Collaboration

Educating andInvolving Parentsin the Response to

Intervention ProcessThe School's Important Role

Juan did not have a good kindergarienyear. He struggled with recognizingletters and numbers. His mother,Claudia, met several times with theclassroom teacher, Mrs. Wong, whosuggested several activities thatClaudia and Juan could do at home.Although Claudia was a workingmother, she read with Juan regularlyand even purchased literacy softwarefor him. In addition, Mrs. Wongworked one-on-one with Juan twice aweek on basic decoding skills. Never-theless, at the end of the year, Juanstill lagged behind his peers.

After Juan entered first grade,Claudia received a telephone call anda follow-up note in the mail sayingthat the school's response to interven-tion (RTI) leadership team would liketo meet with her to discuss Juan'slearning challenges. Claudia changedher work schedule so that she couldattend the afternoon meeting. At themeeting, school personnel discussedhow the school had moved to a newway of working with students whostruggle in reading and tnathematics—

E. Stephen Byrd

RTL They said that Juan had scoredpoorly on the universal screening forreading and mathematics for a firstgrader and that they were thereforerecommending Tier 2 interventions, aswell as ongoing progress monitoring.Claudia did not know exactly what auniversal screening, intervention, orprogress monitoring were but shebelieved that if they would help Juando better in school, she approved ofthem.

In February, the same team againasked Claudia to come to a meeting.One of the members of the school's RTIleadership team said that Juan hadnot been successful with the interven-tions that the teachers had tried andshowed Claudia a graph of Juan's per-formance. The team leader said thatJuan might need to be moved into Tier3. Claudia asked whether Juan neededto repeat first grade or whether hemight need special education. Severalmembers of the team answered herquestions by saying that they were notconsidering his repeating a grade atthat time and that it was still too early

to decide whether special education

was appropriate.

Claudia was confused. Afier she

went home, she went online to look up

the terms response to intervention,

progress monitoring, and intervention.

She found a nutnber of web sites that

included summary information about

RTI and questions that parents could

ask teachers. To her, the information,

in addition to containing more edu-

cational jargon, was puzzling. The

version of RTI that the web sites

described seemed to differ from what

Juan's school was doing. In Claudia's

opinion, the RTI approach did not

seem to be working with her son, and

she still wondered whether special edu-

cation services for learning disabilities

might be a good option. Although

Claudia was a working jnother, she

believed that being involved in her

son's education was important. She

was not sure how best to help Juan,

and she was not convinced that the

school did either. She felt frustrated.

32 COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN

Parents like Claudia are encountering anew system that addresses strugglinglearners. This system is called responseto intervetition, or RTI (see box, "WhatIs RTI?"). Schools are using this philos-ophy and process to direct choicesabout school curriculum (e.g., the corereading curriculum), ongoing assess-ment procedures, and decisions aboutspecial education services. In manystates, RTI is replacing the previousmode—the IQ discrepancy model(Brown-Chidsey, 2007)—for identifyingstudents with learning disabilities. Inthe discrepancy model, a significantgap between IQ scores and achieve-ment scores is a strong indicator oflearning disabilities (Vaughn & Bos,2009). One positive result of the RTIsystem is that instead of looking onlyat gaps, principals, teachers, and otherschool leaders have had to develop andimplement a variety of ways to remedi-

What Is RTI?

Response to intervention (RTI)

is a nuiltitiered system for strug-

gling k\irneis tli.ii pinvides

inci'tMsingly intense lex'ols (if

acadtMiiic interventions and

assessment.

ate instruction for students who strug-gle in their schools.

While schools shift toward RTI, par-ents like Juan's mother sometimesbecome confused about the process.TlirnbuU, Zuna, Tbrnbull, Poston, andSummers (2007) state, "The role offamilies in response to interventionhas been minimal" (p. 575). Review-ing major RTI studies and documents(e.g., Berkeley, Bender, Peaster, &Saunders, 2009; Burns, Appleton, &Stehouwer, 2005; Griffiths, Parsons,Burns, VanDerHeyden, & Tilly, 2007)indicates that the role of families orthe way to involve them has received

little if any mention, let alone direc-tion, as to how best to include andeducate them. In other words, neitherliterature nor practice addresses whereparents fit into the RTI process.Ouestions about the role of parentsinclude the following:

• With RTI here to stay, why and howshould schools educate and involveparents like Claudia in the process?

