The RTI Process in Elementary Mathematics
One way schools have begun to address the issue of meeting high standards is through the implementation of RTI in various subject areas. If implementation of RTI results in schools meeting AYP goals toward higher standards, then RTI will enhance the overall school program and can be considered—and we argue should be considered—as a school-improvement technique. Research on the effectiveness of the RTI process indicates that implementation of RTI does assist schools in meeting AYP, and for that reason, we present some preliminary research in the following sections. Educators involved in RTI implementation should not only become aware of this growing research, but they should share this research with colleagues concerned with meaningful and substantive school reform efforts.
Using RTI to Meet AYP in Mathematics Research on RTI is fairly recent, and is certainly much more extensive in the areas of reading and literacy than in mathematics (Bender, 2009a). Still, the existing research indicates that RTI procedures help many students struggling in mathematics overcome their difficulties and may actually enable them to catch up with their peers in overall mathematics achievement (Bender, 2009b; Bryant et al., 2008; Chard et al., 2008; Fuchs et al., 2005; Fuchs et al., 2006; Fuchs, Fuchs, & Hollenbeck, 2007). For example, Bryant and her colleagues (2008) documented the impact of a Tier 2 supplementary intervention on first-grade students struggling in mathematics. Of the 161 students in the study, 42 were identified as needing a Tier 2 intervention. That group was provided with a supplemental intervention in mathematics by two trained tutors that involved explicit instruction for twenty minutes per day, four days per week, for twenty-three weeks. Data at the end of that time suggested that this level of intervention resulted in improvements in mathematics that were greater than would have been predicted by pretest scores for those forty-two struggling students. The research shows that the RTI process does alleviate mathematics difficulties for many struggling students (Bender, 2009b; Bryant et al., 2008; Chard et al., 2008; Fuchs et al., 2005). It is important to note that in the studies mentioned in this section, someone other than the general education teacher delivered the Tier 2 intervention. More research is needed before we can conclude that general education teachers, given their time constraints, would be as effective as support personnel who are able to focus completely on supporting mathematics instruction. However, these results do look quite promising. RTI procedures do help students meet standards in math, and meeting AYP in mathematics is often a concern for educators. This research collectively suggests that a Tier 2 intervention alleviated the problems in mathematics for between 30 and 60 percent of the students, and that a more intensive intervention may alleviate mathematics problems for the other
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Efficacy of RTI for Addressing Educational Standards
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