Date of Award

12-14-2015

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Educational Studies

First Advisor

Kathleen Marshall

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to measure decision-making influences within RtI teams. The study examined the factors that influence school personnel involved in three areas of RtI: determining which RtI measures and tools teams select and implement (i.e. Measures and Tools), evaluating the data-driven decisions that are made based on the assessment and intervention data (i.e. Data-Driven Decisions), and analyzing the process and procedures of the decision-making itself (i.e. Process and Procedures). Core RtI team members were asked to indicate which factors they found to be the most influential to both their team and personal decision-making processes, whether the perceptions of their position influence their decision-making, to identify aspects of the decision-making process in which they are involved, and whether those aspects differed across personnel. Additionally, this study examined whether RtI decision-making at the elementary level differed from decision-making at the middle school level. Faculty and staff from five South Carolina school districts who served on their school’s core RtI team were asked to participate in the study. Participants’ feedback was collected from the RtI Team Decision-Making Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics measuring frequency and percentages were performed to answer questions related to specific influences, perceptions, and level of involvement within the RtI decision-making process. Additionally, inferential statistics were used; Fisher’s Exact Test with a Monte Carlo technique approach was performed to determine associations between level of involvement in RtI decision-making and position, and the Exact Test without an estimate was used to analyze decision-making between school levels. Analysis of the results suggest that there are distinct factors that either greatly or minimally influence RtI decision-making, and that team member’s positions influence both their tier decision-making and level of involvement within various aspects of RtI. Furthermore, inferential testing does seem to suggest that there are significant associations between position and involvement in different decision-making aspects, as well as significant differences between elementary and middle school. This study concludes by explaining the practical importance of decision-making for both schools and district teams that are in the process of establishing an RtI program, or working to refine and improve their established RtI process.

Rights

© 2015, Scott M. Thur

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