How RTI Works in Secondary Schools

Evelyn S. Johnson is an associate professor of special education at Boise State University and the coauthor of RTI: A Practitioner's Guide to Implementing Response to Intervention. She began her career in Washington in 1994 as a special education teacher, and then at the University of Washington, Seattle, where her research focused on the inclusion of students with disabilities in accountability systems. Johnson's work on assessment for students with disabilities has included research on accommodations and alternate assessments, as well as research on screening for reading problems. Prior to joining the faculty at BSU, she worked as a research associate for the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities (NRCLD), where she developed numerous technical assistance products to assist state and local educational agencies on RTI and learning disability identification-related issues. Currently, her research focuses on RTI implementation at the secondary levels. Lori Smith is principal at Cheyenne Mountain Junior High in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She has served in public education for 15 years, 9 of which have been in school administration. She began her career as a high school biology and chemistry teacher in 1994 in Colorado. Her work and systematic implementation of RTI at Cheyenne Mountain has led to several state-level presentations, publications, and consultations on RTI implementation. Smith's commitment to action research on RTI at the secondary level was inspired by the support of Evelyn Johnson as Smith completes her doctoral degree in education leadership and administration. Monica L. Harris is an assistant professor at Grand Valley State University in the College of Education. She began her career in education at the secondary level and has experience teaching adolescents in general and special education settings as well as developing and implementing programs for students who struggle academically or are at risk of school failure. Prior to joining the faculty at GVSU, she received her doctoral degree in special education from the University of Kansas, where her research focused on strategy instruction and adolescent literacy. Harris is part of the Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) Professional Developer's Network and works with school districts to implement tiered intervention using research-based instructional strategies. Currently, her research interests include developing instructional strategies for use in academically diverse classrooms, teacher preparation, and collaborative teaching models.

Foreword Acknowledgments About the Authors 1. What Is RTI? Purpose of RTI at the Secondary Level How RTI Works How RTI Fits With Other Education Initiatives Purpose of This Book How This Book is Organized Summary 2. Implementation and Continuous Improvement Overview What are the Desired Outcomes? How is RTI Expected to Lead to These Outcomes? What Must Happen If RTI is to Work as Expected? What Data Can be Used to Inform Implementation Efforts? How Do We Develop a System for Analyzing and Evaluating Data? What Systems are Needed for continuous Improvement of the RTI Process? Summary 3. Leadership Perspectives on RTI Overview What is My Role as Building Leader to Implement RTI? How Do I Start the Process of Implementation? What Will the Professional Development Needs Be? RTI Focuses on Academics: What About Behavior? What if We Identify too Many Kids in Need of Intervention? What Resources Will I Need to Provide? What If I Don't Get Things Right the First Time? RTI Implementation in Practice Summary 4. Universal Screening Definition: What is Universal Screening? Why is Accuracy Important? Purpose of Screening at the Secondary Level What Data Should Be Collected? Implementation Leader Tasks Universal Screening in Practice Summary 5. Tier 1 Instruction Definition: What is Tier 1 Instruction? Purpose of Tier 1 at the Secondary Level Implementation Tier 1 in Practice: Cheyenne Mountain Junior High School Leader Tasks Summary 6. Tier 2 and 3 Intervention Definition: What is Tier 2 and Tier 3 Intervention? Purpose of Tiers 2 and 3 at the Secondary Level Implementation Tier 2 in Practice: Mattawan High School Tier 3 Implementation Leader Tasks Summary 7. Progress Monitoring Definition: What is Progress Monitoring? Purpose of Progress Monitoring at the Secondary Level Implementation Leader Tasks Summary 8. Conclusion How is RTI Expected to Lead to Improved Student Learning? What is the Role of Leadership for Ensuring Successful RTI Implementation? Why We are Optimistic About the Future of RTI: Two Case Stories Summary Appendix: RTI Implementation Checklist Resources References Index

"Offers all people involved in the RTI process a detailed guide of how to proactively implement RTI. The real-world examples, visuals, and lists of resources are extremely helpful when attempting to turn words into actions and determining how exactly to coordinate such a big undertaking!" -- Kimberly Kysar, Speech Language Pathologist and RTI Coordinator "Specific examples of RTI implementation at the middle and high school levels provide a powerful means of demonstrating the components in practice and give practitioners an extremely useful resource as they begin their implementation process." -- From the Foreword by Daryl F. Mellard "To successfully implement an RTI framework in schools, practitioners need very practical, hands-on guidelines and tools for making this new model of school improvement work. The complexity of this task is magnified greatly in secondary schools. This book will be a treasure for educators who want to make dramatic improvements in outcomes for adolescents - especially those who struggle in learning. It not only provides a solid foundation for guiding school improvement, but it details an array of very practical tools that can be used to implement tiered instructional options in middle and high school settings. This book will become a 'go-to resource' for teachers and administrators in middle and high school settings." -- Donald D. Deshler, Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Special Education "This book is a must-read for schools wishing to begin or expand RTI to the secondary levels. From research-based screenings to evidence-based interventions, the authors address the challenges specific to secondary schools and provide concise, realistic options." -- Nicole Power, RTI Coordinator and Speech Language Pathologist "Administrators and teachers who are concerned about making sure that each student in their program is successful will want to read this book over and over. It is a very straightforward explanation of a complex topic that is very important to making education what we want it to be for our country, our communities, and our children. This one is a keeper!" -- Frederick Brigham, Associate Professor of Special Education "This book not only helps principals understand what RTI is and why we need this in our schools, it serves as a valuable resource to guide us with implementation." -- Ryan Pfahler, Middle School Principal