How to Fit Response to Intervention Into a Heavy Workload

August 30, 2011 ASHA Leader
How to Fit Response to Intervention Into a
Heavy Workload
by Judy Rudebusch & JoAnn Wiechmann
Response to intervention (RTI) is the practice of ensuring there are systems in place in general
education to help every student meet grade-level expectations in academics and behavior. The
essential components of an RTI system include (NASDSE, 2005):
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High-quality instruction and learning opportunities matched to student need.
Identification of students struggling to meet grade-level expectations.
Attention to students' learning rate and level of performance.
Increasing intensity of instruction/intervention based on student needs.
Data-informed educational decisions using a team problem-solving method.
Speech-language pathologists have important roles and responsibilities in RTI frameworks.
Speech-language pathology practice in schools has evolved to emphasize service delivery that is
grounded in grade-level curriculum and the Common Core State Standards (2010). This focus on
literacy and providing just-in-time assistance for students is emphasized in the ASHA document
Roles and Responsibilities of Speech-Language Pathologists in Schools (2010) and is a natural
fit for the specialized knowledge and skills of the school-based SLP.
Perhaps the most significant challenge for the SLP involved in RTI activities is incorporating
general education roles and responsibilities into an already full caseload. Using a workload
approach (ASHA, 2002) provides the impetus for RTI activities to become integral to the array
of services provided rather than an "add-on" or optional set of activities. The workload approach
starts with an analysis of all responsibilities and activities necessary to provide appropriate
services, and then assigns staff based on that analysis. Using a workload approach allows the
SLP to make consistent, systematic, and student-centered decisions about whom, how, how long,
and where to serve, and what context to use for services.
The roles of the SLP in RTI are to provide direct and indirect intervention services designed to
prevent placement in special education when interventions through general education are
sufficient to assist the student, and to provide early identification of communication disorders
that warrant specially designed instruction through an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Thus, the SLP's involvement in prevention activities and early identification practices is
required, not optional (see Figure 2 [PDF]).
Embedding RTI in a workload approach brings together two powerful concepts that can improve
quality of service for students who struggle to meet grade-level or course expectations. Key
leverage points for embedding RTI in a workload approach include considerations of
educationally relevant services, a continuum of service delivery models, flexible scheduling,
data-driven decisions, and advocacy and leadership roles for communicating a change in SLPs'
roles and responsibilities.
Educationally Relevant Services
Educationally relevant speech-language services are grounded in grade-level standards reflected
in the general education curriculum, and in working with students on speech, language, and
communication skills needed for high levels of performance in academics and behavior. The
Common Core State Standards (2010)—the result of an initiative led by the Council of Chief
State School Officers and the National Governors Association—are a synthesis of the standardsrelated work to date and provide a common set of standards that are rigorous, research- and
evidence-based, aligned with college- and career-readiness standards, and internationally
benchmarked. Viewed through this lens, the SLP's role in RTI also revolves around supporting
students in mastering the common core standards in areas that overlap with speech and language
skills. Thorough knowledge of the common core standards is a critical component of current
speech-language service delivery.
Continuum of Service Delivery Models
Service-delivery models in school contexts include direct and indirect speech-language services
and activities that can be provided as pull-out, classroom-based, community-based, or selfcontained classroom services (Cirrin et al., 2010). The most commonly used service-delivery
models in RTI provide direct and indirect classroom-based services for Tier 1 supports, and pullout for Tier 2 or Tier 3 focused intervention.
Given that the intent of Tier 1 instruction is to provide all students with a scientifically based
curriculum that follows state or core standards, the primary role of the SLP at Tier 1 is to provide
indirect services that support students in the curriculum. An SLP providing Tier 1 services, for
example, could:
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Provide information for parents and teachers regarding speech and language
development.
Plan and develop lessons on effective language and communication skills within the
context of the classroom curriculum.
Provide professional development on language-to-literacy connections (e.g., phonological
awareness, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning).
Collect data during classroom observations on students' speech and language skills or
language demands during instruction/delivery of the curriculum.
Design and facilitate homework programs to target speech-language skills.
Highlight language development connections in the curriculum.
Direct services at Tier 1 can include conducting expanded speech and language screenings to
identify students for Tier 2 or Tier 3 speech or language interventions, modeling lessons for
teachers that target effective language and communication skills within the context of the
classroom curriculum, or providing lessons that bridge speaking, listening, reading, and writing
through the use of narratives.
Tier 2 is designed for students who are performing below grade-level standards. Tier 2
interventions often are provided in the form of targeted small-group instruction using evidencebased practices to address specific student weaknesses. Tier 2 interventions are provided in
addition to the services and instruction provided at Tier 1. The targeted small-group instruction is
provided by skilled teachers and/or specialized professionals. Speech-language interventions at
Tier 2 may include both indirect and direct services.
An SLP providing indirect services may:
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Assist in selection of evidence-based practices for literacy interventions.
Identify, use, and disseminate evidence-based practices for math, reading, listening,
speaking, and writing.
Serve on the campus intervention team.
Observe Tier 2 students to identify when their struggles are linked to speaking, listening,
reading, or writing and to assist in collecting additional data to drive decision-making.
Communicate Tier 2 progress to teacher/parent.
An SLP providing direct services may:
Provide small-group articulation intervention.
Provide small-group language intervention.
Monitor student progress on target skills.
Students who continue to struggle at Tier 2 may need intensive, individualized intervention at
Tier 3. Tier 3 services are provided in addition to services and instruction provided in Tier 1.
Tier 3 interventions by an SLP include indirect supports and direct intervention. Interventions are
similar to Tier 2 but are more frequent, more intense, and longer.