• What strategies can schools use?

• How can Claudia—as well as otherparents—becotne more than just aspectator with her struggling son?

• How can school leaders increaseparental involvement by designing aprogrammatic approach to ensureparental understanding and involve-ment?

• What benefits does the RTI processhave for schools, teachers, andfamilies?

TEACHING EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN | JAN/FEB 2011 33

Why Should School LeadersEducate and Involve Parentsin the RTI Process?

Generally speaking, parents want tounderstand the types of academic andbehavioral support that their child isreceiving, particularly when he or sheis struggling. Many parents also wantto know what they can do at home tohelp their child be more successful.Nevertheless, parents may not alwaysbe able to grasp the educational termi-nology that teachers use or the practi-cal implications of those terms for theirchild. In addition, because of the ongo-ing demands of school and family life,teachers may not have enough time totrain parents or even explain to themthe particulars of new initiatives in theschool. Instead, teachers must giveparents a quick overview of RTI termsand interventions either at the begin-ning or end of parent conferences orduring another informal meeting, suchas at a beginning-of-the-year orienta-tion. Parents are often left to their owndevices to understand the process ordo not comprehend it at all and deferto the expertise of school personnel.

Why should school leaders make aconscious decision to educate andinvolve parents in RTI? The first reasonis that RTI is complicated and can bedifficult to understand. Research in thearea of parental involvement indicatesthat parents believe that educational

Figure 1. Tiers ol Intervention in RTI

Tier 3Individualized

intensiveinterventions

Tier 2Focused

small-groupinterventions

Tier 1Research-based

instructionalcore program

for all students

grade. Furthermore, parents may notbe accustomed to approaching learningproblems from a problem-solvingmodel. That is, parents may think thata one-time decision is necessary ratherthan a series of decisions based onprogress monitoring of performance.

Parents may not always he ahle to grasp theeducational terminology that teachers use or the

practical implications of those terms for their child.

jargon is intimidating and that it makesthem less involved and less willing tocommunicate with teachers (Pena,2000). The RTI system uses new termi-nology and approaches with whichmany parents may be unfamiliar. Forexample, generally speaking, the RTIprocess uses the term tiers of interven-tion (see Figure 1 for a graphic describ-ing the tiers of intervention in RTI).Although teachers may be using theterm tier, the parents may still bethinking along the lines of referral tospecial education or even repeating a

Table 1 provides a handout to sharewith parents to explain terms that theRTI process often uses.

The second reason that the school'sRTI leadership team should instructand involve parents in the process isthat a referral to special education canbe an outcome of the RTI process.Because parents must be part of thespecial education process, having themas core members from the start justmakes sense. RTI is not a replacementfor special education, even if a child isin one of the tiers. Although many stu-

dents may be successful in the lowertiers of RTI and may not need furtheror more intensive interventions, somestudents eventually need special educa-tion placement. In fact, the third tier ofRTI resembles special education—andsome schools may even use that term.For parents who have been knowledge-able about the process from the begin-ning, the transition into special educa-tion services can be a more natural andeasier progression than if they had notknown about RTL Educating parents inRTI may also reduce misunderstand-ings regarding special education deci-sions that can take place. Making thenatural progression for more and moresupport on the basis of data-drivendecisions at each stage of the processleads to a clearer understanding of thereasons that a child needs more sup-port.

The final reason that the school'sRTI leadership team should train par-ents in RTI is that research shows thatwhen schools work to involve parents,outcomes are positive for students andparents. Although not all studies of

34 COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN

Tahie 1 . Key Terms Reiated to RTi

Core curriculum

Intensiveintervention

Problem solving

Screening

Standard protocolintervention

Tiered instruction

A course of study deemed crucial and usually mandatoryfor all students of a school or school system

An intervention characterized by increased focus forstudents who fail to respond to less intensive forms ofinstruction: educators can increase intensity throughmany dimensions, including length, frequency, andduration of implementation

A process used to individually tailor an intervention;the problem-solving process has four stages: problemidentification, problem analysis, plan implementation,and plan evaluation

