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Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Impact Of Iready On Student Reading Achievement For Students In Response To Intervention, Althia Gates

Dissertations

This qualitative case study aimed to explore teachers’ perceptions of the impact of i-Ready on student reading achievement for students in Response to Intervention (RTI). In this qualitative case study, participants were given an opportunity to voice their point of view and perceptions of the impact of i-Ready, including the benefits and barriers they experience when implementing i-Ready as an intervention tool for struggling readers. The need to hear teacher voices and perspectives on an RTI intervention tool is essential to providing students with the best learning experience and growth results. The study included five elementary teachers who implement i-Ready …

Teachers’ Experience With The Implementation Of Response To Intervention, Laura Lynette Gamboa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Response to Intervention (RtI) implementation has been an issue at a local school district in the United States for several years. Teachers have reported lack of resources and training on the RtI process and minimal support from administration, which have impeded their understanding of the intervention. As a result, students who are receiving RtI are not being provided with adequate instruction. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ experiences and the barriers that hinder RtI delivery. The conceptual frameworks that grounded this study consisted of Malcolm Knowles’s theory of andragogy, the concepts of self-direction, and adult education in …

Equity Lens: Teachers’ Beliefs Of Culturally Responsive Teaching, Reading Instructional Practices, And Rti Tier 1 Practices In A High-Poverty School District, Catherine Cueva

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher self-efficacy has been shown to impact student’s achievement. This study examined teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs as it related to their ability to implement culturally responsive teaching and reading instructional practices as part of Response to Intervention Tier 1 practices in a high-poverty school district. The belief scores of 99 elementary school teachers were examined across one high-poverty school district in the northeast. The non-experimental study used a self-efficacy survey adapted from four surveys to determine teachers’ confidence in their ability to implement culturally responsive teaching, reading instructional practice, and RtI Tier 1 practices. The researcher also examined teachers’ general beliefs …

Effective Teaching Practices For Phonemic Awareness And Phonics In Small Group Reading Instruction, Caitlin Sullivan

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Sullivan, C. (2023) Effective teaching practices for phonemic awareness and phonics in small group reading instruction. This paper is the documentation of an educational coach’s journey to find the most effective small group instructional practices for teaching phonemic awareness and phonics to kindergarten and first grade students. The need to share this research led to the development of four professional development sessions for effective instruction of phonemic awareness and phonics instruction specifically created for teachers of kindergarten and first grade students. The Capstone project began by answering the question, How do kindergarten-first grade teachers use best practices in phonemic awareness …

Program Evaluation Of Improving Reading Outcomes Using Evidence-Based Instruction Through Response To Intervention, Johnny Walker

Education Theses and Dissertations

This research leverages improvement science principles and rigorous scholarly design-based implementation research to delve into the efficacy of reading interventions for secondary students, a previously underexplored domain. The first iteration of this study critically assessed the present state of RtI practices within a rural East Texas school, while the subsequent iteration was an evaluative exploration of implementing a phonics-based reading intervention. The second iteration investigates the impact of the Reading Horizons Elevate (RHE) intervention program on reading outcomes of sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students within a turnaround middle school in East Texas. This study focuses on the relevance of design-based …

Implementation Of Response To Intervention In An Urban Elementary School, Carla P. Graham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIn an urban Midwestern elementary school, the teachers and administrators were perplexed by the rise in special education referrals even with the implementation of response to intervention (RTI). The problem addressed in this study is the general education teachers’ implementation of RTI to identify if there were any gaps in practice and, if so, to create a plan that could correct those gaps and potentially decrease the number of special education referrals and students identified for special education services. The conceptual framework for this study was the multitiered system of support, of which RTI is one component. Four research questions …

Implementation Of Response To Intervention In An Urban Elementary School, Carla P. Graham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIn an urban Midwestern elementary school, the teachers and administrators were perplexed by the rise in special education referrals even with the implementation of response to intervention (RTI). The problem addressed in this study is the general education teachers’ implementation of RTI to identify if there were any gaps in practice and, if so, to create a plan that could correct those gaps and potentially decrease the number of special education referrals and students identified for special education services. The conceptual framework for this study was the multitiered system of support, of which RTI is one component. Four research questions …

The Role And Effectiveness Of Response To Intervention To Improve Elementary Students’ Reading Skills And Abilities, Natalie M. Weber

