Developing a Digital Intervention Resource Hub: Addressing Perceived Challenges for Teacher-Implemented Interventions

School psychologists have the knowledge and expert training to positively impact educational efforts. Within the NASP Practice Model, school psychologists are tasked with serving all students through School-Wide Practices to Promote Learning. This advocates for a preventative approach to meeting the needs of all students to ensure academic achievement, effective discipline, positive behavior supports, and resources to make a strong home-school connection for all students (National Association of School Psychologists, 2020). Schoolwide practices include using Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) such as Response to Intervention (RTI) and/or Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). These systems need to be implemented with fidelity. Putting efforts and resources where they are needed most could result in success with earlier intervention and less overidentification of students with disabilities.
Educational mandates have driven the creation of specific tiered support systems to address academic and behavioral needs; however, structures such as RTI and PBIS typically work parallel to each other, in isolation of one another (Eagle et al., 2015). At schools, MTSS has been introduced to frontline staff including all educators, counselors, and paraprofessionals; however, it is in its infancy and may take years to make systems-level change. Currently, their RTI and PBIS systems operate separately from one another through their Intervention Response Teams (IRT) and Social Emotional Wellness Teams. As schools continue to slowly implement MTSS, the focus of this change project was to strengthen their Intervention Response Team process.