A process conducted, usually as a flrst stage, to identifyor predict students who may be at risk for poor learningoutcomes

An intervention that relies on empirically validatedintervention for all students with similar academic orbehavioral needs

Levels of instructional intensity within a multitieredprevention system

Source: National Center on Response to Intervention. Retrieved fromwww.rti4success.org

parental involvement programs havebeen favorable (Mattingly, Prislin,McKenzie, Rodriguez, & Kayzar, 2002),many research studies have demon-strated a positive link between parentalinvolvement and student achievement(Hoover-Dempsey et al., 2005). Fanand Chen (2001 ) examined the issue ofparental involvement and academicachievement. In their meta-analysis of25 studies, they found a positive corre-lation between these two variables,suggesting that when parental involve-ment increases, academic achievementalso increases. Furthermore, Pomer-antz, Moorman, and Litwack (2007)reviewed a number of studies thatdemonstrate positive behavioral, emo-tional, and social outcomes for stu-dents whose parents are involved inschools (see box, "Select Studies onParental Involvement" for moreinformation).

However, it is important to recog-nize that better systerns for schoolsand teachers in working with parentsdo not automatically result in goodparent involvement and strong partner-ships. Experience and research show

that parental involvement varies andis not always a strong partnership(Blue-Banning, Summers, Frankland,Nelson, & Beegle, 2004). Some parentsmay choose or need to have a limitedrole. Some parents may not be veryinvolved for a variety of reasons,including work, day-care issues, timedemands, or cultural practices (Hoover-Dempsey et al., 2005; Pena, 2000).Educators cannot force involvementupon parents. Nevertheless, in makingthis necessary qualiflcation, construct-ing positive relationships with parentsshould be at the core of the RTIprocess.

Strcrtegies to EducateParents About RTI

What can school principals, teachers,and especially the school's RTI leader-ship team do to educate and involveparents in the process? The followingare some important tips.

Think and Plan for the Long Term

When the principal and the school'sRTI leadership team decide how toinform parents about RTI, they should

have a long-term vision. In the begin-ning, it may be easy to let idealismregarding parent involvement lead theTeam to set expectations that are toohigh or too difflcult to implement.Instead, the School RTI LeadershipTeam should develop a long term plan(i.e., 3 to 5 years) with attainable andmeasurable goals. The school's RTIleadership team should also develop along-term plan (i.e., 3 to 5 years) withattainable and measurable goals thatconsider the what-if factor; for exam-ple, what will the team do if parentsdo not show up or do not want orchoose to be involved in the RTIprocess? These goals might includeincreasing the percentage of parentalparticipation in school-based RTI pro-grams or developing media that par-ents can access. The team should alsodetermine the types of data that it willcollect to assess whether it is makingprogress toward those goals (e.g., ques-tionnaires, interviews) and whether itshould modify, replace, or discardgoals. Short-term assessments atidlong-term evaluations can help theteam focus planning more speciflcallyand meaningfully. More important, thistype of planning and assessing should

Select Studies on ParentaInvolvement

Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., Walker,J. M. T., Sandler, H. M., Whetsel,D., Green, . . . Closson, K. (2005).Why do parents become involved?Research flndings and implica-tions. The Elementary School Jour-tial. 106, 105-130.

Pomerantz, E. M.. Moorman, E.A., & Litwack, S. D. (2007). Thehow, whom, and why of parents'involvement in children's academ-ic lives: More is not always better.Review of Educational Research.77. 373-410.

Sheldon, S. B., & Van Voorhis,F. L. (2004). Partnership programsin U.S. schools: Their developmentand relationship to family involve-ment outcomes. School Effective-ness and School Improvetnent, 15.125-148.

TEACHING EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN , JAN/FEB 2011 35

Figure 2 . Parent Connection Ciieciciist

Student name:

Parent name:

Teacher name:

Meeting date:

n Key RTI terms discussed:

"1 Resources suggested for or givento parent;

Grade level:

Case manager;

RTI tier: 1 2 3

O Ideas for home;

l"I Invitation to RTI open house.RTI support group, etc.

CI Ouestions for next time:

¡1 Intervention timeline:

increase parental involvement overtime.

