A case study on implementing RTI in a pre K-Grade 10 school setting in Mumbai, India

The purpose of this study was to describe the manner in which response to intervention (RTI) was implemented with fidelity at a pre K-10 school in India. We employed a mixed methods case study design, using 43 diverse sources of data including surveys, focus groups, and official school documents. RTI implementation was studied based on the Fidelity of Implementation Rubric and Worksheet (FIRW), consisting of five domains and 31 components that address essential aspects of effective RTI implementation. Measures were taken to maximize transparency and trustworthiness of the findings including triangulation, peer debrief, member checking, and clarifying researcher bias. The school achieved an overall score of 3.61 points out of 5 points (72%) on the FIRW, which implied adequate fidelity as per prior literature. We present findings and practical recommendations related to teaching and curriculum practices, and institutional factors that enable and constrain RTI implementation in relatively lower-resource settings.