Administrators' Perception of Implementation Fidelity in Secondary Literacy Response to Intervention: A Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

The focus of the study was to examine the perceptions of administrators responsible for monitoring implementation fidelity in the Response to Intervention (RTI) program in secondary literacy. Using a mixed methods design, quantitative data were collected from a district administrator and from administrators on secondary campuses in a North Texas school district. Descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted on quantitative data to measure mean ratings and frequency distributions of scores. In addition, a Mann-Whitney U test was used to measure variances. While the sample size was too small to reveal statistical significance, the overall general impression of implementation fidelity in secondary literacy RTI suggested that practices were perceived on average as occurring as often as intended. The RTI practices closest to implementation fidelity were: universal literacy screeners, the use of data to identify at-risk students, and providing Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions. The RTI practices occurring infrequently were actions related to data-based decision making, particularly for actions conducted by RTI teams (problem-solving teams). In addition, the overall results revealed a variance among the district’s secondary campus. Results provided strong evidence that levels of implementation fidelity were higher for middle school campuses in the district than high school campuses. To further examine the factors causing variances between secondary campus, the qualitative phase of the study was conducted with selected secondary administrators. Administrators were identified based on the results of quantitative data analysis and were interviewed to divulge perceived factors affecting implementation fidelity. Document analysis was also conducted to triangulate findings from interviews. The results revealed multiple factors that contributed to and hindered implementation fidelity among the district secondary campuses. The primary contributing factor was explicit policies, procedures and district supports from kindergarten through 8th grade. The primary barrier to implementation fidelity was the district policy allowing for “contextual flexibility” for high school campuses. Given the importance of adolescent literacy acquisition, the findings resulted in a recommendation for articulating RTI program policies, procedures, and district supports beyond middle school. Findings suggested a need for balancing explicit guidance and district supports with the contextual flexibility that is necessary to implement RTI programs on high school campuses.