In their work with the NationalNetwork of Partnership Schools(NNPS), Sheldon and Van Voorhis(2004) demonstrated that outcome.They found that parental involvementincreased over time when school lead-ers assessed their progress on parent-involvement goals. The study pointsout that it took 3 years to establishhigh-quality, comprehensive parentprograms. It also found that schools'previous ratings of quality parentalinvolvement were the best predictorfor future positive parental involve-ment.

Get Started

Each group—principals, teachers, par-ent leaders, and the school's RTI lead-ership team—has a different role toplay in involving and educating parentsin the RTI process. Principals can makeit the business of everyone in the

school to educate and involve parentsin RTL For example, a principal mightdevote a faculty meeting to the themeof RTI and increasing parent involve-ment. Staff might then generate ideasabout encouraging participation.Principals can also schedule times forthe school's RTI leadership team, as

interventions that they are trying, andto furnish assessment data. Teacherscan begin to discuss these issues inparent-teacher conferences or phoneconversations. They can develop achecklist of key areas concerning RTIthat they have covered with parents sothey can give it to the following year'steacher (see Figure 2). This approachcan help streamline the process of edu-cating the parent and can help avoidredundancy. Teachers can also worktogether at grade-level meetings tostrategize and discuss how to informand involve parents (e.g., Salend,2006).

When the school's RTI leadershipteam begins to work through RTIimplementation, the process may seetndifficult and even overwhelming(Mahdavi & Beebe-Frankenberger,2009). One member of the team—aparent-RTI coordinator—can have pri-mary responsibility for encouragingparental involvement. The coordinatormay also oversee the ongoing assess-ments that indicate how the school isdoing in involving and educating par-ents. The coordinator can look at thegoals and decide whether question-naires, surveys, or interviews will bemore effective in developitig a sense ofwhat parents need.

Recruit Parent Leaders andDevelop a Support Group

The RTI team can invite parent volun-teers to participate in schoolwide RTItrainings and meetings. A few parentscan even serve on the school's RTI

Principals can make it the business of everyone inthe school to educate and involve parents in RTI.

well as for grade-level teams, to meettogether for planning and decisionmaking. Parent leadership teams cansurvey parents about increasinginvolvement and share the RTI processfrom a parent's perspective atschool-parent functions.

Classroom teachers can be active inthe lower tiers of RTI to inform parentsabout RTI terminology, to describe howthe tiers work, to discuss the types of

leadership team. These trained parentscan assist teachers who are carryingout the interventions. In addition,these parent leaders can develop otheravenues for instructing parents.Because these parent leaders have awindow into the RTI processes, theycan explain and promote RTI to otherparents.

The assistance of PTA officers mayalso be helpful in educating parents in

36 COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN

Table 2 . Further Online Resources to Explore

Organization ^ ^ H ^ ^ H f WebSite ^M

Intervention Central

National Association of SchoolPsychologists

National Association of StateDirectors of Special Education

National Center on Response toIntervention

RTI Action Network - NationalCenter for Learning Disabilities

Wrightslaw

http://www.interventioncentral.org/

http://www.nasponline.org/index.aspx

http://www.nasdse.org/

http://www.rti4success.org/

http://www.rtinetwork.org/

http://wrightslaw.com/info/rti.index.htm

1f Resources for Teachers and Parents

Provides a variety of practical resources andmaterials for teachers

Provides a primer for parents about RTI

Provides a variety of docutnents for teachersand researchers

Furnishes helpful handouts to review includingThe ABC's of RTI: A Guide for Parents

Provides a variety of links, including podcasts,for teachers and parents

Furnishes helpful information for teachers andparents, including several articles that explainRTI to parents

the KTl process. Schools often use PTAmeetings to discuss new initiatives andevents. For example, the principal cansummarize the key principles of RTI ata PTA meeting, or a panel of individu-als can discuss key points and thenanswer questions. After the presenta-tion, optional breakout sessions canexplain or even model what happensin the various tiers. This approach fur-nishes an excellent opportunity to dis-seminate information to many parentsin a meaningful way.

