Using RTI to Teach Literacy to Diverse Learners, K-8: Strategies for the Inclusive Classroom

"In a small volume, Sheila Alber-Morgan addresses RTI in a much more comprehensive way than other texts. The book provides critical features of RTI across reading, writing, handwriting, and spelling and is packed with practical information for each tier." —Nancy L. Cooke, Associate Professor of Special Education University of North Carolina at Charlotte "Alber-Morgan clearly and concisely articulates the theoretical and empirical bases of RTI—an important and worthy achievement. For the classroom teacher, her book provides numerous assessment and instructional strategies for turning the great promise of RTI into reality for students." —William L. Heward, Professor Emeritus The Ohio State University Practical intervention strategies for diverse learners who struggle with literacy! Literacy is a critical foundational skill for success in school and throughout adulthood. Covering both reading and writing instruction, this book shows K–8 teachers how to build the literacy skills of diverse learners, including those with disabilities and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, in inclusive classrooms. Sheila Alber-Morgan discusses instruction and assessment within a Response to Intervention (RTI) framework and demonstrates how to provide targeted support to students struggling with literacy or those who may require special attention to achieve success. Providing specific interventions for tiers 1, 2, and 3, this book offers: Evidence-based practices such as guided note taking, the use of response cards, peer-mediated instruction, self monitoring, and direct instruction Strategies for phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension Methods for teaching handwriting, spelling, keyboarding, and the writing process A discussion on using thematic units to integrate reading and writing With sample assessments, graphic organizers, and brief case studies of students, this timely volume assists teachers and literary specialists in providing the support that diverse learners need to succeed.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments About the Author 1. Overview Universal Design and Response to Intervention Diverse Learners and Inclusive Classrooms NCLB and Evidence-Based Practices Special Education Law RTI and Assessment Curriculum-Based Measurement RTI and Literacy Instruction Explicit Instruction and Active Student Responding Peer-Mediated Instruction Integrating Language Arts Programming for Generalization Collaborative Teaching Summary 2. Assessing for Intervention in Reading RTI and CBM reading CBM Reading Methods Oral Reading Fluency CBM Maze CBM Early Reading Vocabulary Matching Miscue Analysis and Comprehension Checks Authentic Assessment Summary Maya 3. Implementing Multi-Tiered Reading Instruction Evidence-Based Practices Reading Instruction: Tier 1 Reading Instruction: Tiers 2 & 3 Phonemic Awareness: Tier 1 Phonemic Awareness: Tiers 2 & 3 Alphabetics: Tier 1 Alphabetics: Tiers 2 & 3 Fluency: Tier 1 Fluency: Tiers 2 & 3 Vocabulary: Tier 1 Vocabulary: Tiers 2 & 3 Comprehension: Tier 1 Comprehension: Tiers 2 & 3 Summary Alexei 4. Assessing for Intervention in Writing RTI and Writing Assessment CBM Writing Measures Managing CBM Writing Writing Rubrics Portfolios Summary Dylan 5. Implementing Multi-Tiered Writing Instruction Evidence-Based Practices Handwriting Instruction: Tier 1 Handwriting Instruction: Tiers 2 & 3 Keyboarding Instruction Spelling Instruction: Tier 1 Spelling Instruction: Tiers 2 & 3 Writing Process: Tier 1 Writing Process: Tiers 2 & 3 Computer Technology for Writing: Tier 1 Computer Technology for Writing: Tiers 2 & 3 Summary Carmen 6. Using Thematic Units to Integrate the Language Arts Creating Thematic Units for Multi-Tiered Instruction Selecting a Theme Identifying and Obtaining Resources and Materials Identifying Language Arts Skills Planning Multi-Tiered Instruction Summary 7. Programming for Generalization of Literacy Skills Selecting Representative Teaching Examples Making the Classroom Resemble Generalization Settings Providing Students with a Means to Access Reinforcement Arranging Ways to Transfer Skills to Different Settings Training Students to Transfer Skills 8. Closing the Research to Practice Gap References Index

About the Author :
Sheila Alber-Morgan has been an associate professor of special education at The Ohio State University since 2005. She was also a faculty member at The University of Southern Mississippi for eight years. After teaching for several years in inclusive classrooms in both urban and rural South Carolina, Dr. Alber-Morgan began doctoral training at The Ohio State University and earned her Ph.D. in 1997. For the past 15 years, Dr. Alber-Morgan’s research has focused on examining the effects of various literacy interventions on the learning outcomes of elementary and secondary students with and without disabilities. Additionally, her research incorporates strategies for programming for generalization and maintenance of academic and social skills. Almost all of Dr. Alber-Morgan’s research has been designed and implemented in collaboration with classroom teachers, and she has over 50 research and practitioner publications including peer reviewed journal articles, textbook ancillaries, and book chapters.

Review :
"The author makes a significant contribution to establishing evidence-based and data-driven programs for diverse learners. The text provides a clear and comprehensive approach that can be used at all levels of teacher development, and serve as a primary text in teacher education courses. Alber-Morgan combines a thorough knowledge of progress monitoring using curriculum-based measurement (CBM) with summaries and illustrations of evidence-based practices in reading, writing, and learning subject matter content. The book is filled with useful references and many tables and figures that have practical application to daily practice." -- Stanley L. Deno, Professor Emeritus "Sheila Alber-Morgan has written an information-rich book that teachers will find clearly written, interesting, and remarkably helpful for assessing and implementing literacy interventions in inclusive classrooms." -- Richard M. Kubina Jr., Associate Professor of Special Education "In a small volume, Sheila Alber-Morgan addresses RTI in a much more comprehensive way than other texts. The book provides critical features of RTI across reading, writing, handwriting, and spelling. Each area is supported by strategies for assessment and multi-tiered instruction grounded in basic principles of applied behavior analysis, UDL, generalization, and inclusion. It is packed with practical information for each tier and many references for greater elaboration." -- Nancy L. Cooke, Associate Professor of Special Education "By placing scientifically based assessment and instruction into the RTI context, the author offers readers an opportunity to select practices in accordance with student needs, their responsiveness to instruction, and existing federal and state mandates. The text comes with easy-to understand graphics, practical applications, and numerous instructional resources. This book can be used with preservice and inservice teachers and as a primary text in teacher education courses. The assessment and instructional strategies provided have strong empirical support that meets educators' needs now and in years to come." -- Larry Maheady, Professor of Curriculum and Instruction "Alber-Morgan clearly and concisely articulates the theoretical and empirical bases of RTI-an important and worthy achievement. For the classroom teacher, her book provides numerous assessment and instructional strategies for turning the great promise of RTI into reality for students. The book outlines five powerful strategies for increasing the likelihood that students will remember and later use the literacy skills they have learned. Each strategy for programming generalization is then fleshed out with specific examples at the tactical level." -- William L. Heward, Professor Emeritus