# Handbook of Response to Intervention # in Early Childhood ## Edited by ## Virginia Buysse, Ph.D. Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ## and ## Ellen S. Peisner-Feinberg, Ph.D. Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ## Baltimore • London • Sydney ## Contents 1. About the Editors 2. Contributors 3. Foreword Russell Gersten ## I Introduction 1. Response to Intervention: Conceptual Foundations for the Early Childhood Field Virginia Buysse and Ellen S. Peisner-Feinberg ## II Foundations of Response to Intervention in Early Childhood 2. Prevention: A Public Health Framework Rune J. Simeonsson and Yi Pan 3. Responsiveness to Intervention in the Elementary Grades: Implications for Early Childhood Education Rollanda E. O’Connor and Lynn S. Fuchs 4. An Overview of Programwide Positive Behavior Supports: Building a Comprehensive Continuum of Early Social Behavior Support for At-Risk Children Timothy J. Lewis, Reesha Adamson, Barbara S. Mitchell, and Erica S. Lembke 5. Recognition & Response: A Model of Response to Intervention to Promote Academic Learning in Early Education Virginia Buysse, Ellen S. Peisner-Feinberg, Elena Soukakou, Doré R. LaForett, Angel Fettig, and Jennifer M. Schaaf 6. A Tiered Model for Promoting Social-Emotional Competence and Addressing Challenging Behavior Mary Louise Hemmeter, Lise Fox, and Patricia Snyder 7. Building Blocks: A Framework for Meeting the Needs of All Young Children Susan R. Sandall and Ilene S. Schwartz ## III Assessment within Response to Intervention 8. The Role of Assessment within Response to Intervention in Early Education Ellen S. Peisner-Feinberg and Virginia Buysse 9. General Outcome Measures in Early Childhood and Individual Growth and Development Indicators Scott McConnell and Charles R. Greenwood 10. Development of a Universal Screening and Progress Monitoring Tool and Its Applicability for Use in Response to Intervention Susan H. Landry, Michael A. Assel, Jason L. Anthony, and Paul R. Swank 11. Response to Intervention for Early Mathematics Scott Methe and Amanda M. VanDerHeyden 12. Assessment of Social-Emotional and Behavioral Skills for Preschoolers within a Response to Intervention Model Edward G. Feil and Andy J. Frey ## IV Curriculum and Instruction within Response to Intervention 13. Use of a Comprehensive Core Curriculum as the Foundation of a Tiered Model Diane Trister Dodge 14. A Curriculum Framework for Supporting Young Children Served in Blended Programs Jennifer Grisham-Brown and Kristie Pretti-Frontczak 15. Language and Literacy Curriculum and Instruction Stephanie M. Curenton, Laura M. Justice, Tricia A. Zucker, and Anita S. McGinty 16. Math Curriculum and Instruction for Young Children Herbert P. Ginsburg, Barbrina Ertle, and Ashley Lewis Presser 17. Supporting Social and Emotional Development in Preschool Children Carolyn Webster-Stratton and M. Jamila Reid 18. Embedded Instruction to Support Early Learning in Response to Intervention Frameworks Patricia Snyder, Mary Louise Hemmeter, Mary E. McLean, Susan R. Sandall, and Tara McLaughlin ## V Program-Level Supports for Implementing Response to Intervention in Early Childhood 19. Using Consultation to Support the Implementation of Response to Intervention in Early Childhood Settings Steven E. Knotek, Carly Hoffend, and Kristina S. Ten Haagen 20. Family Engagement within Early Childhood Response to Intervention Shana J. Haines, Amy McCart, and Ann Turnbull 21. Professional Development: Supporting the Evidence-Based Early Childhood Practitioner Pamela J. Winton 22. Preschool Inclusion and Response to Intervention for Children with Disabilities William H. Brown, Herman T. Knopf, Maureen A. Conroy, Heather Smith Googe, and Fred Greer 23. Recognition & Response for Dual Language Learners Doré R. LaForett, Ellen S. Peisner-Feinberg, and Virginia Buysse 24. Cross-Sector Policy Context for the Implementation of Response to Intervention in Early Care and Education Settings Beth Rous and Rena A. Hallam 25. Response to Intervention in Early Childhood: The View from States Jim J. Lesko and Thomas Rendon 26. Setting the Stage for Sustainability: Building the Infrastructure for Implementation Capacity Michelle A. Duda, Dean L. Fixsen, and Karen A. Blase ## VI Future Challenges and New Directions 27. Promising Future Research Directions in Response to Intervention in Early Childhood Judith J. Carta and Charles R. Greenwood 28. Evidence-Based Practice and Response to Intervention in Early Childhood Samuel L. Odom and Angel Fettig 29. Building Consensus on the Defining Features of Response to Intervention in Early Childhood Heidi Hollingsworth and Camille Catlett ## About the Editors ### Virginia Buysse, Ph.D. Senior Scientist, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Buysse is Senior Scientist at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ### Ellen S. Peisner-Feinberg, Ph.D. Senior Scientist, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Peisner-Feinberg is Senior Scientist at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ## Recognition & Response: A Model of Response to Intervention to Promote Academic Learning in Early Education Virginia Buysse, Ellen S. Peisner-Feinberg, Elena Soukakou, Doré R. LaForett, Angel Fettig, and Jennifer M. Schaaf Educators face important questions daily about how to respond to children with diverse learning needs enrolled in early care and education programs. They must decide which children need additional supports to learn and what teaching strategies work best to help these children acquire key readiness skills such as oral language, phonological awareness, print knowledge, and number concepts. ### Recognition: Formative Assessment The recognition component consists of formative assessment of key academic areas predictive of later learning conducted by classroom teachers three times a year. ### Response: Research-Based Core Curriculum, Intentional Teaching, and Targeted Interventions The response component refers to core instruction offered to all children as well as tiered interventions for some children requiring additional supports based on assessment results. ### CLOSER LOOK AT THE RESPONSE COMPONENT An effective core curriculum must be evaluated through research, developmentally appropriate, and cover all domains of learning, incorporating intentional teaching to aid children in learning relevant skills. ### Implementation Issues Key decisions need to be made to support the implementation of R&R in early care and education programs, needing input from stakeholders and professional development for teachers to ensure effective practices. ### Research Evidence Results from studies show the effectiveness of the R&R model for improving children’s language and literacy skills, with evidence of feasibility and usability of the R&R model in various educational settings. **Conclusion** R&R is an emerging practice in early childhood closely based on RTI principles, promising support for learning and development prior to kindergarten. Further research is needed to provide evidence of its effectiveness.