PERCEPTIONS OF THE RESPONSE TO AN INTERVENTION PROGRAM IN AN ELEMENTARY K-4 SCHOOL SETTING

Abstract

RtI is a three-tiered program that uses data collected from benchmark assessments and progress monitoring (Fuchs, et al 2008). Tier I includes all children, and it is the level that all students would like to achieve. Tier II includes children who show minor gaps in their abilities in reading, and they require specific intervention to help close the learning gaps. Tier III includes children who require extensive instruction to fill major gaps in the student’s learning process. The level of intervention to be used is based upon the specific learning needs for each child. If growth is not achieved after a certain amount of time, then the child can be referred for further testing in the Special Education Program to determine the possibility of a learning disability. This study designed a survey tool to quantitatively measure the perceptions of teachers in regards to the challenges and effectiveness of RtI. In a K-4 school, the experience of teachers varies greatly within the culture of the school. Some teachers have many years of experience while others have very little experience. Within this small school approximately 12% of teachers have five or fewer years of teaching experience, and 88% of teachers have more than five years of teaching experience. Although significant evidence exists with regards to the effectiveness of RtI, less investigation has been done into teacher perceptions about RtI during its early phases of implementation. This descriptive correlational study was created to use survey data to assess teacher perceptions of the impact that the RtI program has in the elementary classroom. The researcher designed a survey tool to quantitatively measure the perceptions of teachers in regards to the challenges and effectiveness of RtI. Using this information, the survey evaluated the perceptions of RtI currently being used in the school. This study compared the views of veteran teachers and new teachers to allow comparison as another form of evaluation of the RtI program. Among the educators at this school, there were varying perceptions of the RtI program, but they had yet to be formally documented.