Barbara A. Marinak, Ph.D.
Mount St. Mary’s University
 Implications
of CCSS for students
with specific learning disability
 Humanizing
RTI for the purpose
of nurturing expertise and
collaboration
Intervention or Instruction?
Intervention or Instruction
 While
catalyzed by special
education legislation, RTI is
essentially a model of school
reform with widespread
implications for how all school
personnel are prepared and how
they implement instruction.
(Richards, Pavri, Golez, & Canges, Murphy, 2007).


Common Core State Standards are
radically redefining what it means to
be a proficient reader and writer.
Special education teachers must be
trained in CCSS core expectations.
 Students
with specific learning
disability must be included in
effectively differentiated core
reading instruction and daily
intervention aligned to the CCSS.

Assess comprehensively. Narrowly
focused assessments lead to limited
interventions.
For example, assessing and intervening in
a reading sub skill such as rate, nonsense word
recognition, or phonemic awareness results in
minimal gains in the sub skill and no gains in
reading comprehension.
IES, 2009

Must utilize diagnostic and formative
assessments that reflect the
complexity of core reading.
Example: QRI-5


Students with specific learning
disability must receive comprehensive
instruction delivered by highly
effective teachers and interventionists.
Methodologically prioritize and bundle
CCSS
Example: inferencing, guided
listening, compare/contrast

Highly effective educators are:
◦ Are responsive to students’ needs
◦ Are willing and able to differentiate
◦ Emphasize higher order thinking in
questioning, discussion, and tasks
◦ Are reflective and energized by
instructional collaborations that bridge the
methodological divide
Anaconda
Attributes
Where do they live?
How do they have
babies?
What do they look
like?
How do they catch
their prey?
Reticulated
Python
African
Python
Indian Python
Boa
Constrictor
Anaconda
Attributes
Where do they live?
How do they have
babies?
What do they look
like?
How do they catch
their prey?
Reticulated
Python
African
Python
Indian Python
Boa
Constrictor
 Need
to view intervention as
the opportunity to provide
more explicit instruction with
challenging texts and rigorous
responding opportunities
 Persistent
eye on core!
45 minutes
30 and 15*
45 minutes
25 and 20*
45 minutes
15 and 30*
*represents time spent with grade level rigor
 Intervention
cannot be considered
effective unless it provides for
greater levels of proficiency in
core.
 Advocates
for students with
specific learning disability must
push back against the notion that
a single number derived from a
CCSS terminal assessment can
represent a student's
college/career readiness.
 Be
simple
 Be concrete
 Be unexpected
 Be credible
 Encourage emotions
 Share stories
Made to Stick (Heaths)



Create and communicate a systematic and
comprehensive vision for RTI- with input
from stakeholders.
Avoid decision paralysis.
Listen to how the vision is being discussed
and interpreted by the stakeholders. Clarify
confusion/misconceptions.
“ We need to stop
thinking about kids in
silos and focus our
efforts on effective
reading instruction…
everywhere.”
Ellen Fogelberg,
Literacy Director
Evanston District 65 Evanston,
Illinois



All literacy professional
development is
conducted by district
reading specialists.
School psychologists
receive on-going PD
from reading
specialists.
School psychologist do
literacy case studies.
RTI can become dehumanizing by
overemphasizing data and
underemphasizing the educators
working on behalf of students.

Personalize communication about
struggling readers by holding face-toface discussions. Reserve e-mail for
scheduling.
 Honor
incidental collaboration.
 Actively
listen before offering
suggestions or making a decision.
Advocate for RTI by taking actions that
are consistent with your vision.


Classroom teachers always speak first.
Promote commitment to students by
honoring all expertise at the RTI table.
Feelings inspire people to act.


Be sure to link the efforts of teachers
and interventionists to the gains made
by students.
Attribute growth to the specific
actions of the team working on their
behalf.
Share the stories of everyone who is
working consciously and consistently
on behalf of struggling readers.

Articulate the attributes of instruction
that caused students to gain in
proficiency.
For example, growth in monitoring
meaning can be attributed to
standardizing a prompting protocol for
clarification.

 Effectiveness
can be replicated
only if it is defined and
understood.
 RTI
presents a unique opportunity
for on-going professional
learning during what is sure to be
a nomadic journey.
Effective instructors are proximal - at all
times- to teaching and learning.