RTI for Diverse Learners

Learn more about Catherine Collier's PD offerings Catherine Collier, Ph.D. has over 45 years experience in equity, cross-cultural, bilingual, and special education. Dr. Collier is a nationally recognized expert on diverse learners with learning and behavior needs. She established and directed the Chinle Valley School, Dine Bitsiis Baa Aha Yaa, bilingual services for Navajo students with severe and multiple disabilities for the Navajo Nation. She was the director of a teacher-training program, Ikayurikiit Unatet for the University of Alaska for seven years, preparing Yup'ik Eskimo paraprofessionals for certification as bilingual preschool, elementary, and special educators. She was an itinerant (diagnostician/special education) for Child Find in remote villages in Alaska. For eight years, Dr. Collier worked with the BUENO Center for Multicultural Education, Research, and Evaluation at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she created and directed the Bilingual Special Education Curriculum/Training project (BISECT), a nationally recognized effort. She is active in social justice activities for culturally and linguistically diverse learners and families. She started the first bilingual special education programs for the Navajo Nation and the White Mountain Apache. She is currently the director of the national professional development project Curriculum Integration for Responsive, Crosscultural, Language Education (CIRCLE) at Western Washington University. She works extensively with school districts on professional and program development for at-risk diverse learners. Dr. Collier provides technical assistance to university, local, and state departments of education regarding programs serving at-risk cognitively, culturally and linguistically diverse learners. She works with national organizations to provide professional development in the intersection of crosscultural, multilingual, diversity, special needs issues in education.

Acknowledgments About the Author 1. Framework for Instructional Intervention With Diverse Learners What Is Response to Intervention? Figure 1: Example of the Three Tier Model Figure 2: Example of the Four Tier Model Figure 3: Continuous Problem Solving Model Figure 4: Pyramid of Resiliency, Instruction and Strategy Monitoring Asking the Right Questions What Information Do We Need? How Should We Use the Information? Providing Some Context 2. Tier 1 Interventions Introduction to the Tier 1 Instructional Focus Progress Monitoring at Tier 1 Figure 5: Example of Progress Monitoring So What do I do with an ELL Student at Tier 1: Interventions Example from Classroom Practice Readiness and Resiliency Issues at Tier 1 Communication Issues at Tier 1 Literacy Issues at Tier 1 Behavior Issues at Tier 1 Cognitive Issues at Tier 1 3. Tier 2 Interventions Introduction to Tier 2 Instructional Focus Progress Monitoring at Tier 2 Figure 6: Progress Monitoring at Tier 2 So What do I do with an ELL Student at Tier 2 Interventions Example from Classroom Practice Adaptation and Development Issues at Tier 2 Communication Issues at Tier 2 Literacy Issues at Tier 2 Behavior Issues at Tier 2 Cognitive Issues at Tier 2 4. Tier 3 Interventions Introduction to Tier 3 Instructional Focus Progress Monitoring at Tier 3 Figure 7: Progress Monitoring of Diverse Concerns at Tier 3 So What do I do with an ELL Student at Tier 3: Intervention Example from Classroom Practice Communication Issues at Tier 3 Literacy Issues at Tier 3 Behavior Issues at Tier 3 Cognitive Issues at Tier 3 5. Tier 4 Interventions Introduction to Tier 4 Instructional Focus Progress Monitoring at Tier 4 So What do I do with an ELL Student at Tier 4: Interventions Example from Classroom Practice Adapting Interventions for ELL/CLD Students in Individualized Special Programs 6. In Conclusion References Glossary Index

"A user-friendly and highly practical book full of research-based intervention strategies for teachers who are implementing RTI programs for second-language learners and other culturally diverse students." -- Leonard Baca, Professor "This highly readable book is appropriate for teachers, administrators, researchers, and other leaders in the field who seek to know more about the increasingly common practice of using RTI as an intervention, support, and eligibility determination system for diverse learners. Collier provides a thorough, research-based overview of what RTI is and why it is important, followed by a clear, practical overview of each tier of intervention. This book is filled with practical advice that guides educators through each stage of the intervention process, explains some of the most relevant issues in the educational system and their relationship to RTI, and provides a manual for applying RTI-based principles and approaches to the particular needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students." -- Patricia Doran, Bridges to Curriculum Access Project Director "Like Collier's other books, this one provides an essential resource for teachers, particularly those who work with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students along the continuum fo needs. Collier not only explains some of the current pitfalls and challenges related to the traditional assessment and intervention process, but also expounds on the reasons tiered interventions are rapidly becoming a highly regarded practice in the educational community. This easy-to-understand, practical book helps teachers put clear guidelines, effective collaboration, and appropriate decision-making processes in place to distinguish between students who are merely in the process of second-language acquisition and those who have genuine special education needs." -- Amy Mazur, Lead Faculty for Bilingual Special Education, Professor of Special Education "Collier has crafted an indispensible resource for school districts faced with increasing numbers of culturally and linguistically diverse students. Many of these students arrive with issues that seem to indicate disability. In this book, Collier provides research-based and classroom-proven intervention strategies that allow schools to effectively address learning and adaptation issues of diverse students. By using these strategies within an RTI model, school teams can ensure that the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students are appropriately identified and addressed." -- Laura Lukens, ELL Program Coordinator "No one is left out! This all-inclusive volume builds on Catherine Collier's extensive work over many years and provides the one handbook teachers in the field have for years been wishing someone would write. Teachers can follow the carefully structured diagnosis and intervention plan with confidence and know their learners will be set on a learning path that will provide them with optimal support." -- Sylvia Helmer, Adjunct Professor of Language and Literacy Education