Beginning the RtI Journey:Implementation Lessons Learned

Presented by:Dr. Don Phipps

September 29, 2010

Let Quality, Effectiveness and Efficiency be the Goal

Who Is Responsible for RtI?There must be a system-level

person coordinating and managing RtI.

There must be a school-level person coordinating and managing RtI.

Who will field calls, respond to concerns, and assist schools in the RtI journey?

The Role of EC and Regular Ed.If RtI is a problem solving model,

then its application fits best in regular ed.

If RtI is seen as an EC initiative, acceptance by non-EC classroom teachers and school personnel will be a hard sell.

What Does RtI Mean?This is a basic question that

teachers will ask.Another acronym in a sea of

terms and acronyms.How you define it will have great

impact in how it is initially perceived.

Example….

ManagementBecause RtI requires a system of

data that must be managed, there must be a data management system.

What does that look like?Where does it come from?Who manages the data?How is the data managed?

Consider the Time…RtI is not a quick fix, or an easy

sell.There are no easy placements,

identifications, or entitlements.You have to be committed to the

process and all of the phases of implementation.

Consider the Process…It may be a new approach to

addressing student needs, used to handing it off to the professional to “fix” them.

Too much paperwork will be a death sentence.

Too much technical material will slow down the process.

Too much “touchy-feely” may cause some to lose respect for the process.

Understanding Tiers and InterventionsDefine them.Explain them.Provide examples.Provide guides (number of students,

targeted group, times per week, etc).

Incorporate the district’s common language into the process so that the tiers are not thought of as a process that occurs in isolation.

Understanding InterventionsDefine them.Explain them.Provide examples.Point to things that are in place.For interventions, we found that

it was helpful to explain what an intervention was not while explaining what it was.

Keep it as simple as possible.

What Happens When a Job is Rushed…

Or, this Can Happen….

Lessons Learned:What We Would Do DifferentlyRtI Manual/Notebook

◦ Too Many Pages◦ Too Many Forms◦ Too Much of a Formal Process◦ Too Cumbersome

Paperwork sent back to teachers for lack of appropriate interventions (lead to frustration).

Student movement through the system stopped.

Defined tiers and interventions more clearly.Don’t point to a lower referral rate in EC as

the sole sign of effectiveness.

Lessons Learned:Things that Worked WellTeachers and administrators were

a part of the planning.Sought stakeholder buy-in

(teachers, admin, student services, school psych).

Re-Coined the term “RtI”.Addressed RtI components in

light of what was already in place.

Talked about what was not in place, but needed.

Lessons Learned:Things that Worked WellProvided a management system

(PEPTrak).Embedded the PEP process into the

tiered intervention model.Provided technical support

(interventions, assessments, progress monitoring) in an embedded professional development model.

A lot of hand holding.Praised teachers for their efforts.

Benefits of a Management ToolIn the Cumberland County Schools,

we felt that our management tool would save teachers 10-12 hours per at-risk student. In CCS alone that would account for over 70,000 hours of teacher time that could be saved! That equates to more than 9,000 school days (7.5 hours) and 7.2 school years.

Eliminates redundant work, utilizes data that is in place.

Suggestions….Talk to other districts.Clearly define terms, in simple

terms.Provide a roadmap of the model,

not too technical.Provide concrete resources for

assessments, interventions, and progress monitoring.

Tie into effective initiatives that are already in place.

Suggestions….Don’t expect a change over night.Provide a list of websites that provide

information (ex: interventioncentral.org).

Tie into effective practices already in place, formative assessment.

Look at reading series resources for tools.

Encourage teachers.Encourage teachers.

RememberThere is no single way to carry

out all that you have to do.Implementation and models may

vary from school to school, system to system and state to state.

Keep the students at the center of what you are focusing on and the job will be much easier.

Contact MeDon PhippsSuperintendentBeaufort County Schools321 Smaw RoadWashington , NC 27889252-946-6593dphipps@beaufort.k12.nc.us