How RTI Works in Secondary Schools: Building a Framework for Success, Oct/2011

Focusing on the unique response to intervention challenges faced by those working in a secondary school—including larger student and educator populations, curriculum specializations, a growing achievement gap, and more—the authors outline three imperative components of a successful RTI program and then provide action steps and examples illustrating how each component should surface within the different RTI tiers.

Benefits

1. Gain resources and reproducibles to begin building an RTI framework at the secondary level.
2. Find action steps and practical examples of RTI implementation in secondary schools.
3. Learn strategies for how to identify students with and without specific learning disabilities through the secondary RTI process.

About The Authors:
Kerry Bollman is instructional services coordinator and reading center director for St. Croix River Education District. She consults regularly with general and special education staff on research-based and data-driven assessment and instruction, and on developing schoolwide organizational frameworks around problem-solving teams to address the needs of all students. The district has received national recognition for its use of these RTI systems.

Previously, as an intervention specialist in the suburban Chicago area, Kerry supported implementation of behavioral and academic programming for students with significant disabilities and provided coaching for and later coordinated a statewide grant to support problem-solving teams in elementary and secondary schools. Her areas of expertise include curriculum-based assessment and evaluation, early literacy, designing and evaluating academic interventions, and data-based decision making within an RTI framework.

She was instrumental to the original design and currently supports statewide training and evaluation for the Minnesota Reading Corps, a tutoring program that harnesses the power of volunteers to provide one-on-one and small-group reading practice to students age 3 to grade 3. Kerry has published several articles on RTI topics and provides training and consultation locally and nationally.

She earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and completed the Specialist in School Psychology program at Illinois State University.

Sara Johnson is associate principal at Chisago Lakes High School in Lindstrom, Minnesota. She is also an adjunct professor teaching graduate classes on implementing response to intervention at St. Cloud State University. Sara was a school counselor and dean/counselor before becoming an administrator in 2003. At Chisago Lakes, her focus has been on establishing an effective RTI system for the school of approximately 1,200 students in grades 9–12.

Her presentations provide real-life, hands-on experiences for educators working to implement an RTI system in their school. In addition to numerous presentations on RTI-related topics, Sara also has written several journal articles.

Sara received a bachelor’s degree from Moorhead State University and a master’s degree and K–12 administrative license from St. Cloud State University.

Holly Windram, PhD, is chief education officer of Grand Rapids Christian Schools in Michigan. Previously, she was a district director of special education, a school psychologist, and assistant director of special education. Dr. Windram consults nationally on RTI implementation in secondary settings across assessment, instruction, problem solving, and organization.

Dr. Windram has given dozens of presentations and published several professional articles on implementation of an intensive five-step problem-solving process, secondary classroom management, roles for school psychologists within an RTI framework, implementing a Tier 2 “check and connect” intervention for secondary learners, action planning for RTI implementation, and implementation integrity within an RTI framework. Dr. Windram is a member of the Minnesota Administrators of Special Education, National Association of School Psychologists, and Phi Beta Kappa.

Dr. Windram completed bachelor’s degrees in psychology and English at Michigan State University, and she earned a doctorate in school psychology from the University of Minnesota.