RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION: AN EXAMINATION OF STUDENT OUTCOMES BEFORE AND AFTER IMPLEMENTATION

Abstract

The current research study examined one district's journey through Response to Intervention (RtI) implementation. RtI is a program, now written into federal legislation (IDEIA, 2004; NCLB, 2002), that allows school districts to intervene with additional research-based education resources for struggling students. Districts are able to do this as a means of intervention prior to referral to special education in addition to identifying a student as eligible for special education services. The literature guiding districts through the RtI implementation process describes the components of RtI (Fuchs & Fuchs, 2006; Fuchs & Fuchs, 2007) but lacks empirical research to establish the effectiveness of RtI in terms of student achievement. This dissertation seeks to add to the current literature by examining student outcomes before and after implementation of an RtI framework, analyzing the use of assessments to determine student placement into intervention services, and noting the perceptions of teachers during implementation. The results of this study will assist school districts by presenting student data trends that occurred before and after implementation, which may affect district practices and policy. In addition, implications for future research are discussed.