Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Authors
 
1.  Making Sense of the Basic Principles of RTI
                              Question #1: What Is Responsiveness to Intervention (RTI)?
 
 
                              Question #2: What Is the Purpose of RTI?
 
 
                              Question #3: Why Is RTI Important?
 
 
                              Question #4: What Are Other Benefits of RTI?
 
 
                              Question #5: Is RTI a "New Approach"?
 
 
                              Question #6: When Did RTI Become "Law"?
 
 
                              Question #7: Why Was There a Movement for a Change Towards RTI?
 
 
                              Question #8: What Are the Core Principles of RTI?
 
 
                              Question #9: What Is a Tiered Service Delivery Model?
 
 
                              Question #10: What Is the Three-Tier Model?
 
 
                              Question #11 What Is the Focus of Tier I?
 
 
                              Question #12: What Is  the Focus of Tier II?
 
 
                              Question #13: What  Is the Focus of Tier III?
 
 
                              Question #14: Is RTI Just Applicable to Special Education?
 
 
                              Question #15: What Are Some Conditions and Activities of RTI?
 
 
                              Question #16: Is There Federal Funding to Support RTI-Related Activities?
 
 
                              Question #17: Does RTI Address Challenging Behavior?
 
 
                              Question #18: Does a School District's "Child Find" Obligations Change Within RTI Systems?
 
 
                              Question #19: Is Parent Involvement an Important Component for Successful RTI Programs?
 
 
                              Question #20: Can RTI Promote Optimal Learning?
 
 
                              Question #21: What Is Fidelity?
 
 
                              Question #22: Does Implementation of RTI Methods Require a Serious Commitment?
 
 
                              Question #23: What Does the RTI Process Mean for Teachers?
 
 
                              Question #24: What Do Teachers Need in Terms of Professional Development and RTI?
 
 
 
2. Understand Why RTI Plays an Important Role in the Determination of Specific Learning Disabilities
                              Question #25: How Does IDEA 2004 Define a Specific Learning Disability?
 
 
                              Question #26: How Have Children Been Identified Under the Category of Specific Learning Disabilities?
 
 
                              Question #27: What Events Led to Changes in LD Identification in IDEA 2004?
 
 
                              Question #28: Why Replace the Discrepancy Model With RTI?
 
 
                              Question #29: What Are Major Issues Related to the Use of the Concept of Achievement-Ability Discrepancy? Why Change?
 
 
                              Question #30: Why Was  RTI Considered in the Process of SLD Determination?
 
 
                              Question #31: Today, What Role Should RTI Play in the Identification of Children With a Specific Learning Disability?
 
 
                              Question #32: Can RTI Be Used as the Sole Determinant for SLD Classification?
 
 
                              Question #33: Are There Other Indicators of LD That Are More Valid and Reliable?
 
 
                              Question #34: If Authorities Believe Underlying Processing Disorders Are the Cause of Learning Disabilities, Why Doesn't IDEA 2004 Include a Model Based on Measuring Processing Problems?
 
 
                              Question #35: In the Big Picture, How Does RTI Fit Into the Determination of LD Process?
 
 
 
3. Determine Your School's Capacity to Adopt RTI
                              Question #36: What Basic Decisions Should a School or District Make Before Implementing RTI?
 
 
                              Question #37: What Approaches Are Available for Implementing RTI?
 
 
                              Question #38: How Do You Measure Academic Growth?
 
 
                              Question #39: How Do You Use Validated Interventions?
 
 
                              Question #40: How Do You Distinguish Between Types of Learning and Performance Problems?
 
 
                              Question #41: How Do You Determine the Effects of Instruction and Make Decisions About Cutoff Criteria?
 
 
                              Question #42: What Are the Different Types of Response to Intervention Models?
 
 
                              Question #43: What Is Problem Solving or Hypothesis Testing?
 
 
                              Question #44: What Are Pre-Referral Approaches?
 
 
                              Question #45: What Is Tiered Intervention?
 
 
                              Question #46: What Resources Are Necessary to Implement an RTI Approach?
 
 
 
4. Screening for "At-Risk" Students
                              Question #47: What Is Screening?
 
 
                              Question #48: What Considerations Are Part of the Selection of Appropriate Screening Measures?
 
 
                              Question #49: How is Schoolwide Screening Done Within an RTI Model?
 
 
 
5. Determine How Progress Monitoring Will Be Done in an RTI Model
                              Question #50: What Is Progress Monitoring?
 
 
                              Question #51: How Can Progress Monitoring Be Useful in an RTI Context?
 
 
                              Question #52: What Role Does Progress Monitoring Play in SLD?
 
 
                              Question #53: How Is Progress Monitoring Accomplished in Tier 1?
 
 
                              Question #54: How is Progress Monitoring Accomplished in Tier 2 and Tier 3?
 
 
                              Question #55: How is Progress Monitoring Accomplished in Special Education?
 
 
                              Question #56: Will the Implementation of a Progress Monitoring System Within an RTI Model Require Shifts in School Structures?
 
 
 
6. Understand the Concept of a Multitiered Service-Delivery Model
                              Question #57: What is a Multitiered Service Delivery Model?
 
 
                              Question #58: Continuum of Intervention Support for At-Risk Students
 
 
 
7. Determine How Problem Solving Will Be Addressed in Making Decisions
                              Question #59: What is Problem Solving in RTI?
 
 
                              Question #60: Who Is Involved in the Problem Solving Process?
 
 
                              Question #61: In Making Decisions, What Type of Approach Should the Team Follow?
 
