Solution-Focused RTI: A Positive and Personalized Approach to Response-to-Intervention

221 Pages·2010·1.6 MB·English

by  Linda Metcalf

v
JOSSEY-BASS TEACHER With Easy-to-Copy, Lay-Flat Pages JOSSEY-BASS TEACHER GRADES KK––182
Easy-
to-Copy
Solution-Focused RTI Pages
Often educators fi nd the Response-to-Interven- • E ngage students and parents in a process
tion (RTI) process too complicated to put into that is respectful, collaborative, and hopeful
practice. This important book provides an ef- • D ecrease paperwork
fective aproach to RTI that draws on a proven Solution-
• I ncrease morale among teachers through
“solution-focused” method. This positive ap-
teamwork
proach generates less work to implement and
emphasizes a student’s strengths rather than • M otivate students by enlisting their ideas
his or her weaknesses. • I nvolve parents by making them experts
on their own child
Solution-Focused RTI shows how to identify
exceptions to students’ learning problems and This groundbreaking book promotes collabora-
Focused RTI
design personalized interventions to help those tion among teachers, parents, and students,
students succeed. Metcalf provides educators identifying what has worked, how it worked,
with the basic building blocks of the solution- and what to do to achieve success.
focused approach and step-by-step guidelines A Positive and Personalized Approach
for implementing a three-tiered RTI process.
to Response to Intervention
“. . .A refreshing approach to RTI. Metcalf offers a clear, jargon-free perspective that focuses on identifying and building on the
strengths of students. It is chock full of clear illustrations, real-world vignettes, and examples of school-based interventions
that are applicable to all students.”
—Bob Bertolino, Ph.D., associate professor, Maryvile University, senior clinical advisor, Youth In Need, Inc. Linda Metcalf
“M etcalf describes actual elementary, middle, and high-school situations, drawing together the latest research and practice
from RTI and solution-focused strategies, and showing how teachers, administrators, and school counselors can collaborate
to make classrooms places of joy, purpose, caring, and collaboration.”
— Loretta Whitson, executive director, California School Counselors Association
Linda Metcalf, M.Ed., Ph.D., a former classroom teacher and
school counselor, is a professor and the director of School Counseling
at Texas Wesleyan University. She is the author of seven books,
including Counseling Toward Solutions, Second Edition from
Jossey-Bass. Metcalf presents workshops on the solution-focused GRADES
approach across the United States and internationally. K-8
EDUCATION
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Cover design by Michael Cook Teacher
A Positive and Personalized Approach
METCALF Solution-Focused RTI
to Response to Intervention
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Praise for Solution-Focused RTI
“This is a remarkably refreshing approach to Response to Intervention. Metcalf
offers a clear, jargon-free perspective that focuses on identifying and building on
the strengths of students through collaborative conversations and interventions
that offer solutions and, ultimately, the best chance of s uccess. Solution-Focused
RTI is not simply a book of ideas. It is chock full of clear illustrations, real-world
vignettes, and examples of school-based interventions that are applicable to all
students.”
—Bob Bertolino, Ph.D., associate professor,
Rehabilitation Counseling, Maryille University,
senior clinical advisor, Youth in Need, Inc.
“I would buy this book immediately and fi nd it of inestimable value in my work. I
would also give a copy to every ESE specialist, principal, and guidance counselor
I know. Solution-Focused RTI takes a fresh and novel approach that will give hope
in hopeless situations—and that is exactly what we need right now.”
—Anne Rambo, Ph.D., associate professor,
Nova Southeastern University
“This book provides perspectives and examples of how to positively motivate
students by applying solution-focused principles to the school setting.”
—Gerald Corey, Ed.D., professor emeritus,
California State University, Fullerton
“Linda Metcalf hits upon the single-most important element typically missing
from the RTI discussion: the power of capitalizing on strengths rather than
student problems. This is a life-altering read for teachers, administrators, and
school counselors who are seeking a positive approach to student success. It
provides highly successful—and doable—intervention strategies to use with even
the most challenging situations.
“Metcalf describes actual elementary, middle, and high-school situations
d rawing together the latest research and practice from RTI and solution-focused
strategies, showing how teachers, administrators, and school counselors can col-
laborate to make classrooms places of joy, purpose, caring, and collaboration.”
—Loretta Whitson, executive director,
California School Counselors Association
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ffirs.indd i 4/8/10 8:55:50 AM
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Solution-
Focused RTI
A Positive and Personalized Approach
to Response to Intervention
Linda Metcalf
ffirs.indd v 4/8/10 8:55:50 AM
Copyright © 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
Published by Jossey-Bass
A Wiley Imprint
989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741 www.josseybass.com
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form
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Permission is given for individual classroom teachers to reproduce the worksheets for classroom use.
Reproduction of these materials for an entire school system is strictly forbidden.
Readers should be aware that Internet Web sites offered as citations and/or sources for further
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Metcalf, Linda.
Solution-focused RTI : a positive and personalized approach to response to intervention /
Linda Metcalf.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-470-47042-8 (pbk.)
1. Learning disabled children—Identifi cation. 2. Learning disabilities—Diagnosis. 3. Slow
learning children—Education. 4. Action research in education. I. Title.
LB1029.R4M47 2010
371.9⬘043—dc22
2010000723
Printed in the United States of America
FIRST EDITION
PB Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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A bout This Book
O ne evening in the school counseling practicum that I teach, the discussion
turned to Response to Intervention (RTI). I heard groans, complaints, and frus-
trations and thought, “ W hat an opportunity for solutions!” Instead of encourag-
ing commiseration, I asked my future school counselors to describe a better way
to implement RTI, using a solution- f ocused approach. They quickly provided this
description:
• T he process would be more optimistic.
• T here would be less paperwork.
• T here would be more involvement with parents and students.
• T here would be less pressure on the teacher to be the sole source of ideas
for interventions.
• T he conversations would be more hopeful in that participants would
leave the meeting with additional strategies for everyone.
T he more we talked, the more excited I became about developing these ideas.
Surely a more straightforward way of implementing Response to Intervention,
based on students ’ strengths, could do a world of good for students and educators
alike. I had created a similar program for low- a chieving students in Davenport,
Iowa, several years earlier; why not incorporate those ideas and my students ’ ideas
and see what would happen? The results are laid out in this book.
I f you are a teacher, administrator, or school counselor, this book will improve
your Response to Intervention by helping you
• E ngage students and parents in a process that is respectful, collaborative,
and hopeful
• D ecrease paperwork so that teachers are willing to develop interventions
and track success
• I ncrease morale among teachers through teamwork rather than solitary
strategizing
vii
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• M otivate students by enlisting their ideas when strategizing about
interventions
• I nvolve parents by making them experts on their own child
RTI doesn ’ t have to be met with groans anymore. Instead, it can be a collabo-
ration between teachers, parents, and students, identifying what has worked, how
it worked, and what to do to achieve success — all in a timely, effective, and hopeful
manner.
viii About This Book
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