Designing a Response to Intervention Training Tool: A Mixed Methods Approach To RTI Accountibility

Abstract

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-tiered approach to help struggling learners, but RTI is not federally or state funded. This poses a unique and overlooked need for supporting educators with RTI to close the achievement gap for at-risk populations. In this study, a mixed-methods, convergent parallel design was used to examine RTI quantitative and qualitative data from a Texas elementary school’s RTI database and quantitative and qualitative data from pre- and post-intervention survey responses with a pilot group of five teachers on this school’s staff. Based on the needs that surfaced from the data, the Response to Intervention Interactive Training Tool (RTI ITT) was designed and developed as the intervention for this study.

Proper implementation of RTI results in meeting students’ individual learning needs. This reduces the number of students unnecessarily evaluated for special education services; essentially eliminates the disproportional rate at which ethnic, minority, and male students are referred for special education evaluations; and substantially reduces the amount of wasted time and missed learning opportunity for students who need intervention, often at-risk populations.

Traditionally, RTI training is given in a PowerPoint format at the beginning of the year during teacher in-service week. The results of this study showed that we can improve the fidelity of the RTI process by supporting teachers with a specially designed, interactive training tool that takes a different approach by moving through the training with a specific student in mind – after teachers have worked with their students and become familiar with their unique needs. The RTI ITT was highly effective in supporting teachers with learning RTI process skills.