Education Theses and Dissertations

Elementary students at a local elementary school were having reading difficulties and demonstrated a decreased performance on intervention measures, formal and summative assessments. Success in reading is imperative because students must read the content throughout their educational career and students must read the content on state assessments. Students’ success on state assessments determines placement of future intervention groupings in the next grade level, eligibility in extra-curricular activities and ultimately eligibility for high school graduation. The purpose of this evaluation study was to evaluate a pre-existing program to examine whether the implementation and use of Response to Intervention (RTI) was effective …

A Study Of The Implementation Of Multi-Tiered System Of Supports In One School, Ranya Elhady

Dissertations

Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is designed to help schools identify struggling students. This study aimed to determine the perception of MTSS through the lens of kindergarten through fifth-grade teachers and teacher leaders who participate in the school-wide MTSS process. The context of this inquiry was one elementary school in a large urban district where teachers had implemented MTSS for several years. I used a mixed methods research design. A survey of classroom teachers with Likert scale items and open-ended questions and data from a focus group interview of teacher leaders provided quantitative and qualitative data. I found a disconnect …

Response To Intervention: Understanding Secondary Teachers’ Perceptions, Sheridan L. Henley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The researcher conducted this qualitative descriptive case study at one high school in Texas that described secondary teachers’ perceptions of implementing response to intervention (RTI). The purpose of the study was to better understand and define secondary teachers’ perceptions and experiences, including the campus leadership’s role, in an RTI implementation. The study served to understand teachers’ role in implementing RTI at the secondary level. This qualitative descriptive study focused on the secondary teachers’ perceptions of the benefits, challenges and barriers, level of teacher responsibility, and the role that leadership plays in an RTI implementation. The case study focused on applying …

The Relationship Between The Implementation Of Response To Intervention And Students’ Achievement On Eighth Grade Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, Ann Marie Rooney

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to determine if there is a relationship between the implementation phase of Response to Intervention (RTI), an academic multi-tiered system of support, and eighth grade students’ mathematics, reading, and science Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) proficiency achievement. Data for this study were collected using a RTI phase survey sent via Qualtrics to Minnesota middle school principals and publicly accessible MCA proficiency data via the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) website. The researcher analyzed data using the Statistical Package of the Social Sciences (SPSS). Each principal’s survey response was aligned with the school’s eighth grade …

A Case Study Of Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions Of Response To Intervention In Special Education Referrals, Heather Abney Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students identified as at-risk are overrepresented in special education due to specific learning disability referrals and placement. The problem is that elementary teachers’ perceptions of Response to Intervention (RTI) in special education referrals need to be examined due to excessive special education referrals due to lack of individualized instruction and formative data to assess how well the RTI model is implemented. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine elementary teachers’ perceptions regarding the implementation of RTI and the influence of the model on appropriate student referrals for special education services. The conceptual framework for this qualitative project study …

Mathematics Instructional Level As A Predictor Of Explicit Timing Fluency Intervention Success, Chasen Rain Dillon

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Various evidence-based mathematic interventions have been deemed effective in remediating skill deficits. However, despite recommendation of evidence-based intervention application within Response to Intervention (RTI) frameworks, little research has been done to differentiate intervention effectiveness, specifically Explicit Timing (ET), for students who present with varying skill proficiency prior to intervention implementation. The current study utilized secondary analysis of existing ET data that was supplemented with performance feedback as part of original intervention design (i.e. ET + Feedback). The purpose was to determine whether learning rates varied among students with differential baseline proficiency with the goal of determining proficiency’s relevance to treatment …

Response To Intervention 2 Easycbm And Aimsweb Intervention Programs How They Relate To Student Growth, George T. Hopson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This researcher aimed to determine how data collected from computer-based assessment programs, specifically EasyCBM and AIMSweb, was used in data-driven instruction and used to identify risk levels in math and reading areas proficiency. Data from intervention programs were collected from six participating high schools. The data collection included math and reading universal screening scores and levels of risk indicators from Tier 2 and Tier 3 levels of their response to intervention (RTI) programs. Section A included math data within a baseline score and a risk indicator level. Section B had reading scores with a baseline score and a risk indicator …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Response-To-Intervention Reading Strategies In Middle Schools, Judy Bernadette Collins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As students enter middle school, many lack literacy skills, especially English language learners (ELLs). The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine what supports middle school teachers perceived they needed to be effective using response to intervention (RTI) strategies with ELLs. This basic qualitative study was framed by the RTI framework as described in the Individual with Disabilities Education Act and by Hall and Hord’s concerns-based adoption model. Interviews were conducted with eight teachers with a minimum of 3 years of service who used RTI practices in their classrooms in middle schools in school districts from the Northeast …