The school's RTI leadership team orparent leaders might decide to form anRTI support group—tnuch like a sup-port group for parents of students withdisabilities. A support group enablesparents to come together in an organ-ized way to discuss issues and solu-tions that relate to common goals, inaddition to allowing them to provideemotional support to one another(Seligman & Darling, 2009). This typeof group might encourage more parentsto become involved in the RTI process,as well as in other school functions.Incorporating an RTI support groupwith professional learning communities(PLCs) or book clubs that already meetat school might also be possible.

Develop Information About RTI

Many parents also appreciate receivinggeneral written or online informationabout RTI. Examples include a parentweb site with relevant information andlinks, a pamphlet with a simple sum-mary of RTI, or a DVD presentation toview at home. The key is to have sev-eral avenues that can reach all parentsand include culturally diverse families.Furthermore, to reflect the diversity ofthe school, the school's RTI leadershipteam tnight need to develop more spe-cific written tnaterials in multiple lan-guages that correspond with each tierof RTI. Table 2 includes several onlineresources.

Finai Thoughts

In sutnmary, the school's RTI leader-ship team can make educating andinvolving parents part of the imple-mentation process in the school. Whilethe team develops and implementsgoals and programs related to RTI,school leaders should assess theprocess and conduct ongoing evalua-tions. This ongoing evaluation shouldallow teams to continue with certainfeatures of the plan and to revise fea-tures that are not working. The out-come will be that the school will edu-cate and involve more parents and

families in RTI. Not all parents will beactive in the school or in the RTI initia-tive; however, the start will be a posi-tive one.

This type of purposeful approachcan have many benefits. For example,parents who are knowledgeable aboutRTI might have a positive view of theschool's proactive approach. Parentscan see the school leaders (particularlythe school's RTI leadership team) aspartners in the problem-solving processbecause school leaders have meaning-fully included theiri. Ideally, involvedparents will appreciate this effort andwill respond by increasing their workon other school initiatives.

When parents are educated andinvolved in RTI, educators can savetime, energy, and resources while theybuild relationships. Creating processesor programs to educate parentsrequires more meetings, more creativi-ty, and more personal attention by RTIleaders than at present. Nevertheless,when school leaders structure andimplement parent-involvement initia-tives with RTI, the time spent with par-ents early in the RTI process yieldslong-term dividends. When done withefficacy, the focus of the parents andthat of the school should align to ulti-mately increase student achievement.

TEACHING EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN j JAN/FEB 2011 37

Parents like Claudia can becomeinvolved in the process and encourageother RTI parents to attend openhouses and ask better questions.

When Juan entered second grade,Claudia's view of RTI and her schoolchanged. First, she started receiving amonthly newsletter about RTL Second,Claudia received a note that indicatedthat the school was planning RTI openhouses on several nights during Sep-tember and October During these 2-hour-long meetings, parents could talkwith the school's RTI leadership teamabout their questions and concerns.The school also offered two alternativetimes during the day, and the princi-pal made the same announcement atthe first PTA meeting.

Claudia attended two of the even-ing open houses. To obtain clarifica-tion of the information that she hadreceived, she brought questions, aswell as several documents that she hadreceived during team meetings. Theschool psychologist explained to hermany of the terms that the team hadused at previous meetings. Further-more, Juan's teacher showed Claudiathe curriculum that she had beenusing to help Juan with his readingweaknesses. At the second open house,Claudia received instruction about sup-poriing literacy at home. She waspleased to learn how the school wasworking to meet the needs of her son

rand how her helping at home support-ed the school's efforts.

Soon after the second open house,Claudia attended an RTI update meet-ing led by the school's RTI leadershipteam. This time Claudia came to themeeting enthusiastically, although shewas still a bit nervous, and she askedseveral specific questions. The meetingwas productive, and Claudia's sugges-tions were helpful to the team. Claudiaimpressed the team members, whoasked her why she seemed more posi-tive in this meeting. Claudia indicatedthat the open houses had given her theinformation and help that she needed.

Claudia believed that she had a bet-ter understanding of RTL When herfriend Cretchen said that her son wasstruggling and beginning the RTIprocess, Claudia shared the informa-tion and suppori that she had receivedat the open houses. She described howproud she was of her school and itscommitment to struggling students.Talking with Claudia reassured Cret-chen, who promised to attend one ofthe open houses. Claudia now leadsthe parent RTI committee at herschool.

