District Administration - September 2011 - (Page 91)

ResearchCenter EssEntials on Education data and rEsEarch analysis Multi-tier System of Supports By Orla Higgins Averill and Claudia Rinaldi, The Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative Most educators are at least superficially familiar with the term “response-to-Intervention,” or “rtI.” since the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with disabilities education Improvement act (IdeIa), which prohibits states from requiring school districts to use IQ-achievement discrepancy criteria in the identification of students with specific learning disabilities and encourages the use of response-to-Intervention, a scientific, research-based approach (Mandlawitz, 2007), “doing rtI” has become a veritable catchphrase in schools and classrooms throughout the country. rtI refers to the practice of providing high-quality, multi-tier instruction and interventions matched to students’ needs, monitoring student progress frequently, and evaluating data on student progress to determine the need for special education support (Batsche et al., 2005; Fuchs & Fuchs, 2006). While numerous examples of the model have been proposed, most of these have several common features (Batsche et al., 2005; Gresham, 2007), including universal screening of all students, multiple tiers of intervention service delivery, a problem-solving method, and an integrated data collection and assessment system to inform decisions at each tier of service delivery. Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports Positive Behavior Intervention and supports, or PBIs, represents somewhat of a parallel model, in which preventative behavioral instruction is delivered to the whole school population in an effort to www.DistrictAdministration.com foster a positive school climate. like rtI, PBIs espouses a multi-tier, data-based approach to service delivery. The first tier includes teaching a set of appropriate behaviors within the whole school; the second tier activates behavioral interventions for students who do not respond to the primary instruction, and the third tier involves individualized behavior support plans for students who do not respond to primary or secondary prevention support (McIntosh et al., 2010). While their foci are different, the underlying principles of both rtI and PBIs draw upon the u.s. Public Health service’s conceptual multi-tier pyramid model of prevention, which involves primary, secondary and tertiary approaches (Walker et al., 1996). This framework provides a source for understanding how rtI and PBIs originated and how they can be woven together, offering the foundation for a Multi-tier system of supports (Mtss). Multi-Tier System of Supports The rtI and PBIs approaches involve targeting specific areas in which students are struggling and then applying increasingly research-based interventions until the barriers to learning are addressed. Integrating both models directly addresses the academic, social, emotional and behavioral development of children from early childhood through adolescence. This represents the foundation of a comprehensive Mtss framework. Mtss leverages the principles of rtI and PBIs and integrates a continuum of systemwide resources, strategies, structures and practices. Numerous school districts and states, including los angeles, Boston, Kansas and utah, have adopted an Mtss framework in an endeavor to more cohesively, comprehensively and coherently meet the needs of all learners. Mtss, rooted in the data-informed practices of rtI and PBIs, explicitly offers a multi-tier approach. emphasis is placed September 2011 91 http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - September 2011

District Administration - September 2011
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Tech Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Conversations
They Work Hard for the Money
The Road to Rigor
District-Charter Collaborations on the Rise
Designing Safe Facilities
Tony Smith Tackles Oakland
Product Focus
New Products
Research Center
Crisis Response
Going Mobile
Professional Opinion
Student Counsel

District Administration - September 2011