Practitioners\u27 perceptions of the Response to Instruction and Intervention model

The purpose of this descriptive case study was to investigate the Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII) model, the experiences, influences, and impact of its implementation on a suburban elementary school\u27s teachers and infrastructure. The study analyzed the practitioners\u27 perceptions and beliefs of the RtII model, the students they taught, their instructional skill-sets, and the practices that they employed. There is a large body of research in support of the potential of the RtII model, but there is a significantly smaller amount of literature aimed towards understanding RtII from the practitioners\u27 perspective. This study was designed to provide instructional leaders with an overview of the current status of the RtII model\u27s implementation based on the perceptions of the practitioners who actually provided the instructional practices within the RtII model. The methods used in this study permitted exploration into the practitioners\u27 perceptions and beliefs. There were 19 participants who provided instruction for approximately 308 students in grades K-3rd. The Systems Change Theory was the philosophical structure for this study\u27s overall analytical approach. The evidence gathered from this study suggests that the RtII model has multiple designs and configurations, and the successful implementation and functioning of any RtII model is more likely based on local, contextual factors rather than just the implementation of the critical elements and components of the RtII model. Data from the study revealed that the teachers perceived the professional development for RtII had a positive impact on their instructional skills-sets, which in turn had a positive impact on students\u27 learning. The study revealed the misalignment of this school district\u27s existing policies, practices, and procedures, such as its current operative Child Study Team process, working concurrently with the newly implemented RtII Problem Solving Model. Finally, the data suggested that the 19 participants have a higher average level of belief that students are able to achieve academic success if they had a typical academic profile with no labels , such as learning disabled. This study suggests that practitioners\u27 perceptions of education reform are influenced by previous experiences, organizations\u27 philosophy, and pragmatic approaches to institute new systematic processes