Research Based Intervention

As part of the IST process, a separate Intervention Plan is written for each area of concern (e.g., reading, math, writing, speech-language, behavior). The written description should include:

• Area of concern (i.e., target behavior or skill)
• Current level at which target behavior(s) or skill(s) occurs (i.e., baseline measure)
• Desired performance goal
• Intervention(s) to be used
• How many intervention strategy sessions per week
• Who will provide/conduct the intervention
• How the student’s progress will be monitored
• How often the student’s progress will be monitored during the intervention time period
• Who will assess the student’s progress
• Date the intervention is to begin
• Date the effectiveness of the Intervention Plan will be reviewed.

Click here to view a sample Intervention Plan.
Click here to view a blank Intervention Plan.

What is a Research Based Intervention?

Interventions provide direct, explicit instruction directed at increasing skills levels by actively involving the student. Interventions include methods such as providing additional instruction, change of instruction (i.e., teaching a different or additional reading program), or a specific behavior modification program. 
Effective interventions increase the intensity of instruction by:

• Increasing instructional time.
• Decreasing number of children in instructional group.
• Improving quality of instruction.
• Increasing the frequency of instruction by giving more opportunities for re-teaching, review, and supervised practice.
• Focusing on the most essential learning needs (the underlying skill deficit).
• Providing explicit and systematic instruction.

Where do I find Research Based Interventions?

Some schools have purchased research-based supplemental programs and the IST may choose to provide instructional interventions using those programs.  Examples of evidence-based programs may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Reading

Literacy/Reading and Writing/Spelling

Math

Schools that are implementing the Check In/ Check Out (CICO) program through Positive Behavior Support can also use this as a scientifically research-based intervention for behaviors.

The following websites also provide guidance on research-based interventions: 

Reading, Writing, Math, Behavior:

• http://www.centeroninstruction.org
• http://www.unl.edu/csi/index.shtml
• http://www.interventioncentral.org/index.php#ideas

Reading:

• http://free-reading.net/index.php?title=Main_Page
• http://www.texasreading.org/utcrla/materials/
• http://www.gosbr.net/reading/

Behavior:

• http://www.behavioradvisor.com/oldindex.html
• http://www.interventioncentral.org/index.php#ideas

The following information was compiled by NC DPI Exceptional Children’s Division.  The full document entitled Research-based Interventions and Eligibility for Special Education is available on their Web site.

This Web site has a link to an Evidence Based Intervention Manual on the left hand side of the home page. The manual contains specific information on how to implement research based academic and behavioral interventions. It was developed as a class project at East Carolina University under Dr. Chris Riley-Tillman.

Tthis site has the document “Strategies to Improve Access to the General Education Curriculum”

This site has a lot of information about Universal Design to improve learning of all students. Some of the strategies might be used with an individual student.

This site has content specific information.

This site has resources for teachers in general education working with students with disabilities. Some of these can be used as interventions.

Intervention Central offers free tools and resources to help school staff and parents to promote positive classroom behaviors and foster effective learning for all children and youth. The site was created by Jim Wright, a school psychologist and school administrator from Central New York.

This site contains information about practices and programs that help with behavioral and emotional skill development. Although most of the programs are for groups of students, some may be adapted to individual students.

This site contains programs that are considered effective violence prevention program. Although most of the programs are for groups of students, some may be adapted to individual students.

This site contains information about practices and programs that help with behavioral and emotional skill development. Although most of the programs are for groups of students, some may be adapted to individual students.

This Web site from the University of Nebraska allows access to some empirically-based cognitive strategies. Strategies are targeted at promoting a child's awareness of their cognition during learning. There is a related review about self-regulation and self-monitoring on the site as well.

This Web site from the University of Oregon of activity-based interventions (ABI) is appropriate for young children with disabilities. There are interventions in the following broad areas academic, behavior, communication, environmental, sensory and social skills. Some specific links included are contingency management, stress management, discrete trial, toilet training etc.

This is the University of Kansas Circle of Inclusions Project site. This site also has lots of academic learning strategies.

This Web site has information about some of the best researched and the most widely implemented methods of helping all students to learn more successfully. The information includes a description of how the teaching and learning strategies work, where they have been applied, results, and where to find further information from experts in the field, books, websites, and other resources.

This site from the CLAS Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, has research-based motor and language skills interventions.

This site is the Free Reading website. Free Reading is a high-quality, open-source free reading intervention program for grades k-3.

This is the Web site for the Center on Instruction which contains collection of scientifically based research and information on K-12 instruction in reading, math, science, special education, and English language learning. Part of the Comprehensive Center network, the Center on Instruction is one of five content centers serving as resources for the 16 regional U.S. Department of Education Comprehensive Centers.

On March 13, 2008, the National Mathematics Advisory Panel presented its Final Report to the President of the United States and the Secretary of Education. Copies of these ground-breaking reports, rich with information for parents, teachers, policy makers, the research community, and others, can be accessed at this website.

Results from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) are found on this Web site. Teachers, principals, parents, policy makers, and others wishing to improve mathematics education in the middle grades can learn much from TIMSS by: reviewing some major TIMSS findings related to grades 7 and 8; considering these findings in light of other relevant research on mathematics curriculum content, classroom instruction, and student achievement; and then pondering the lessons from TIMSS and related research about what must be done to ensure that US students have access to better mathematics education that will prepare them for the challenges of today and tomorrow.