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SFUSD reports early drop in referrals after Behavioral RTI rollout
Summary
District staff and school teams reported early evidence that behavioral RTI (Response to Intervention) implementation is associated with reductions in special-education referrals, including a 33% drop in referrals at premier cohort schools and a 13% drop for African American students in participating sites.
District leaders updated the board on the Behavioral Response to Intervention (RTI) initiative and presented early indicators that school-based behavioral supports are correlating with lower referral rates to special education in participating schools.
Associate Superintendent Kevin Trood and program lead Thomas Graven described Tier 1 strategies now emphasized in participating schools: schoolwide positive behavior supports, the Second Step social-emotional curriculum, the Good Behavior Game and a set of 16 proactive classroom-management strategies. Graven said the components are "simple but not simplistic" and are intended to provide a common foundation across sites.
Dr. Minu Shah (Special Education) presented preliminary comparative data: the district’s premier cohort of RTI schools showed a roughly 33% drop in initial referrals overall compared with their baseline; nonparticipating K–8 schools saw smaller declines. Disaggregated figures showed a 13% drop in referrals for African American students at participating schools compared with about a 5.3% drop at nonparticipating schools, though Dr. Shah noted the data are preliminary and the team will continue to monitor fidelity of implementation.
Teachers from Lakeshore Elementary demonstrated classroom-level strategies such as a "rising star" chart to reinforce safe, respectful and responsible behavior; teachers reported calmer classrooms and stronger peer modeling. Board members asked for additional demographic denominators and fidelity measures; staff said they will provide follow-up data including school-level counts and fidelity-rubric results.
The board praised the practical classroom examples and encouraged continued monitoring and scaling of successful practices. Staff emphasized the need to maintain coaching, fidelity checks and time for teachers to share successful approaches across sites.