Impact Of Tier 2 Intervention Program On Student Achievement And Self-Efficacy, Barbara L. Georges

Dissertations

To address the challenges of drop-out rate and achievement gap, high schools have begun to implement intervention programs. Schools bear responsibility in addressing factors such as poor academic performance, lack of course credit, and low motivation to encourage post-secondary success. Intervention programs show promise in mitigating these factors despite variation due to lack of state or federal requirements. The most common frameworks used to address the skill gaps and deficiencies that prevent graduation are Response to Intervention (RtI) or Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of academic interventions on student achievement …

Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support And School Leadership In High-Achieving Pennsylvania Schoolwide Title 1 Elementary Schools, Malinda Jane Mikesell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This explanatory case study illustrates how some Pennsylvania Schoolwide Title 1 elementary schools are thriving on state assessments while others are unable to achieve this success. The study was limited to this population of elementary schools to focus on how and why some schools with high percentages of students who receive free and reduced lunch are achieving excellent student achievement. First, the differences between Schoolwide Title 1 schools’ achievement on the Pennsylvania state assessments were categorized. Then Schoolwide Title 1 elementary schools with the highest percentages of students with low socioeconomic status (SES), who still achieved proficient school performance …

Identifying The Best Practices For The Twice Exceptional Learner, Edison Boelter

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to find the best research-based practices available for the twice exceptional learner. Twice exceptional learners are a growing percentage of the population in the academic community, and yet educators are greatly unprepared to work with these students. Through literary reviewed studies and research, it became possible to identify useful information as to how to educate and prepare teachers to work with twice exceptional learners. These literature reviewed studies and research demonstrated that twice exceptional students need a person-centered approach that is also able to meet their unique social and emotional needs. These literature reviewed …

Effectiveness Of Response To Intervention In Third Grade Reading Outcomes, Amanda Wentz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Reading continues to be a struggle for many students beyond primary ages. Response to Intervention (RTI) is a common approach in practice to improve reading outcomes, but it has not been researched with all populations. Studies on 3rd grade struggling readers are needed to ensure they receive appropriate support to become more successful readers. The theoretical foundations for this quantitative study included Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The research questions examined whether participating in RTI had a significant influence on 3rd grade students’ reading outcomes from the beginning compared to the end of the school year. …

Secondary Teachers' Perceptions Of The Implementation Of Response To Intervention, Patricia Denise Hampton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers at a local high school in Alabama were struggling to implement the tiered interventions of the response to intervention (RTI) model. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore teachers' perceptions of the implementation of RTI at one high school to help teachers and administrators understand what professional development training, supports, and resources were needed to implement the model effectively. The concerns-based adoption model, which examines educators' concerns with new educational innovations, framed the study. The study's research questions focused on the teachers' perceptions, concerns, and required resources needed to implement the program as intended. The participants …

An Examination Of Response To Intervention Implementation In New York State, Job Thomas

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The New York State Education Department required that all school districts implement Response to Intervention by July 1, 2012. Given that measurable change can be expected between one and three years after prioritizing actions of change, this study will examine the level to which the Response to Intervention framework is being prioritized in New York schools and districts. Specifically, this study will examine practitioner self-reported perception of implementation to determine the extent to which school districts participating in a statewide personnel development project incorporate the four components of RtI including, multi-level prevention system, screening, progress monitoring and data-based decision making.

Innovative Teaching Practices To Accelerate Student Learning In The Areas Of Literacy And Science, Michelle Simmons, Paris Bouchard

Dissertations

The researchers of this joint dissertation aspired to create and implement innovative instructional practices that would accelerate student learning. Both researchers believed in the importance of experimenting with structures and processes that lead to instructional impact. They were both passionate about developing an instructional model that would accelerate student learning by focusing on student transfer of skills. They sought to answer the question, Can learning be accelerated when teachers are supported and encouraged to create and implement instructional practices grounded in research? One researcher studied a practice that would potentially increase students’ ability to think critically and problem solve using …

Teachers As Change Agents: An Investigation Into The Literary Practices Of Effective Tier 2 Charter School Teachers In South Louisiana, Earlisha Jenkins Whitfield

