Northwest AEA
 

General RTI

Can teams use part of a standardized test (Woodcock Johnson) or an instrument like the BASC to help determine areas of intervention needs and help with answering the question at Tier II (supplemental instruction) regarding problem analysis? If the answer is no, please give teams training in how to do problem analysis. If a child has a diagnosis of ADHD can a social worker use the BASC at Tier II (supplemental instruction) to gather information to make a referral to mental health and not looking at it as a disability for special education placement? Regarding ELL students, can a team member give the BVAT at Tier II (supplemental instruction) to help determine if the student has problems in his native language as well as English? ELL placement only looks at how well the student does in English. Results from a BVAT would help determine if the problem is more of an ELL issue versus a special education issue?

Teams may use an assessment at Tier II (supplemental instruction) if they deem it helpful in analyzing the problem and designing effective interventions. When the data is collected with the intention of determining entitlement to special education, it constitutes a Tier II (supplemental instruction) response, with the accompanying need for proper documentation of faithful adherence to the IDM/RTI process, procedural safeguards, etc.

Many assessments (e.g. DIBELS) could reasonably serve both intervention and entitlement purposes. The key is how the data will be used.

At what level of IDM/RTI is providing a standardized test for MR waivers done or is it part of the IDM/RTI process? Is the parent permission on the waiver enough to test?

Because such third party requests are technically not an “educational” issue our reply need not be part of the IDM/RTI process. Northwest AEA is not obligated nor do we encourage “testing” for MR Waivers or for any purpose other than Full & Individual Evaluations.  A reasonable response would be to provide the results of the team’s record reviews, current IEP, most recent reevaluation information etc. in a letter or brief statement to the person or agency requesting the information.

If one has a depression diagnosis and a social worker would be on an IEP can they use that information to by-pass Tier II (supplemental instruction) interventions and graphing?

No. A diagnosis by itself carries too little information to be effective for program planning. We still need to answer the question “How does the problem affect the student’s educational program, if at all?”  IDM/RTI, appropriately done, will help the team determine how to proceed for the individual student.

Do you have to follow the IDM/RTI Process?

Yes.  This is agency policy.  It is addressed in the Iowa Administrative rules of SPED under Identification.  See 281—41.47(1)-(3) Identification of eligible individuals.

What is the purpose of the IDM/RTI process? Is it to prevent Special Education?

The purpose of the Instructional Decision Making/Response to Intervention (IDM/RTI) process is to help the team develop effective educational strategies as measured by results data.  When effective strategies are determined, the team may decide that they can be delivered in the general education setting without additional supports, thereby avoiding the need for special education.  Conversely, the team may, as a result of the Full and Individual Evaluation Process, determine that the delivery of the needed strategies requires a level of support that can only be accomplished by the provision of special education services.  Either way, the purpose of the IDM/RTI remains the same.

Is this IDM/RTI form set or can it be revised?

Processes and forms exist to assist the team in its decision making, and provide documentation of those discussions.  The IDM/RTI form is always subject to revision and improvement.  As of Winter 2007-2008 a statewide committee has been convened to develop common child find procedures for use in all AEAs.  This will likely generate a common form as well.


 

Are teams and schools doing “academic” IDM/RTI’s?

The Instructional Decision Making/Response to Intervention (IDM/RTI) process is used to determine effective educational strategies and is applicable to any educationally related problem.  We make no distinction between “academic” IDM/RTI’s and any other issue that might influence a student’s progress.

Who is doing this intervention?

An intervention is defined as “direct instruction in the area of concern” (Special Education Eligibility Standards, Iowa Department of Education, July 2006).  The team determines who will provide the direct instruction that is needed based on the analysis of data.  Individuals will vary depending on geographic locations, staff availability, expertise, etc.

Do teachers know how to do this?

