Response to Intervention: Heartland's Model of Prevention and Intervention
The problem-solving process at Heartland AEA 11 can be specifically defined through a number of discrete activities that include four basic steps. These steps are consistent with components that are common to a variety of alternatives for problem solving. (Deno 2002; Kratochwill & Elliott 2002; Tilly & Flugum 1995, Upah & Tilly, 2002). These four steps are illustrated in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Problem Solving Process
Define the problem: What is the problem and why is it happening? A problem is defined as the difference between expected and actual student behavior or performance. It is important to remember that problems affecting student performance do not exist exclusively within the makeup of the learner, but can occur as the result of an interaction between learner characteristics and the demands of the educational setting. Dependent upon the intensity and severity of the problem, this step requires analysis and assessment to clearly define the problem, identify why it is occurring, and indicate the solution with the highest likelihood of success.
Develop a plan: What are we going to do about the problem? An intervention is planned to address the problem. Tilly and Fulgum (1995) define intervention as a "Planned modification of the environment made for the purpose of altering behavior in a prespecified way." This plan might be informal for lower intensity problems, but needs to be clearly written with specific detail for more severe problems. A goal should be set and plans for how to evaluate effectiveness should be established. Interventions are not activities intended to put students into settings or placements where appropriate interventions can occur; rather, they are activities requiring a range of resources designed to improve student performance.
Implement the plan. Carry out the intervention: (Are we doing what we intended to do?) The intervention should be implemented as planned. The effectiveness of an intervention cannot be determined prior to implementation; therefore it must be monitored, reviewed, and changed as necessary. Again, the intensity and severity of the problem will indicate the resources necessary to provide support and follow-up for the intervention.
Evaluate Effectiveness: Did our plan work? Data gathered during the problem-solving process are used to make decisions regarding the best educational strategy for a student. These decisions are based on a trend of student performance over time, during the application of the intervention, rather than on any one measure of student performance. The problem-solving team should agrees on how to evaluate effectiveness and then revises the intervention based on those agreed upon decision making factors.
The Problem-Solving Approach
At Heartland AEA, the process of defining problems, developing plans, implementing plans, and evaluating effectiveness is used with a greater degree of specificity and with additional resources, as the intensity and severity of problems increase. This systematic application of these activities is called the problem-solving approach. The following diagram represents this approach. It should be noted that the problem-solving process is applied at each of the four levels of the approach, Figure 2.
Figure 2: Heartland Problem Solving Approach
The problem-solving approach focuses on how to resolve the difficulties a learner is experiencing. To understand how best to help a student, information is collected from teachers, parents, and others who best know the child. This information is used to determine what the student needs and how best to assist him or her. Student progress is measured frequently to determine what is most effective for each student and decisions are based on the results. The process can be applied for an individual student, for groups of students, or to an entire system.
The problem-solving approach emphasizes assisting children. It is an integrated conceptual model of assessment and services incorporating general and special education efforts. Concerns may be expressed by parents, teachers, counselors, school nurses, principals, building assistance teams, community providers, or others in direct contact with students. The student may also be identified in need of further problem solving as the result of school-wide screenings of student performance.
Assistance can occur at four levels. The first level involves parent and teacher collaboration to address problems. At the second level, other teachers provide expertise to solve the problem. At the third level, Heartland AEA staff guide the assistance. The fourth level addresses entitlement to special education.
Two features of this model should be noted: 1) the model is applicable to all learners served in Heartland AEA; 2) the arrows depicting support on the problem-solving approach diagram point in both directions. The dual directionality indicates the provision of a variety of levels of support to assist the learner before and after a student is determined to need special education. Thus, assistance from Level I through Level III is available, as needed, to all learners. Heartland AEA provides training on problem solving, building assistance team training, assistance with data collection, data interpretation and technical assistance regarding interventions.
In rare instances, a student's concerns are so significant, problem solving needs to begin at Level IV (Consideration of entitlement). In these cases, an intervention is designed and implemented while a full and individual evaluation is conducted. The purpose of this intervention is to provide immediate assistance to the student and to provide the data necessary to determine the needs of the student.
Participants in the problem-solving process vary according to the nature and severity of the problem. Efforts should be made to include the personnel within the school who have the most expertise in the area of the presenting problem. Although the makeup of the problem-solving team will vary, parental involvement should remain constant at all levels. Parents should be key members of the problem-solving process. Parents have knowledge regarding their children that is essential to the process. Parents should be well informed regarding all general education interventions even though due process rights are not available until the student is officially staffed into special education. Parental involvement is an essential component at each level of the problem-solving approach.
Students are identified as in potential need of intervention through formal and informal screening assessments. Although screening procedures will identify those students in need of intervention, the data gathered through screening is not sufficient to determine the instructional needs of the student. Screening data will indicate there is a problem, but not why it is happening or what should be done about it. At Heartland conducting analysis of the student's problem area prior to implementing an intervention is a critical step in the problem solving process. To do this analysis, Heartland support staff use Curriculum-Based Evaluation, (Howell and Nolet, 2000; Howell, Kurns, and Antil, 2002) a decision-making framework for evaluation based on the work of Ken Howell of Western Washington University. This framework provides a series of questions or assumed causes for a student's difficulties, then offers an assessment procedure to validate this possible cause, and finally links to a teaching recommendation. This link to what needs to be taught and how the student can best be expected to learn enhances the likelihood of positive outcomes for the students.
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