Response To Intervention

Response to Intervention (RtI) came about initially in answer to the over-identification of struggling students as special education students. It was developed starting in the late 1970s by numerous researchers seeking a method of identifying learning disabilities that avoids the problems of the discrepancy model. Many educators were concerned that too many students were being identified as having a learning disability, not because they actually had one, “but because they had not been successful in a general education program” (Prasse, 2010). Many were also concerned that students with a true learning disability were not receiving the help they needed quickly enough. Before RtI, the accepted

As in any research based program there are benefits and challenges. One of the biggest benefits of RTI is it has the ability to transform how we educate all students. When implementing Response to Intervention it helps to treat learning disabilities, identifies students with disabilities, classifies every student’s strengths and targets the specific disability. Perhaps the greatest benefit of an RTI approach is that it eliminates a “wait to fail” situation because students get help promptly within the general education setting. As soon as assessment data indicates a problem area for a student, interventions are put into place to address these concerns. One of the biggest challenges that are occurring is that RTI is still uneven; some districts use it and some do not and because of this it becomes a challenge. There is confusion as to what RTI is and whether schools are required to use. In addition, the evidence based and differentiated instruction is one of the issues in response to education. “Interventions that are research based but not feasible are not likely to be implemented with fidelity, which would undercut the validity of RTI decision making” (Kubiszyn & Borich, 2010,

This three-tier RTI system is wonderful at the early stages of education because it allows teachers to identify at-risk students and move them through the intervention process. However, in the later stages, it is often too late to evaluate students for learning disabilities as these should have been recognized early on in a child’s education. It should be noted that students at this stage do still need interventions, but in a different format.

Response to Intervention (RTI) is an in school service program designed to guarantee that all students are getting a high quality education. Before students are referred for special education services, it is essential that they receive effective teaching designed to meet their own learning requirements. All students in public schools are required to be included in the RTI program.

Intervention Central is a free online resource for teachers and school districts to use for the implementation of intervention in or outside of the classroom while following the Common Core State Standards. Jim Wright, a psychologist and school administrator out of New York, created Intervention Central in hopes that the website would help offer high quality RTI in even the lowest budgeted schools. The website offers a wide variety of tools for teachers to use for academic and behavioral interventions as well as assessments and informative articles. Intervention Central also offers training videos and webinars on many different topics. The site breaks the intervention process activities down by subject and subject areas.

Response to Intervention (RTI), is an early detection, prevention, and support system that attempts to identify and assist struggling students with appropriate levels of intervention. This strategy may determine if a student based on their time prior in Tier 3, would be qualified for special education with a qualification of learning disability. The RTI has three tiers which allows a teacher to monitor their student’s progress during instructions. The three levels of the RTI are explained through an article called, “Understanding Response to Intervention”, which states:

RtI works at its best when personal from across the school, including administrators, general education teachers, special education teachers, supplemental specialists, music and gym teachers, and counselors all collaborate to support the framework, because each staff member shares equal responsibility for the success and failure of all students (Shapiro 2011). RtI needs the full support of all staff members, because it does not show immediate results and could take between 3-5 years to see its positive impact. RtI gives schools the chance to correct literacy issues, and fix the problem early, before students’ progress forward where they pay for it long into their future.

The author of the article also ascertain that the practice is an effective one since the RTI practice is capable of matching researched-based interventions that are of high quality to the behavioral and educational needs of the students. The practice also uses the concept of monitoring the progress used in assessing need for the require changes in goals or instructions, and finally, the practice may also include the additional tiers for the purpose of instructional intensity or if possible even to be eligible for special education (Rose & Howley,

The intervention model we use in our school is RTI. With Response to Intervention the instruction that as a function of the outcomes of the assessments. RTI drives changes in hopes to see in students succeed, who are identified at some level of risk for not meeting academic expectations. Tiered instruction represents a model in which the instruction delivered to students varies and are related to the nature and severity of the student's difficulties. This model is sub divided by 3 tiers:

We just didn’t call it RTI. My students were placed in three different ability based groups determined by data collected from assessments. We had a tier-I group which were your proficient or advanced students, a tier-II group that consisted of those students that were performing at the basic level and then tier-III were the special education students and the students that weren’t receiving services but performing at the below basic level. Some of the tier-III students had been referred for special services but this model allowed me to still deliver effective instruction to those that hadn’t been placed in special education yet. I saw each of my groups for 30 minutes every day in a small group setting where I was able to challenge those that needed enrichment and supplement my instruction for those that struggled. This is very time consuming and I did not like it at first, but it is highly effective. A lot of teachers that have never had to differentiate instruction cannot see the benefits of this until they start seeing their student’s scores increase. What I had been doing looks very much like the RTI

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a “multi-tier approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behavior needs” (What is RTI?, http://www.rtinetwork.org /learn/what/whatisrti). RTI generally involves three tiers of increasing intensities of intervention that is designed to help meet students’ needs and to monitor their progress. According to Nelson (2010), RTI has two main purposes, prevention and identification. The aim is to avoid learning failure in children and to identify children who need extra support or services. Response to Intervention is based on individual need and ability. It can be used in general education and it can be used to help determine if special education is needed. The ultimate goals are

Response to Intervention first came about to help answer the question about the over-identification of students who are struggling in the classroom compared those who are in need of Special Education. It started with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA – 97) which took the general education and special education and made them more of a single system that can work together. Then in 2004, IDEA was re-evaluated and renamed to Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA). This law still stressed the importance of bringing general education and special education together as one but added that relying on the testing of a child’s I.Q as a required action for the identification of a

In order for RTI to work effectively high quality instruction must be paired with content aligned assessments. From these assessments data must be synthesized in order to place students in appropriate tiers. If a student does not respond to intervention then they become eligible for special education

The problem solving method uses a process that begins with the team identifying and defining the problem to be addressed. Once the problem has been identified the team develops a plan and strategies to be used to address the defined problem. Then the plan and strategies are implemented to assist the students in the three tiers. Finally, assessments are given to assess the effectiveness of the plan and to determine the next step (Spinelli, 2012, p. 11). The second model is the standard protocol approach and the tiers are set up the same way as the problem solving approach but it is supported by research. “This method uses one validated intervention, selected by the school, to improve the academic skills of struggling students” (IRIS Center, 2006). The standard protocol method is set up where the school decides on the validated intervention they want to use to help their students. It is one consistent intervention that is used with all of the students. By doing this it is “easier to ensure accurate implementation” (IRIS Center, 2006). All of the members involved receive training on how to implement the instruction and even parents can assist as long as they have been trained.

For this purpose, research was completed on an RTI (Response to Intervention) system which “is a process of systematically integrating assessment and instruction to evaluate and address student needs through the use of research-based instructional practices” (Crawford & Ketterlin-Geller, 2008, p.5). This research determined three tiers to student learning, with the third level being students with special needs.