Teachers are experts at delivering direct instruction to students.  However teachers may not know all of the possible combinations of research based strategies to use with a particular student.  It is the responsibility of the AEA staff to assist teachers with data collection and analysis, design and delivery of direct instructional strategies, and progress monitoring methods.

How often do you document, or record data for progress monitoring?

The purpose of progress monitoring data collection is to determine the effectiveness of the direct instruction being delivered to the student so that changes can be made if needed.  Data should be collected often enough for the team to make timely instructional decisions on behalf of the student.  While this will vary from one situation to the next, depending on the skills being taught, it would be safe to say that quarterly is not a timely response to student needs, and daily is probably to frequent to measure change.  Best practice might suggest that progress monitoring data be collected weekly or bi-weekly.

Where does the IDM/RTI form go?

A copy of the completed IDM/RTI record should always be forwarded to the school for inclusion in the student’s cumulative file.  Parents, as members of the IDM/RTI team should also receive a copy on request.  In addition the AEA will retain a copy of the IDM/RTI record in either the student’s regular file (if a Full and Individual Evaluation is requested) or in a separate file when the IDM/RTI process does not culminate in a Full and Individual Evaluation.  It is anticipated that such records will be destroyed after 3 years.

Can you put a student in a resource room or a BD room on an intervention?

It depends.  An “intervention” is defined as direct instruction in the area of concern, and the purpose of the IDM/RTI process is assist the team in developing effective educational strategies.  The IDM/RTI process should also help the school meets its legal obligation to provide documented evidence that attempts have been made to resolve the presenting problem or behavior of concern in the general education setting, prior to requesting a Full and Individual Evaluation.  In that context then, it would be neither appropriate nor legal to “place” a student in Special Education (resource or BD room) without a Full and Individual Evaluation, determination of eligibility, IEP, and parent’s signed consent.

However, in certain rare and unusual circumstances, the team may determine that the effectiveness of a particular instructional strategy can only be determined by using special education personnel.  In such cases, the preference would be to use the special education teacher but in the general education setting.  Still more unusual might be a situation in which the team determines that intervention information will only be available using special education personnel in special education settings.  Teams are cautioned that such an approach will provide little if any information about least restrictive environment or accommodations/modifications that might be necessary for student success in general education.

If teams decide to make use of special education personnel to conduct response to intervention activities, the IDM/RTI plan must clearly spell out the instructional strategy to be delivered, the data that will be collected, and the decision making plan that will be used.  It must be clearly understood that the use of special education resources in this manner is strictly limited to the interventions described in the IDM/RTI record, and that under no circumstances should the use of such an arrangement last longer than 45 school days.  Teams are required to discuss any such arrangements
with the Regional Facilitator prior to implementation.

Is the IDM/RTI process required for students with simple articulation errors, such as a lateral s or can you go straight to Tier 3, the consent for evaluation?

Consent for Full and Individual Evaluation can be obtained immediately, but that does not exempt the team from conducting IDM/RTI activities including data collection over time.  This process and data will help you determine successful interventions or strategies, provide more information to determine eligibility (need for ongoing services), or may solve the problem before the IEP is necessary.

How does the functional behavioral assessment (and forms) fit into the IDM/RTI form (does it replace it – is it an attachment to __?)
The FBA does not replace the IDM/RTI form. The FBA can be generally defined as an assessment that enhances understanding of the purpose and effect of the behavior(s) of concern, and provides information that is useful in the development of a behavioral intervention plan and an IEP if the student is determined to be eligible for services.  It is a way of defining behaviors in specific, measurable terms and to determine the circumstances that typically predict and maintain problem behavior(s). A hypothesis is developed, tested and data is gathered. A Behavior Support Plan is developed to generate strategies to replace problem behavior with desired behavior. Data is gathered throughout this process and is displayed on a graph.  These activities are considered Tier 2 activities.  If a Full and Individual Evaluation is conducted and the student qualifies for services the information obtained through the FBA and BIP is used to develop goals for the IEP
There is a lack of problem solving/collaboration in private schools. How can we change this?

