Response to Intervention Tools

Posted by Beth DuBose on Aug 26, 2008

Tools a district will need to consider to effectively carry out their RTI process.

Yesterday we discussed items to consider when developing an RTI process. Today we look at what tools your district might need when carrying out that process.

What Universal Screening programs will your district use?

There are many tools you can select from that will allow you to do Universal Screening. Some district are using state-wide assessments, but there has been discussions that suggest schools use tools other than state-wide assessments for Universal Screening, mainly because most states only do state-wide assessments once a year, and you may want to screen students more than once in a school year. You can also consider multiple tools that your schools can select from. This is beneficial because one tool may work well for 1st graders, but it may not be appropriate for high school students.



What type of Progress Monitoring program(s) will be used?

Again, there are many tools to choose from in all formats: from paper charts to sophisticated software programs. (See EXCEED/RTI’s Progress Monitoring feature).



What types of behavioral and instructional supports are needed? What type of training will your staff need?

Your district will probably be implementing new interventions. To ensure the fidelity of the intervention and instruction, your staff will need training, materials and staff support. There will need to be a process in place to train your staff on any new instructional programs, and a process in how they go about seeking help



Will there be forms for the Intervention Team?

Many district want to make sure and document their Intervention Team meetings as well as the goals and interventions assigned to each child. One way to do this is through forms. There can be district specific or school specific forms. From my experience I would suggest using district forms. We had school specific forms, and when the district wanted to gather data on each of the schools, the forms they received all looked different, and they had to spend time finding the data they needed on each form rather than knowing exactly where to look on each one. 



What type of software program will be used to track the process?

There are software program, such as EXCEED/RTI, that can house and track all the meeting information, as well as indicate whether or not a student’s progress is moving towards their goal. EXCEED/RTI provides one seamless, integrated tool to manage and measure the day-to-day activities, meetings, research based interventions and outcomes used to help all students achieve academic success. Click here to learn more