CPS Response to Intervention (RTI) & Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which federal law explicitly endorses the use of RTI data as an alternative to the IQ-achievement discrepancy model for identifying students with specific learning disabilities?
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
- IDEA 2004 (Correct answer)
- No Child Left Behind Act
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Correct answer: IDEA 2004
IDEA 2004 allows states to use RTI processes as part of the evaluation for specific learning disabilities, replacing or supplementing the traditional IQ-achievement discrepancy model.
Question 2: In an MTSS framework, a 'problem-solving team' meeting is best characterized by:
- A multidisciplinary group that reviews referral paperwork for special education
- A collaborative team that analyzes data to design, implement, and evaluate individualized interventions (Correct answer)
- Administrators who assign students to intervention groups based on test scores
- A group that determines final eligibility for gifted and talented programs
Correct answer: A collaborative team that analyzes data to design, implement, and evaluate individualized interventions
Problem-solving teams in MTSS use a data-driven cycle of identifying the problem, analyzing causes, planning interventions, and evaluating outcomes collaboratively.
Question 3: Which type of assessment is used at the beginning of RTI implementation to identify all students who may be at risk and need additional support?
- Diagnostic assessment
- Universal screening (Correct answer)
- Summative assessment
- Criterion-referenced testing
Correct answer: Universal screening
Universal screening is administered to all students at regular intervals (typically three times per year) to identify those who may need additional support before they fall significantly behind.
Question 4: In RTI progress monitoring, an 'aim line' is used to:
- Show the national average performance for a given grade level
- Represent the expected rate of improvement needed for a student to reach the goal (Correct answer)
- Indicate the cutoff score for special education eligibility
- Display the average growth rate of the intervention group
Correct answer: Represent the expected rate of improvement needed for a student to reach the goal
The aim line connects a student's baseline score to the end-of-intervention goal, showing the expected rate of improvement needed for the student to meet the target.
Question 5: Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is best understood as the MTSS framework applied to:
- Reading and literacy instruction
- Social-emotional and behavioral domains (Correct answer)
- Mathematics and numeracy skills
- Gifted and advanced learner programming
Correct answer: Social-emotional and behavioral domains
PBIS applies the multi-tiered, data-driven logic of MTSS to student behavior and social-emotional functioning, promoting positive school climate and reducing disciplinary issues.
Question 6: A Certified Psycho-Educational Specialist is reviewing a student's RTI data to determine if a comprehensive evaluation is warranted. According to best practice, this decision should be based on:
- Teacher recommendation alone
- Parent request only
- Multiple sources of data including progress monitoring trends and intervention fidelity (Correct answer)
- A single standardized test score below the 25th percentile
Correct answer: Multiple sources of data including progress monitoring trends and intervention fidelity
Best practice requires that eligibility decisions consider multiple data sources, including progress monitoring data, fidelity of intervention delivery, and other relevant information rather than any single measure.
Question 7: Which graphing element in CBM progress monitoring is used to indicate that an instructional change or decision should be made?
- A goal line
- A data point below the aim line
- Four or more consecutive data points below the aim line (decision rule) (Correct answer)
- The slope of the trend line after two weeks
Correct answer: Four or more consecutive data points below the aim line (decision rule)
A common RTI decision rule states that if four or more consecutive data points fall below the aim line, practitioners should modify the intervention to better address the student's needs.
CPS Response to Intervention (RTI) & Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) 2
Which federal law explicitly endorses the use of RTI data as an alternative to the IQ-achievement discrepancy model for identifying students with specific learning disabilities?