Much of the research surrounding RTI has been centered on reading because RTI was implemented for reading much sooner than in mathematics (Lancour, 2014, p. 1). Reading has many assessments and resources that are prescribed for RTI, but very little are found for mathematics. According to Lancour, her purpose for this study was to contribute to a greater body of knowledge and research regarding the implementation of RTI for mathematics, specifically how teachers engage in the problem-solving process as part of an RTI framework (p. 1). By understanding how teachers engage in the RTI process and their understanding of problem-solving, will allow one to better support teachers meeting their …show more content…
First, PLC meetings were observed for the two teams of teachers as they engaged in the RTI problem-solving process. The purpose of the PLC observation was to better understand how teachers engaged in the stages of the RTI problem-solving process using the UST data as the basis for their analysis. The time period used for the PLC observations was two months, which allowed for the observation of a full cycle. A full cycle of the RTI process included all 5 stages so that way Lancour could observe how teachers define and analyze a problem (Stages One and Two), how they design a plan for intervention (Stage 3), implement the intervention (Stage 4), and reflect upon the effectiveness of the intervention (Stage 5) (Lancour, 2014, p. 37). During the two-month observations, the third-grade team engaged n all five stages of the RTI problem-solving process, and the fourth-grade team engaged in Stages One and Two only. During the observations of the PLC, the researcher conducted them as an observer rather than a participant. Observations were scheduled in advance and each PLC observed pertained to the RTI process of data collection. Lancour also videotaped the PLCs as well as digitally recorded them and then transcribed for analysis. She also took written notes during the observations to keep track of the nature of the teachers’ conversations, to keep herself focused on the purpose of the