Revised Action Research Plan
Goal:
Classroom teachers will effectively employ RtI protocols before referral for special education evaluation is made to ensure quality referrals.
Research Questions:
1. Are teachers using appropriate RtI protocol before making a referral for special education evaluation?
2. Are students who are referred for special education evaluation meeting eligibility criteria?
3. For students who are found not to meet eligibility criteria for special education, what interventions are put into place?
| Action Step(s) | Person(s) Responsible | Timeline: Start/End | Needed Resources | Evaluation |
| Review and plot previous year's referrals and outcomes for patterns. | Andrea Layne | August, 2010 | Spreadsheet to plot data | Reflect on last year's patterns of when, by who and why students are being referred. |
| Interview principal about current RtI protocols and how they are communicated to the teachers. | Andrea Layne | September, 2010 | Time for appointment | Reflect on the RtI process used in our school. |
| Interview lead teacher of each grade level to study their understanding of RtI protocols. | Andrea Layne | September, 2010 | Time for appointment | Reflect on teachers' understanding of RtI process. |
| Discuss SST referral for special education with the counselor. | Andrea Layne | September, 2010 | Time for appointment | Reflect on the review of RtI protocols before referrals are made. |
| All classroom teachers complete a questionnaire about the students projected to need RtI this year. Results are plotted. | Andrea Layne
Classroom Teachers | October, 2010 | All Teacher Questionnaire #1
Spreadsheet | Reflect on teachers' projected use of RtI. |
| Locate and review literature related to effective use of RtI before making a referral for special education evaluation. | Andrea Layne | October, 2010 | Internet, Literature | Reflect on the data already available from those who have faced similar questions. |
| All classroom teachers complete a questionnaire about the use of RtI this year and a count of students who continue to need further intervention. Results are plotted. | Andrea Layne
Classroom Teachers | January, 2011 | All Teacher Questionnaire #2
Spreadsheet | Reflect on teachers' use of RtI during the Fall semester and the number of students still needing intervention. |
| As a referral for special education evaluation is made, plot data of when and by whom the referral was initiated. | Andrea Layne | August, 2010- June, 2011 | Spreadsheet | Reflect on patterns emerging and compare them to last year's data. |
| Referring teacher completes a questionnaire reviewing RtI previously employed. Results are plotted. | Andrea Layne and Referring Teacher | August, 2010- June, 2011 | Teacher Questionnaire #1
Spreadsheet | Reflect on teacher's implementation of RtI. |
| After the special education evaluation is complete, plot the outcome data. | Andrea Layne | August, 2010- June, 2011 | Spreadsheet | Reflect on the connection between the referral and the outcome. |
| For those students who are not eligible, the classroom teacher completes a questionnaire reflecting on the substance of the referral and what interventions will be put into place. Results are plotted. | Andrea Layne and Referring Teacher | August, 2010- June, 2011 | Teacher Questionnaire #2
Spreadsheet | Reflect on the connection the teacher makes between the referral and outcome. Reflect on plan for further intervention. |
| For those students who are not eligible, the counselor completes a questionnaire reflecting on the substance of the referral and what interventions will be put into place. Results are plotted. | Andrea Layne
Mrs. Clinton (counselor) | August, 2010- June, 2011 | Counselor Questionnaire
Spreadsheet | Reflect on the connection the counselor makes between the referral and outcome. Reflect on plan for further intervention. |
| All classroom teachers complete a questionnaire about the use of RtI this year and a count of students who were successfully served by RtI and how many needed a referral for special education evaluation. Results are plotted. | Andrea Layne
Classroom Teachers | May, 2011 | All Teacher Questionnaire #3
Spreadsheet | Reflect on teachers' successful use of RtI during and the number of students still referred for special education evaluation. |
| Formative Evaluation | Andrea Layne Dr. Richey (prinicipal) | January, 2011 | Spreadsheets | Review data gathered thus far using survey results and referral data. |
| Formulate new questions that arise from research and possible solutions. | Andrea Layne | February, 2011 | Spreadsheet | Reflect on questions not previously anticipated. |
| Summative Evaluation | Andrea Layne Dr. Richey (principal) | June, 2011 | Spreadsheets and Interview Data | Compile all survey results, interview data and referral/ outcome data to compare effective use of RtI and quality referrals to special education evaluation. |
| Share results of action research. | Andrea Layne, Dr. Richey (principal), Mrs. Clinton (counselor), Special Ed Admin Team | June, 2011 | Charts and Summary Information. | Review findings of action research and reflect on new approaches/ solutions. |
I think this research will be very effective for your school. There are so many teachers who just assume this child needs to be placed in special education and they are not doing the appropriate work to get them into the program or are just not identifying them at all. Good luck with the process.
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