Advancing Learner-Informed Practices in Early Reading: A Collaborative Response to Intervention (RTI) Partnership
Date
2023-12-13
Authors
Pollitt, Shelby Irene
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Abstract
This study examined the efficacy of teacher-implemented interventions to accelerate foundational reading skills in 48 children (mean age 5 years, 3 months) in their first year of school, within a Response to Intervention (RTI) framework. Formal RTI is currently being used across the United States to inform early and efficient intervention for children who are at risk for reading difficulties. While there is growing awareness of the benefits of early screening, effective classroom instruction, and evidence-based intervention, such a formalized, multi-tiered approach is not as prevalent in Canada. Four participating kindergarten teachers received professional development on comprehensive and evidence-based early reading instruction. Throughout a school year complicated by unprecedented challenges due to Covid-19 (i.e. extended student absences, teacher shortages, teacher burnout), teachers embedded explicit teaching of phonological awareness and phonics skills into their existing literacy programs for all students in the classroom at Tier 1, and monitored students’ progress monthly using curriculum- based measures (CBMs) of reading. Students who did not demonstrate gains in response to instruction, as per results on CBMs, were identified for intensified Tier 2 small-group intervention. Results suggest that timely professional learning coupled with evidence-aligned resources and ongoing facilitation throughout the school year for classroom teachers can accelerate kindergarten students’ emergent literacy skills. Additionally, whereas results indicated a statistically significant difference between students who received Tier 1 classroom instruction and students who received supplemental Tier 2 intervention with regard to Letter- Word Skills at the beginning of the school year, group means were not significantly different at the end of the school year. Situating teachers at the heart of implementation and using multiple means of concurrently-gathered intervention and implementation data, these findings offer valuable insight into designing effective, multi-tier interventions for all students. Finally, despite the exceptional circumstances due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this study demonstrates that purposeful instruction and supplemental intervention targeting foundational literacy skills can effectively close the gap for our priority students.
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Keywords
Response to Intervention (RTI), Evidence-Aligned Reading Instruction, Reading Intervention, Early Intervention, Intervention Efficacy, Teacher Perspectives, Implementation Science, Covid-19