ReferencesBerkeley, S., Bender, W. N., Peaster, L. C , &

Saunders, L. (2009). Implementation ofresponse to intervention: A snapshot ofprogress. Journal of Learning Disabilities,42, 85-95.

Blue-Banning, M., Summers, J. A., Frank-land. H. C, Nelson, L. L, & Beegle, G.(2004). Dimensions of family and profes-sional partnerships: Constructive guide-lines for collaboration. ExceptionalChildren, 70, 167-184.

Brown-Chidsey, R. (2007). No more "Wait-ing to fail." Educational Leadership,65(2), 40-46.

Burns, M., Appleton, J. J., & Stehouwer, J.D. (2005). Meta-analytic review ofresponsiveness-to-intervention research:Examining field-based models andresearch implemented models. Journal ofPsychoeducational Assessment, 23,381-394.

Fan, X., & Chen, M. (2001). Parentalinvolvement and students' academicachievement: A meta-analysis. Educa-tional Psychology Review, 13, 1-22.

Griffiths, A.. Parsons, L. B.. Burns, M. K.,VanDerHeyden, A., & Tilly, W. D. (2007).Response to intervention: Research topractice. National Association of StateDirectors of Special Education. Retrievedfrom http://nasdse.0rg/Portals/O/Documents/Download %20Publications/PNA-0776.pdf

Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., Walker, J. M. T.,Sandler, H. M.. Whetsel, D., Green, G. L.,. . . Closson, K. (2005). Why do parentsbecome involved? Research findings andimplications. The Elementary SchoolJournal, 106, 105-130.

Mahdavi, J. N.. & Beebe-Frankenberger, M.E. (2009). Pioneering RTI systems thatwork: Social validity, collaboration, andcontext. TEACHING Exceptional Children,42(2), 64-72.

Mattingly, D. J., Prislin, R., McKenzie, T. L.,Rodriguez, J. L., & Kayzar, B. (2002).Evaiuation: The case of parent involve-ment programs. Review of EducationalResearch, 72, 549-576.

National Genter on Response to Interven-tion. (April, 2009). Glossary of terms.Retrieved from http://www.rti4success.org/

Pena, D. G. (2000). Parent involvement:Influencing factors and implications. TheJournal of Educational Research, 94,42-54.

Pomerantz, E. M., Moorman, E. A., &Litwack, S. D. (2007). The how, whom,and why of parents' involvement in chil-dren's academic lives: More is not alwaysbetter. Review of Educational Research,77, 373-410.

Salend, S. (2006). Explaining your inclusionprogram to families. TEACHING Excep-tional Children, 38(1), 6-11.

Seligman, M., & Darling, R. B. (2009).Ordinary families, special children: A sys-tems approach to childhood disability(3rd ed.). New York. NY: Guilford Press.

Sheldon, S. B., & Van Voorhis, F. L. (2004).Partnership programs in U.S. schools:Their development and relationship to

38 COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN

family involvement outcomes. SchoolEffectiveness and School Improvement,15, 125-148.

Tlirnbull, A. P., Zuna, N., Tlirnbull. R.,Poston, D., & Summers, J. A. (2007).Family as partners in educational deci-sion making: Current implementationand future directions. In S. L. Odom, R.H. Horner. M. E. Snell, & J. Blacher(Hds.). Handtjook of developmental dis-abilitit's (pp. 570-590). New York, NY:Cuilfotd Press.

Vaughn, S., & Bos, C. S. (2009). Strategiesfor teaching students with teaming andbehavioral problems (7th ed.). UpperSaddle River, NJ: Pearson.

E. Stephen Byrd (North Carolina CEC).Assistant Professor of Special Education.School of Education. Eton University, NorthCarolina.

Address correspondence to E. Stephen Byrd,Elon University. ¡00 Campus Drive, 2105Campus Box, Elon. NC 27244 (e-mail:sbyrd2@elon.edu).

Special thanks are extended to Sara Keslerand Sylvan Elementary School for their helpwith this project.

TEACHING Exceptional Children, Vol. 43,No. 3. pp. 32-39.

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