The provision of child find activities to private schools is not a choice; it is our responsibility. It is very important that the team schedules a time in the school and meets on a regular basis with principal and staff (at least once a month). The RTI process should be explained to them. The benefit of the process and the kinds of support that we can give them needs to be brought to their attention as well. The more that we respond to their needs the greater the collaboration efforts will become.

 

What extent (if any) of RTI is needed with move-ins with an IEP and 3 year evaluations?
Response to Instruction data is necessary and required when the team is contemplating the addition of services to a student’s IEP.  Whether the “out-of-state” IEP is adopted and implemented as written, or the student is up for a three year reevaluation, no RTI is needed is no additional services are contemplated.  If changes to the student’s IEP are made that include additional services, RTI data is necessary to justify the addition of those services.
What's the difference between "measurable" and "quantifiable"?
They are synonyms. Both mean to "measure"; calculable, computable, able to be gauged.
Can a service coordinator be a Sp. Ed. Teacher? Why? Why not?
The RTI Service Coordinator must be an AEA staff member. This does not mean that the teacher could not be implementing the intervention with assistance from the AEA staff member, but the information would need to be coordinated by an AEA staff member for documentation.
How do we implement RTI activities with integrity when faced with the October count?
With INTEGRITY! We cannot circumvent the process of determining eligibility in violation of IDEA and state rules in order to meet a state determined count deadline. Superintendents fully understand the count process and they are aware that while some students will begin to receive services now and not be counted until next October, there are also a number of students on their counts that are no longer receiving services but for whom they are currently receiving money. It's not a perfect system but as the saying goes, "It all comes out in the wash."
Do we need separate RTI's for individual concern areas? For example two different RTI's for attention difficulties and reading?
One RTI record form (Pages 1 and 2) per student, but you may decide to have more than one graph page (Page 3) for ease of progress monitoring. Keeping in mind that the purpose of the RTI process is to determine effective educational strategies, teams should develop as many intervention strategies as they feel are needed to address the problems described and analyzed on Page 2. Single problems may only require single interventions and single progress monitoring graphs. Multiple and complex issues may require more. In the example given, considering that the attention difficulties and difficulties with reading may be interrelated, the team may decide to implement an attention control strategy and measure the impact by looking at reading improvement
If you only see a student once a week (e.g. for short-term intervention for speech), how do you collect data no less than twice a week?
You can ask the teacher to collect data, a para educator, or the parent if you provided them materials and a data sheet to bring back to you.
For preschool kids where do you get the data for the RTI form?
Intervention data should be based on the intervention. If they are working on behavioral skills the data should be about the behavior(s) of concern. If the concern is a lack of pre-academic skills then the data should be about growth in pre-academic skills. If the concern is about lack of language skills then the data should be addressing the growth of language skills.  AEA staff members work collaboratively with parents, day care providers, and others to implement instructional and behavioral interventions and collect data necessary for decision making.
Explain the role of the service coordinators and team secretary?
The service coordinator is responsible for seeing that the RTI process flows smoothly by promoting communication among team members, organizing the data that is collected, assuring that all documentation is turned into the Team Secretary and managing all other information necessary for the team to make decisions.

The team secretary's role is to support the team and the service coordinator and is explained in the document “Quick Guide to Routing of RTI and Team Reports”.
How do developmental norms fit into the description of problems?
Speech and Language: Developmental norms provide guidance and a source of comparison when determining if a student needs interventions or still has time to acquire speech or language skills developmentally.
For preschool children the AEPS can help with this. If we know what is developmentally appropriate regarding a specific “behavior” and how the referred child performs this "behavior" then we have an understanding of the problem as it relates to what is typically expected.