Considering both RTI and IEP services, the SLP can develop a service delivery continuum of
indirect and direct services that includes speech-language interventions through RTI and speechlanguage services as outlined in each student's IEP. Using a workload approach, the SLP avoids
the pitfall of one-size-fits-all services that place all students on the same intervention schedule of
one to two times per week for 30-minute pull-out services in a small group.
Flexible Scheduling
Flexible scheduling is pivotal to a workload approach and allows time for RTI activities in an
already full schedule. A workload approach takes into account the total work activities provided
on behalf of or to students. In this approach, flexible scheduling helps maximize use of time to
meet the needs of each student. Flexible scheduling includes possible changes in the frequency
of service, a combination of service- delivery models, and scheduled indirect services (including
compliance activities). Flexible scheduling is also important for monitoring and adjusting service
delivery to meet the changing needs of the student for both IEP and RTI services.
There are five commonly used schedules:
Traditional weekly schedule. Students are generally scheduled for services every week on the
same day(s) of the week, at the same time of day. Weekly schedules are the most common and
have become the norm in terms of expected service delivery.
Receding schedule. Students are seen for direct services on an intense schedule with increased
frequency for a period of time (e.g., one semester); direct services are then greatly reduced with
an increase in indirect services (e.g., the following semester).
Cyclical schedule. Students are seen for direct services for a period of time followed by no
services or indirect service for a period of time. The intent is to foster growth and learning of
new skills during the direct services phase and monitor stabilization of skills during the noservices or indirect-services phase of the cycle. The cycle repeats throughout the term of service
delivery.
Block schedule. Students are seen for longer session duration but with reduced frequency. The
SLP often follows the block schedule reflected in the master school schedule. (For example, in
an A/B block schedule, students attend four of their eight classes on A-day and the other four
classes on B-day; in an accelerated block schedule, students take fewer classes and have longer
class periods, but complete courses in a shorter amount of time.)
Flexible schedule. The SLP integrates two or more types of schedules to maximize services and
best meet students' needs (see Figure 3 [PDF]). For example, a weekly schedule can be combined
with a cyclical schedule so the student attends Tier 2 small-group intervention once per week for
30 minutes and participates in Tier 1 support services with the SLP providing classroom-based
co-teaching lessons once every three weeks.
Data-Driven Decisions
SLPs have an important role in data-driven decisions for RTI. At Tier 1, data are collected to
determine how students are doing compared to one another and to grade-level expectations in
academics and behavior. Data are used to determine whether the curriculum scope and sequence
need adjustment or whether instructional delivery is meeting the needs of most of the students.
Data from universal screening and periodic progress monitoring of all students are used to
determine which students are struggling to meet grade-level expectations and may need Tier 2 or
Tier 3 intervention.
For students in focused Tier 2 or Tier 3 intervention, data are collected in frequent progress
monitoring of the target skill(s) to determine whether the student is learning the expected amount
of material at the expected rate. Generally, if a student is responding, the intervention is
continued. If the student is not responding to the intervention, either the strategy is changed or
the student receives more intensive services. Data collection and analysis are critical indirect
services in an RTI framework.
Advocacy and Leadership for Change
Advocacy and leadership, along with strategic communication about the SLP's roles and
responsibilities, are important for implementing RTI. Strategic communication with
professionals, parents, and students from the beginning is the key to full participation in the
school's RTI system. If embedding RTI in a workload approach represents a significant change,
it is unlikely to occur if only the SLP knows about it. District and campus administrators,
educators, and parents need information about how the SLP's role in RTI will affect them, and
most importantly, the anticipated benefit for students.
Communication With Teachers and Principals
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Focused conversations about standards, developmental expectations, and the connections
between language and learning.
Discussions about potential barriers to mastering standards for students with
impoverished language-learning systems.
"Data-talks" about student learning, teacher support, fidelity of interventions, and
students' responses to the interventions.
Conversations about using a workload approach to maximize students' rate of learning.
Communication With Parents
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Conversations about how to be involved in helping children with schoolwork.
Providing information about the school's range of services and supports through RTI, and
specifically, how SLP services fit into the school's RTI framework.
Providing information about the student's learning challenges and how Tier 2 or Tier 3
interventions are designed to accelerate learning of target skills during intervention.
Conversations about the schedule of RTI services and the rationale for the proposed
services.
Conversations about the developmental aspects of communication and literacy.
Suggestions of specific activities that parents can use to improve the student's language
and literacy skills.
Communication With Students
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Providing information about skills to be mastered, the plan and schedule for working on
those skills, the target level of performance, and the plan for exiting intervention.
Since the reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act in 2004, the concept
and practice of RTI have brought the SLP's role in prevention into focus. Rather than viewing
RTI as an added responsibility, the SLP becomes an agent of change with a unique opportunity
to help others meet the needs of every student in the school by embedding RTI in a workload
approach. When fully integrated in both general education and special education initiatives, SLPs
using educationally relevant services and a continuum of services bring great value to the school
community.
Judy Rudebusch, EdD, CCC-SLP, is assistant superintendent of student services and federal
programs at the Irving (Texas) Independent School District. She is a member of Special Interest
Group 16, School-Based Issues. Contact her at [email protected].
JoAnn Wiechmann, MA, CCC-SLP, is the coordinator of evaluation at the Pasadena (Texas)
Independent School District. She is a member of Special Interest Group 16, School-Based Issues.
Contact her at [email protected].
cite as: Rudebusch, J. & Wiechmann, J. (2011, August 30). How to Fit Response to Intervention
Into a Heavy Workload. The ASHA Leader.