Derivita Power User Stories: Building A Strong RTI Process
Our Marketing Director, Arianna Irwin, recently had the opportunity to speak with
Teann Russ, a Math Teacher and the leader of the new RTI process at Norman North High School in Oklahoma. When Teann first heard about Derivita, she wasn’t convinced. “I just thought this is just another program, just something else that they’re throwing out there”.
Like many educators, she had seen countless tools come and go. But what started as a mandatory training turned into a key piece of an innovative RTI (Response to Intervention) model that dramatically improved student engagement and outcomes.
Watch her full video interview on YouTube.
Implementing a New Strategy
The turning point came in 2023 after a particularly tough year. “I was very down in May because of the lack of retention that my students were showing,” Teann recalled. Determined to make a change, she spent the summer designing an Algebra 1 classroom RTI process—with the Derivita platform as the technological center.
Teann's strategy was all about retention and followed these simple steps:
- Teach new content Monday through Thursday.
- Assess the new content with a short quiz on Friday.
- Utilize Monday's classroom time for targeted group instruction based on the quiz results.
- Offer students an opportunity to retake the quiz throughout the following week.
On Monday's, based on Friday’s quiz performance, students are assigned to one of three RTI rooms for the first half of the class period:
- Enrichment
- Reteach
- Retake
Instructors then utilize the rest of that Monday class period for their regular classroom instruction.
“Derivita was ideal for this situation,” she said. “Because the retake… looked different every time, kids couldn’t just memorize answers—they had to understand the material.”
While Derivita was essential to this new RTI process, it also helped shift classroom culture. Students began supporting each other through meaningful conversations and changing how they saw math education as a whole.
“Instead of saying, ‘Hey, what’d you get for number two?’ their questions changed to, ‘Hey, how did you do number two?’”
The Results
The results spoke for themselves.
“From year to year, we saw an average growth of around 10%. And for Unit 5—systems of equations—we had a significant increase,” Teann said. Even more impactful was the shift in the staff and PLC culture;
The previous year we were algebra one teachers, and now we’re an algebra one team.”
Student attitudes towards math seem to have improved as well, but Derivita can't take all the credit for this shift. This is also thanks to Teann’s high-energy approach and showing up to the classroom with a positive attitude;
“I’m in the hallways screaming, ‘Let’s ace this test!’” she said. “If it at least puts a smile on your face, then I win.”
Teann now sees Derivita as essential to effective hybrid learning.
“It’s a good immersion of both [paper and digital]. I can have the kids show their work on paper and submit a picture on Derivita. It’s seamless… In my opinion, Derivita is worth it and every school should have it.”
Her advice to others?
“You won’t know unless you take it and implement it.” After four years of evolving her practice, Teann says it best: “It’s a great program, and I hope we never lose it.”
Ready to start your own Derivita journey?
Request a demo in your preferred LMS with a Derivita expert today!