C.  For example, "Helen is able to perform 40% of the pre-academic skills typical of children by age 4, whereas most four year olds display 100% of these skills".  The difference describes the problem.
How should a team determine “direct instruction in the area of concern” for behavior related issues such as lack of motivation, impulsiveness, low self-esteem and poor attendance?
Given the number of behavior issues involved with a student like this, a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) must be developed along with a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP). Members of the team can all participate in direct instruction (i.e. social skills training, short term intervention to help boost self esteem, teaching organizational skills).  Appropriate classroom behaviors can be taught directly at first and reinforced through the BIP. The team can also prioritize the struggles that the student is experiencing and decide which issue to focus on first. The school liaison can assist with the poor attendance, frequent tardiness, etc.   All in all, to be effective, RTI must be a team process. Direct instruction is a part of the design but the beauty of the process is that a variety of strategies and interventions can be developed for our most challenging students. Suggested web sites: www.interventioncentral.com and idmprocess.de.iowapages.org.
Can an RTI be carried over from one school year to the next? For example, an RTI is started in late April or early May and cannot be completed before the end of the school year?
If the RTI process is being conducted at Tier 2 (prior to a Consent for/Notice of Full and Individual Evaluation) then the team could choose to carryover from one school year to the next in very rare circumstances.  Regional Facilitators must be contacted for approval in advance. However, if the RTI is being conducted as part of the Full and Individual Evaluation or Reevaluation (after the Consent for/Notice of Full and Individual Evaluation has been submitted), then the IDEA imposed 60 day time limit applies for completion of the evaluation.
Do you need to do an RTI to add an area of service even though we don’t have to qualify for that service again? (Eligible=Eligible)

Yes.  The Instructional Decision Making/Response to Intervention (IDM/RTI) model uses information about a student’s response to scientifically validated instruction of increasing intensity over time to make important educational decisions about needed services. Even though it is incorrect to think that an eligible individual has to “qualify” for needed services, the team must still document the processes and results used to make its decisions about necessary services.  In essence, the student doesn’t have to “qualify” for a service but the team must “justify” its decision to provide a service.

How do we document our time (if we are performing a test, Connors, BASC at Tier 1) on an RTI? Should we be doing an RTI at that level?

Activities at Tier 1 of the IDM/RTI process consist of core instruction, differentiated instruction, universal screening measures to determine the adequacy of core instruction, and progress monitoring of those students identified, through the universal screening, as potentially at risk for further difficulty before a decision to move to Tier 2.  Individual student assessments such as BASC, Conner’s Rating Scales, etc., should only be used after it has been determined that the student is unresponsive at Tier 1, that Tier 2 activities are contemplated, and that the additional assessment information is needed to assist the team in selecting appropriate instructional strategies.

Is there a time limit on RTIs Tier 2?

Activities at any level of the Instructional Decision Making/Response to Intervention model should be conducted with integrity and long enough for the team to make valid instructional decisions…and no longer.  Best practices described in the literature promote a 6 to 9 week time frame. Others suggest a number of instructional sessions (i.e., 20) as a target.  The team must determine what instructional strategies will be used during Tier 2, and how long such instruction will need to be delivered in order to measure a student’s response to the instruction and make subsequent decisions.  We will not impose an artificial time-limit, however common sense would dictate that any process that delays a decision beyond 15-20 weeks is probably not in the student’s best interest.  The professional judgment and integrity of the team and the magnitude of the problem will determine the adequacy of the time frame.

