The RtI Project
Project Overview
The RtI Project provides professional development, coaching, and consultation services to districts and to school sites. Our presenters and consultants specialize in:
• RtI structures and systems
• RtI and professional learning communities (PLC) connections
• Tier 1 (least intensive) and 2 (more intensive) interventions
• Use of student performance data for progress monitoring and adjusting interventions at each tier
• Fostering cultural change and support
Services are not a “one size fits all,” but are customized to the needs of each district and site. We work with school people to validate, assess, and chart a course forward, integrating current programs and progress already achieved with what needs to be addressed next. Members of the RtI consultation service are comfortable working with district and school site leaders, with department and grade level chairs, with regular education and special education teachers, and with certified and classified support staff.
Consultation services can take place around starting RtI; solving issues that arise as RtI work moves forward; supporting classroom teachers in tailoring effective Tier 1 interventions that may preclude the need for referral to Tier 2 and 3; designing more effective interventions for students needing Tier 2 and 3 support for academics and/or behavior; working with child study and pre-referral teams to foster collaboration; facilitating communications among all parties to the process; development and tracking of interventions; scheduling interventions so that they supplement rather than supplant Tier 1 instruction; and establishing efficient systems for documentation of RtI interventions.
As a first step in providing customized services, the RtI Project Coordinator usually meets in person with district or site leaders to explore:
• District’s history and culture
• Beliefs on the part of leadership, staff and community regarding learning, student achievement, and the collaborative roles of teachers
• Current direction and commitment
• Student learning data
• Instructional practices
• Current interventions in place and learning results from those interventions
• Special education numbers, referral procedures, and the instructional working relationships between special ed and regular ed teachers
• Forms, documents, procedures that are already in place
We try to answer questions district or site leaders may have about RtI structures and practices and pinpoint some of the issues, challenges, and concerns that are emerging in the initial process of information gathering.
Depending on district or school site needs, the follow-up consultation support may include the following:
• Central office training or consultation in steps and resources needed to foster a coordinated, well-supported, responsive RtI implementation
• Site leadership training that should include principals and assistant principals as well as site-based coordinators, coaches, department chairs, and grade-level chairs
• Coaching to assist and support site-embedded efforts to move the school forward or periodic consultant support by successful, experienced elementary, middle, and high school principals and consultants who have faced similar challenges
• Site staff training that examines and validates current practice; identifies student learning needs; promotes reflection about teaching practices, systems, and graduated interventions; explores beliefs, assumptions, and assessments that may be limiting a district or school’s success in meeting students’ needs; examines research and best practices from similar plans to move forward with RtI implementation
Members of the RtI Project have extensive experience in urban and suburban school districts here in Massachusetts and elsewhere. They have consolidated their expertise in several domains—best practices in RtI, special education, literacy, mathematics, behavior management, and organizational development—to serve as a resource to schools and districts. No “instant turnaround” is promised. Rather, they bring tested experience, knowledge of the research base and best practices, a capacity to listen and ask the questions that need to be addressed, and an organizational track record for helping schools improve the quality of student learning.
Number of hours
Customized to district and site needs, one time or multiple; formal professional development and/or ongoing coaching and consultation
Cost of the program
Determined by client size, complexity, number of consultants and facilitators needed