI Procedures and Programming Contents

RTI Grade Level Teams
RTI Support Teams
RTI Evaluation Teams

Spotlight: Outstanding RTI Questions

The RTI Problem-Solving Process

Team Member Roles in the Problem-Solving Process

Using the Problem-Solving Process in RTI Meetings

1. Identify Academic Strengths and Challenges
2. Analyze Challenges
3. Establish Academic Baseline and Learning Preferences
4. Brainstorm Teaching Strategies and Interventions
5. Develop an Intervention Plan
6. Develop an Evaluation Plan
7. Establish a Case Manager

Part II: Assessment

Chapter 3: Personalized Learner Assessment

Benefits of Personalized Learner Assessment
Tools for Personalized Learner Assessment
What Makes a Great Teacher?
The Perfect Classroom
Coat of Arms
Yellow Pages
Student Interest Inventory
Thinking and Learning Styles Inventory

Thinking Styles
Spotlight: Using the Results of Thinking and Learning Style Inventories\
Learning Styles

Parent Checklist

Multiple Intelligences Preferences
Spotlight: Using Multiple Intelligences Preferences to Guide Instruction

Multiple Intelligences Teacher Observation

Spotlight: Web-Based Learning Strengths Assessments

Chapter 4: Academic Assessment

Screening
Diagnostic Evaluation

Spotlight: Documenting Student Observations

Progress Monitoring
Curriculum-Based Measurement
Additional Progress Monitoring Tools
Outcome Assessment
Finding Time to Assess
Using Assessment to Determine Movement Across RTI Tiers

Movement from Tier I to Tier II
Movement from Tier II to Tier III
Movement from Tier III back to Tier II or I
Eligibility for Special Education Services

The Educational Profile

Elements of the “Educational Profile”
Spotlight: Considering Student Behavior

Part III: Instruction

Chapter 5: Purposeful Grouping

How Do I Group Students?
Classroom Grouping Strategies

Clock Grouping
Pocket Chart Grouping
Shuffling the Deck Grouping
Spotlight: Using Peer and Cross-Age Tutoring

Grouping Guidelines

Spotlight: Reasons to Avoid Ability Grouping

Grouping Students Within RTI Tiers

Tier I
Tier II
Tier III
Spotlight: Resources for Grouping and Differentiating Instruction

Chapter 6: Research-Based Teaching

Research-Based Instructional Methods

Set Learning Goals
Spotlight: Selection of Research-Based Instructional Methods
Activate Prior Knowledge
Use Visual Representations
Assign Practice Opportunities
Promote Higher-Level Thinking
Provide Strategy Instruction
Use the Gradual Release of Responsibility Framework
Use Direct Instruction
Integrate Problem-Based Learning

Research-Based Programs and Strategies

Reading Decoding and Word Recognition
Reading Fluency
Reading Comprehension
Written Expression
Math Computation
Math Reasoning

A Final Word

References and Resources

Index

Editorial Reviews

The authors of RTI Success have created a versatile guide that is beneficial to both veteran and new educators. This book is a powerful resource for continuous growth through the RTI process, utilizing easy-to-follow explanations, charts, tables, and templates to guide any educator. I am excited about using this book with my teams as we continue to move forward with RTI.

Scott A. Deetz

This is a must-have resource on your RTI shelf! Whether you’re looking for an introduction or a refresher, you’ll find what you need in this book. The authors have provided theory along with a practical approach for implementation of an RTI process. I appreciate the emphasis on essential elements of teaching and learning, such as strong student-teacher relationships and Universal Design for Learning within core curriculum. With guidance on assessment, progress monitoring, and considerations for each level of academic support, this book provides information, ready-to-use templates, and resources to help educators enhance learning and find success for all students.

Heather Gorgas

RTI Success provides the essential tools teachers need that allow them to focus on positive student relationships, collaborate with other professionals and families, and design learner-centered instruction to meet each child’s unique needs. The chapter on co-teaching is invaluable, and the entire book is well organized with reproducible forms and ‘What to Try When’ charts to save teachers time!

Karen Evans

I purchased RTI Success and I love it! I have shared it with my RTI team, and I plan to lend it out to other key members of our district.”—Denise C. Lee, school adjustment counselor, John F. Kennedy Elementary, Brockton, MA.

 “This book is a must-read for pre-service, first-year, and experienced teachers alike.”—Karen Evans, Teacher

From the Publisher

RTI Success has helped me in my entire career. I have used it not only in special education but also in my general education classes. In the revised and updated edition, there are more resources and data-driven strategies to maximize students’ learning outcomes. These strategies are targeted to all students! I also love the strategies and methods they share to have effective co-teaching in classrooms, something that is happening in the school district where I work. Thank you for this great resource!

Katerin Duran

All too often, the books we read as educational practitioners seeking to meet our students’ needs leave us wanting more. They fall short in the area of research or practice, and we find ourselves looking for guidance from the next book. The beauty of RTI Success is that it is founded, in all aspects, on comprehensive research and useful practical strategies that can be put into immediate practice in every school setting. Whether you are a seasoned educator or a novice, you’ll find step-by-step directions to help your students thrive as learners. Between the covers of RTI Success, school leaders will discover the knowledge they need to develop staff and create systems and structures within a school. The authors understand what students need to be fully supported as well as how to put structures in place that enable educators to provide that support. RTI Success is one of the few books that you will keep within reach on your desk and refer to over and over.

Dr. Deborah Nuzzi

RTI Success is the most comprehensive resource I’ve found to enhance or begin a school’s RTI implementation. As a district leader of RTI for Indianapolis Public Schools, I have found this book to complement and improve our district’s current practices and teaching strategies. While the US Department of Education requires the use of a process based on the child’s response to scientific, research-based intervention, it does not mandate or endorse any particular model. This can make RTI subjective, complex, and confusing. Fortunately for educators, RTI Success brings welcome clarity. You can read the book cover to cover or pick it up and focus on the aspects of the RTI framework that your school needs to develop. The guidelines and reproducible documents in RTI Success can be easily implemented for any school’s unique needs, and the ‘RTI in Action’ sections provide real-life scaffolding examples to deepen understanding of the content. Our district has significantly increased our matrix of interventions due to the teaching strategies provided in this book, allowing us to implement specially designed instruction at any tier, all while sprucing up teachers’ personal tool kits. I’m grateful to have this all-encompassing book to reference time and time again.

Kassi Hall