Implementing Response to Intervention in Reading Within the Elementary Classroom

Implementing Response to Intervention in Reading Within the Elementary Classroom provides elementary teachers with specific, clear guidance on how to implement Response to Intervention principles in reading without the use of extra classroom resources. 

Focusing on do-able, clear steps for implementation, authors Phillip M. Weishaar and Mary Konya Weishaar believe that any teacher can learn to implement the core principles of Response to Intervention in the area of reading using the most basic resources: the classroom teacher, core curriculum materials, and the willingness to help children succeed. Bridging the practices and theories used in both general education and special education classrooms, this text covers topics including how to implement reading assessment for screening and progress monitoring, how to use assessment data in making decisions, and how to meet student needs based on assessment results.

Phillip M. Weishaar was a special education administrator for 28 years and a special education teacher for six years before becoming assistant professor in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville.  Dr. Weishaar studied and implemented many aspects of Response to Intervention beginning in the 1990s within his special education cooperative.  Dr. Weishaar is the author of several articles and coauthor of a special education administration textbook Inclusive Educational Administration: A Case Study Approach, (Waveland Press, 2007). His areas of interest include special education administration, system-wide change, outcome assessment, and a unitary system of special and general education. Dr. Weishaar earned a Ph.D. in Education from St. Louis University in 1984.

Mary Konya Weishaar was a special education administrator for 10 years and a special education teacher for eight years before becoming an instructor at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, where she is now the Associate Dean for the School of Education.  Dr. Weishaar is the author or coauthor of five textbooks, including Inclusive Educational Administration: A Case Study Approach, (Waveland Press, 2007) and Case Studies in Special Education Law: No Child Left Behind Act and Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (Pearson, 2007). Her areas of interest include special education legal issues, assessment, international issues in special education, and the use of case studies.  Dr. Weishaar earned a Ph.D. in Education from St. Louis University in 1984.