The Impact of Response to Intervention on Student Reading Achievement in Urban Elementary Schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if the implementation of a Response to Intervention framework had a positive impact on student reading achievement in urban elementary schools. This was a causal-comparative study that examined the reading performance of a sample of kindergarten through grade three students who experienced the Response to Intervention process for two years. It is believed by identifying students who are at-risk for reading failure as early as kindergarten, reading interventions can be delivered so future reading problems can be avoided. The researcher utilized five of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills test scores (DIBELS; Good & Kaminski, 2002) and the third grade Reading Pennsylvania State Standardized Assessment (PSSA) scores as measures for the study. Three elementary urban schools that did not use the Response to Intervention framework served as the control group. The reading achievement scores of the control group were compared to the reading performance scores of three schools that did use the Response to Intervention framework for two years. The six schools in the study are from the same urban district and share the same demographic profiles and a common culture of achievement. In order to control for any differences between the comparison groups, the researcher matched the control group and the experimental group using a number of variables such as the student population, the 2009 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status, and the percentage of economically disadvantaged students. A questionnaire was sent to the principals of each school building using the Response to Intervention process to ensure the RtII schools selected for this study implemented the process in a similar manner. Attention was given to the reading performance of all students in the study. This study also examined how the Response to Instruction Intervention process impacted the acquisition rate of reading skills in kindergarten and first grade. The researcher looked at how much growth was made in each grade level to determine if there was a difference in the rate of acquisition of reading skills between students in grades kindergarten through grade three. 793 students formed the sample for this study. Data for the sample was obtained from the Coordinator of Program Evaluation and Data Management of the participating school district. Descriptive statistics were used to study the demographic information. The information gained from this study provides quantitative data that evaluated the impact that the Response to Intervention process had on student reading performance in urban schools. This information can be used to impact decisions on teacher training and professional development, the evaluation of reading intervention programs, and team planning schedules. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone [phone]. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]