Do we only turn in RTI form data when a student qualifies?
No.  We are very interested in collecting information about our staff’s involvement in the design and delivery of successful instructional interventions, so we ask that the Instructional Decision Making/Response to Intervention (IDM/RTI) Record form be submitted at the start of all Tier 2 activities.
If work is done at Tier 1 – and not documented - how does that teacher (in the new district) know what has happened?
Activities at Tier 1 of the IDM/RTI process consist of core instruction, differentiated instruction, universal screening measures to determine the adequacy of core instruction, and progress monitoring of those students identified, through the universal screening, as potentially at risk for further difficulty before a decision to move to Tier 2.  Any modifications to the core instruction (“extra scoops”, differentiated instruction, informal problem-solving efforts, etc.) are part of the general education record keeping system. If the student responds positively to the core instructional program, which is of course the desired outcome at Tier 1, the school’s screening, assessment, and progress reporting systems will contain this information.  The “work” of more individually designed interventions, and Northwest AEA’s documentation of such activities begins when the student is unresponsive to the core instruction at Tier 1 and has moved to the more systematic and intensive process at Tier 2.
How will the Preschool RTIs be tracked or used?
The Early Childhood Department intends to meet and create Preschool RTI guidance that will include required data and tracking.
In Tier 3 - Intensive Instruction- what would be examples of “intensive practice of early literacy skills”?

Students who need substantial assistance in reading based on Reading First testing, DIBELS results, etc. receive continued intensive practice in the general education setting on specific reading skills  (i.e., phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, phonics).

Additional strategies for more intensive instruction can be found on-line (e.g., Intervention Central – http://www.interventioncentral.org , Starfall – http://www.starfall.com , Scientifically Based Research http://www.gosbr.net)

NWAEA Contacts with expertise in literacy instruction include Kathy Perret, Kathy Schroeder, Judy Sweetman, Teresa Murray, Jo Hennessey, Carla Lee, Sara Youngers

What is the time line for interventions? We know 6-8 weeks is a guide but teachers hear 6-8 weeks and want the student placed at 8 weeks.

Whether or not a teacher “wants a student placed” is irrelevant to the decision, made by a team of professionals and parents, that the student has a disability and a need for specially designed instruction that requires special education resources.  It is incumbent on the evaluation team to take as much time as is necessary to analyze the student’s responsiveness to increasingly intensive instructional interventions as part of the decision making process.  Keep in mind that the goal of the process is to determine which set of instructional strategies are likely to allow the student to progress in the curriculum prior to placement in special education, if at all possible.

Can a BRI (Basic Reading Inventory) administered by an LEA as part of their Universal Screening battery be used later as a data source for NWAEA Indicator #3, Standardized norm-referenced assessment, in a Full and Individual Evaluation?

The BRI (Basic Reading Inventory) has been described as an “informal reading inventory” and while not technically a standardized, norm-referenced assessment, administration of the inventory is intended to be standardized and certain of the benchmark measures (i.e. reading fluency) are based on normative data.  Northwest AEA’s position is that data gathered from the use of the BRI provides reliable information for the determination of eligibility, and that combined with other data sources, the information satisfies the intent expressed in indicators #3 or #4.

Who provides supplemental intervention at schools that do not have Title Programs? (Notes: Grandparent Program; 10% Special Ed money--to do interventions; building assistants, college students) Additional supports: What teacher would provide?

The challenge of meeting student’s needs rests on the professional skills, creativity, and leadership of the educators in the building.  When determining what resources (translated as people and money) are available to assist students, the possibilities are innumerable.  General education teachers, volunteers, support staff, special education teachers, paraeducators, reading or literacy specialists, behavior strategists, counselors…the list goes on…are all part of the constellation of adults who can provide instruction to students.  IDEA ’04 also allows school to elect to use up to 15% of their federal special education funds to provide so-called “early intervening services” to students who may be having difficulty but do not have a disability that requires special education services.

Can hearing screenings automatically be put on the Educational Evaluation? Process question. Can the RTI process be skipped for hearing? (FM systems, AT equipment/have to go through process for itinerant teachers)

Hearing screening information can be accessed via the IMS system, but it can not automatically be put on an educational evaluation.
Because a hearing loss is a medical diagnosis, the team does not need to complete an RTI to obtain FM systems and hearing aids, but an educational evaluation still needs to occur before a student is eligible for special education services. An RTI does need to be completed to add instructional services from an itinerant teacher.

 

 
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