 
                              Question #62: What About Using a Standard Treatment Protocol?
 
 
 
8. In the RTI Model Used, Determine How a Tier 1 Intervention Will Be Implemented
                              Question #63: What Is Tier I-Core Instruction?
 
 
                              Question #64: What Percentage of the Student Body Must Tier I Serve?
 
 
                              Question #65: What Are the Core Features of a Tier 1 Intervention?
 
 
                              Question #66: How Does Tier 1 Fit Within an RTI Model?
 
 
                              Question #67: What is Universal Screening and/or Benchmarking?
 
 
                              Question #68: How is Progress Monitoring Done in Tier I?
 
 
                              Question #69: What if Students Do NOT reach a Proficiency Level at Tier I?
 
 
                              Question #70: How Will Tier 1 Interventions Affect Staff and School Structures?
 
 
 
9. In the RTI Model Used, Determine How a Tier 2 Intervention Will Be Implemented
                              Question #71: What is an Intervention?
 
 
                              Question #72: What is a Tier 2 Intervention?
 
 
                              Question #73: When Does Tier 2 Intervention Start?
 
 
                              Question #74: What Percentage of Students Need Tier II Interventions?
 
 
                              Question #75: Are Strategic Interventions in Tier II Short or Long-Term?
 
 
                              Question #76: What are the Core Features of a Tier 2 (and beyond) Intervention?
 
 
                              Question #77: How Long Should Tier 2 Interventions Be?
 
 
                              Question #78: What is a Problem-Solving Approach (Individually Designed Instructional Package)?
 
 
                              Question #79: What is a Standard-Protocol Approach?
 
 
                              Question #80: How is Progress Monitoring Done in Tier II?
 
 
                              Question #81: What if Students are Successful at Tier II?  What if They are Unsuccessful?
 
 
                              Question #82: How Does Tier 2 (and Beyond) Fit Within an RTI Model?
 
 
                              Question #83: Will Tier 2 (and Beyond) Interventions Affect Staff Roles, Responsibilities and School Structures?
 
 
 
10. In the RTI Model Used, Determine How a Tier 3 Intervention Will be Implemented
                              Question #84: What are Tier III Interventions?
 
 
                              Question #85: What Percentage of Students Need Tier III Interventions?
 
 
                              Question #86: Are Tier III Interventions Short-Term or Long-Term?
 
 
                              Question #87: Who Delivers Tier III Interventions?
 
 
                              Question #88: Is Progress Monitoring Still a Part of Tier III?
 
 
                              Question #89: How are Tier III Interventions Delivered?
 
 
                              Question #90: What if Students are Successful at Tier III?  What if They are Unsuccessful?
 
 
 
11. In the RTI Model Used, Determine When Special Education Should Be Considered
                              Question #91: Why is Special Education an Integral Step in a Multitiered Model Such as RTI?
 
 
                              Question #92: How Does Special Education Fit Within an RTI Model?
 
 
                              Question #93: When Should a School District Initiate a Special Education Referral in a RTI System?
 
 
                              Question #94: If a Student is Determined Not Eligible for Special Education Services, How Long May That Student Continue to Receive the Intensive Interventions Provided at Tier III?
 
 
                              Question #95: How Might Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) Differ From the Tier III Interventions a Student May Have Been Receiving Prior to Qualifying for Special Education Services?
 
 
                              Question #96: Can a School District use RTI Data to Support the Decision That a Student Has a Disability in a Special Education Disability Category Other Than SLD?
 
 
                              Question #97: How Will Use of the RTI Process Affect Special Education Referrals?
 
 
                              Question #98: What Changes Are Needed in Special Education to Staff Roles, Responsibilities, and School Structures?
 
 
 
12. Determine How Parents/Guardians Will Be Involved in the RTI Model
                              Question #99: What Does IDEA State About Parental Involvement?
 
 
                              Question #100: What Should Parents Know About the RTI Program in Their School?
 
 
                              Question #101: What Questions Should Parents Ask About RTI in Their Schools?
 
 
                              Question #102: Are There Standards for Judging Parent Involvement?
 
 
                              Question #103: Are There Measures Used to Judge Parent Involvement?
 
 
 
13. Ensure Fidelity of Implementation
                              Question #104: What Is Fidelity of Implementation?
 
 
                              Question #105: Why Is Fidelity of Implementation Important?
 
 
                              Question #106: How Can Schools Ensure Fidelity of Implementation?
 
 
                              Question #107: What Are the Key Components and Indicators That Lead to Fidelity in General Education?
 
 
                              Question #108: What Are the Three Dimensions That Keep Implementation of Fidelity Manageable for Schools?
 
 
                              Question #109: How Does a School Achieve High Fidelity?
 
 
                              Question #110: Does Fidelity of Implementation Affect School Structures and Staff's Roles and Responsibilities?
 
 
 
14. Review System Requirements for Response to Intervention
                              Question #111: What Is a Leadership Team?
 
 
                              Question #112: What Is Teaming?
 
 
                              Question #113: How Do You Use a Research-Based Core Curriculum?
 
 
                              Question #114: What Are Valid Screening or Identification Procedures and Decision Rules?
 
 
                              Question #115: What Are Adopted Intervention Protocols and Progress Monitoring Intervention Protocols?
 
 
                              Question #116: What Are Policy and Procedure Development Including Special Education Procedures?
 
 
                              Question #117: What Is Capacity Building?
 
 
 
Conclusion
 
Glossary
 
References
 
Index