Despite the widespread use of Response to Intervention (RtI) since the revision of IDEA 2004, there is a paucity of research describing both instruction and intervention within a fluid multi-tiered model. The present study used a mixed methods approach to learn more about differences in initial skills and child characteristics between adequate and inadequate responders during a year-long fluid multi-tier RtI model. Three research questions were asked, the first two questions compared 147 students who received intervention at Tier 2 and 3, but who were adequate responders compared to 23 students who were inadequate responders based upon initial criteria using a Discriminate Function Analysis (DFA). The third question included only the inadequate responders (23) looking in depth and coding their behavior and emotions during intervention. The DFA showed that teacher judgment, initial language, and literacy skills adequately predicated group membership based upon the initial criteria. Adding child characteristics to the initial skills did add a unique variance, but there was very little difference between the two models. The inadequate responders did show specific emotions and behavior during intervention; however it did not yield any specific information that would help teachers and administrators to identify inadequate responders from adequate responders.
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/luana_greulich/5/