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A Southern Louisiana charter school is in the initial phases of a Response To Intervention (RTI). General education classroom teachers are responsible for all Tier 1 and 2 instruction that included interventions in Tier 2. However, many teachers were unsure about the implementation, of RTI and had negative experiences with RTI, describing the process as frustrating and overwhelming. This case study examines teachers that have been effective in the process as evidenced by an increase in in reading levels and student interest. The research explores the teachers’ perceptions, experience, and knowledge of the current implementation of RTI. This qualitative research …

Response To Intervention For English Language Learners, Robin Adele Rivas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers in schools have had differing interpretations of effective implementation of response to intervention (RTI) models that have resulted in educators' confusion and misperceptions of the programs, especially with elementary English language learner (ELL) students. The purpose of this case study of 4 schools in an urban school district in the midwest was to explore how teachers used experiential, linguistic, and culturally responsive research-based instructional strategies in their classes to meet the needs of ELLs. Additionally, the RTI team process was explored to discover what experiential, linguistic, and culturally responsive research-based indicators they considered during the RTI decision making process …

Building A Case For Culturally Responsive Practices Used With Response To Intervention Models To Reduce Disproportionate Representation Among African Americans In Special Education, Sonia Perry Barber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The federal law, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which was enacted to provide funds to states to support special education programs and to ensure that children and parents rights are protected, has been reauthorized several times. Yet, despite the multiple amendments to improve the law, there remains a disproportionate representation of minority students in special education. Such disparity creates a plethora of problems for African-American students. This study extends a previous case study in relation to using culturally responsive practices to reduce disproportionate representation among African Americans in special education. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent …

Predictive Validity Of I-Ready Diagnostic Scores For High-Stakes Test Outcomes With Middle School Students : A Program Evaluation, Rachel Eva Aguilar

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Assessment is a powerful tool that can be utilized to enhance teaching and learning. Within a response-to-intervention (RtI) framework, data collected via assessment are used to measure student proficiency, track progress, and subsequently align instruction with student learning needs. The purpose of this program evaluation was to explore the use of a computer-adaptive testing (CAT) measure, i-Ready Diagnostic, as part of a rural middle school’s assessment process, within an RtI model. This program evaluation sought to gather evidence regarding the ability of different i-Ready reading and math measures, administered in the fall, winter, and spring, to predict student performance on …

Helping Children Overcome Reading Difficulties Using Response To Intervention, Corinne M. Sannino

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine if Argryis and Schon's (1974) Theory-of-Action framework could be used as a viable professional development tool to improve teachers' professional practices when providing Tier II literacy interventions within the context of a Response to Intervention (RTI) program in an elementary school. This multicase study sought to understand more deeply the espoused beliefs and theories-in-use of four elementary literacy interventionists' when delivering intensive literacy interventions to students not reading on grade level within the context of the RTI program by using semi-structured interviews, collection of student work, and classroom observations. Discrepancies were …

Building Resilience Through A Positive School Climate, Charles Fleischmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of the present study is to explore the potential for schools to promote resilience and protective factors through a positive school climate and a focus on school connectedness. Data from the California Healthy Kids Survey was used to analyze differences between children who reported high versus low school climate and school connectedness, and their reported levels of resilience based on four traits: empathy, problem-solving skills, self-awareness, and self-efficacy. The research questions addressed in the present study are: Is there a difference between students with different levels school climate perception when examining resilience-linked traits? And is there a difference …

Implementation Of Response To Intervention (Rti) And A Multi-Tiered System Of Support (Mtss): A Case Study Examination Of One School District In Minnesota, Jean Duffy

Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership

The study examined implementation of a Response to Intervention (RTI) and Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework in a one school district in Minnesota in November and December 2017. The purpose of the study was to examine how policies, procedures, and implementation strategies created the conditions that resulted in implementation of an MTSS and replacement of the IQ-achievement discrepancy with an RTI measure in a comprehensive special education evaluation for specific learning disability (SLD).

Findings revealed the importance of establishing an RTI/MTSS framework at the school district level and the use of implementation science to build a coordinated and aligned …

Investigating The Lived Experiences Of Teachers Implementing Response To Intervention In An Urban Elementary School Setting: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Nicole Powell Mitchell

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Response to Intervention (RTI) models are currently being implemented in many school districts across the country. At a time when interest in RTI is high, teachers’ experiences and the extent to which RTI is being implemented effectively in urban schools is largely unknown. There are less than 4,150 published academic studies on effectively implementing RTI in urban school settings. This research explores the phenomenon of implementing RTI using a theoretical lens of change management for elementary teachers in urban schools. The study contributes to the body of RTI knowledge by investigating the lived experiences of elementary school teachers who were …