Responsiveness to Intervention: A Review of Field Studies and Implications for Rural Special Education

Abstract

This review summarizes field studies of responsiveness to intervention (RTI) models. Eleven studies were located that met inclusion criteria. Studies were classified as either district/state implemented or researcher implemented. Outcomes demonstrated improved academic performance and a slight overall decrease in special education referral and placement rates. These findings must be met with some reservation however due to research designs and procedures used in the studies. Implications for rural special education and directions for future research are provided. * References marked with an asterisk indicate studies included in the review.

Professional Development to Increase Problem-solving Skills in a Response to Intervention Framework

“…RtI is a potentially effective method to identify and serve students who may be atrisk of academic failure, yet the available evidence (e.g., Carney and Stiefel 2008;Dexter, Hughes, and Farmer 2008;Koutsoftas, Harmon, and Gray 2009) suggests that teacher knowledge of requisite RtI skills such as data-driven instruction and problem-solving must be addressed before potential RtI benefits can be realized. It is also critical to understand ways that such knowledge can be developed and supported, including PD provided to teachers to develop and support these skills in RtI.…”

“…In problem-solving approaches, students who do not meet established benchmarks receive additional assessment to identify a specific problem, and an intervention is designed specifically for the student. Although RtI has promise and has been implemented well with documented results (Carney and Stiefel 2008;Dexter, Hughes, and Farmer 2008;Koutsoftas, Harmon, and Gray 2009;VanDerHeyden 2007), most school personnel continue to face challenges implementing this new and very different model. Further research is needed to bring RtI to scale and address implementation challenges surrounding the skills and knowledge educators need to successfully implement it.…”

Using Response to Intervention for Speech Sound Disorders: Exploring Practice Characteristics and Geographical Differences

“…Tier 1 involves evidence-based, high-quality instruction at the general classroom level; Tier 2 includes supplemental instruction for those who require additional intervention; and Tier 3 includes specialized instruction for those who require maximum supports (Heinemann et al, 2017). These increasingly intense tiers of intervention are intended to create a preventative model promoting positive academic outcomes for all students (Dexter, Hughes, & Farmer, 2008;Heinemann et al, 2017;A. I. Preston, Wood, & Stecker, 2015).…”

Response to Intervention: Perspectives of General and Special Education Professionals

“…Recent research has noted decreases in the number of students identified as having LDs, as a resxilt of RTI (Marston, Muyskens, Lau, & Canter, 2003;Samuels, 2010;Torgesen, 2009). Furthermore, Dexter, Hughes, and Farmer (2008) concluded that RTI facilitated more appropriate referrals to special education. However, Samuels (2010) posited that the decrease could be due to shifting students from one category to another.…”