School Psychologists' Preferences on Response to Intervention

Abstract

As a result of the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004), Response to Intervention (RTI) became a legal and acceptable basis for determining special education eligibility. While there may be evidence that RTI has had positive effects on the prereferral process for special education in some schools, there still remains controversy in the field of school psychology about many aspects of RTI, in particular the use of RTI in the identification process for children with learning disabilities. The purpose of current questionnaire study was (a) to determine school psychologists' preferences on the use of RTI in both the prereferral and the identification process of students with learning disabilities, (b) to investigate the implementation process in school systems from school psychologists' perspectives, and (c) to examine the role of the school psychologist in RTI implementation efforts and RTI activities.Data were collected from 41 members of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). Each participant completed a survey, which related to the above purposes, and responded to items using a 5-point Likert scale. Results indicated that sampled school psychologists generally responded favorably to RTI as a prereferral method, but varied on their level of agreement on using RTI for diagnostic purposes. Most respondents agreed that RTI should not be the sole criteria for determining a learning disability and that a comprehensive evaluation should take place including standardized cognitive and academic testing. Identified benefits to implementing RTI were: interventions for struggling students occur earlier, improved instruction for all students, greater collaboration between general and special education, and improved method of identifying at risk groups/individuals. Identified challenges to implementing RTI were: need for professional development, lack of teacher preparation, lack of support staff to implement interventions, and intervention fidelity. A majority of respondents agreed that the school psychologist's role should include various RTI activities and in particular RTI activities related to data interpretation, consultation, supervising, and training.