Response to Intervention: Service Delivery Options

If a student is not successful in Tier 3, he/she will be considered for special education testing. The classroom teacher is responsible for communicating is developed through the School Assessment Team (S.A.T.), which is comprised of the school administrators, the teacher of the student being assessed, reading specialist, interventionist, ESL teacher, special education teacher, speech teacher school, psycologist and social worker. Based on the findings, a home visit with a translator, special education teacher and social worker will perform a home visit. This is in order to determine where the child is developmentally in language and academically. The instructional team will also monitor instruction and provide feedback. Encore time embedded into the resource schedule for students will provide additional support for students as needed. The Response to Intervention (RTI) and the S.A.T. will work with teachers to meet the needs of the learner. School audits and walk -through will be on

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

The two options for identifying students with disabilities are RTI model and the IQ-Achievement discrepancy model. The RTI model is a multi-tiered approach to identifying students with disabilities. With this approach the amount of students who are identified as having a learning disability has decreased because of the support students receive at different tiers and it eliminates inadequate instruction as the reason for reading problems. Universal screening and high quality teaching is done for all students. Students who show that they need additional help receive tier 1 services where frequency and intensity increases. Students are monitored and receive research based instruction in the general education classroom. Some students may still struggle and have to receive more intensive and frequent service. Those students will receive supplemental support from an educational professional. Tier 3 services are provided to students who still struggle and need even more intensive service. Students may also qualify for special education services. The IQ-Achievement discrepancy model is used to determine if a disability is present. Standardized tests are used to eliminate low intellectual ablity as a determining cause for reading problems. With this model, a professional assess whether there is a discrepancy between a student’s scores on an iq test and scores obtained from areas

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,

Wilson, Faggella-Luby, & Wei (2013) present a cogent plan for Tier 3 Response to Intervention (RTI) for secondary students with reading disabilities, content, and pedagogy planning tools, content instruction, and instructional method implementation. Both research application lacks concerning Tier 3 RTI in high schools (Wilson et. al). RTI is curriculum that addresses the learning needs of all students that also includes screening and monitoring progress. Continuing, Wilson et. al define Tier 1 RTI, core curriculum for all students serving the needs of 80% of students, Tier 2 RTI, small group instructional intervention, serving the needs of 15% of students, and Tier 3 RTI, an intense one to one intervention for students who continue to struggle beyond Tiers 1 and 2, serving 5% of students. Wilson et al. provides information the reader needs to understand in the article without clutter, expressing their writing with economy (Zinsser, 2013). The article is unified in theme, gives enough information without giving too much, and follows a clear progression (Zinsser). “More simple, than complex” (Henson, 1999, p. 58), Wilson et. al’s article is an example of good writing.

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.

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.

In the 3rd step plan the implementation is when educators will monitor and provide feedback to ensure the intervention is delivers properly. And step 4 is to evaluate the problem, consultant and teacher will evaluate the responsiveness to the intervention and modify if needed. These steps result in a great intervention program that is precise to see desired results in the RTI. With intervention trial and error is how real results are achieved. In previous years before interventions and RTI’s were placed in schools, too many children were sent for learning disabilities or special education showing teachers inability or unwillingness to teach sand accommodate academic diversity ( Reynolds, 1987). The article states how teachers can generally implement learning strategies until the student gets it and if after interventions and RTi’s measure the responsiveness as not responsive the child can be placed in special education to receive IEP’s to adjust to their learning disability.

Response to intervention (RTI) is a multi-tier approach that identifies and support students with learning disabilities and behavioral issues. RTI is designed for early intervention in struggling children, to provide appropriate instruction, and prevention of special education. The multi-tier approach of RTI consists of multiple levels. The most common used approach is the three-tier model. There are different levels of intervention, which is determined on the specific needs of the student. RTI is considered a dynamic assessment an approach that emphasizes the learning process and is based on the test-intervention-retest model (Cohen, Swerdlik, and Sturman, 2013). Dependent on the child’s response to instruction, the level of intervention will increase and intensify. The three levels of RTI consist of: Tier 1- The whole class, is focused on academically. All students are screened for at risk of failing, teacher uses instruction and intervention, and progress of all students are monitored through assessment. Tier 2- Small group interventions- In addition to the normal classroom setting and instruction, children that do not respond to Tier 1 will move to this level. The child will be placed in small groups with instruction, teacher will monitor progress through assessment, as well has parent involvement at home. Tier 3- Intensive Intervention- this level is the

Instruction should be differentiated according to how students learn, build on existing student knowledge and experience, and be language appropriate. In addition, decisions about Tier 2 and 3 interventions should be informed by an awareness of students’ cultural and linguistic strengths and challenges in relation to their responsiveness to instruction. Teachers use student assessment data and knowledge of student readiness, learning preferences, language and culture to offer students in the same class different teaching and learning strategies to address their needs. Differentiation can involve mixed instructional groupings, team teaching, peer tutoring, learning centers, and accommodations to ensure that all students have access to the instructional program. Differentiated instruction is not the same as providing more intensive interventions to students with learning problems. RtI has three levels of prevention: primary (core curriculum), secondary (Tier 2 intervention), and tertiary (Tier 3 intervention). Through this framework, student assessment and instruction are linked for data-based decision-making. If students move through the framework’s specified levels of prevention, their instructional program becomes more intensive and more individualized to target their specific areas of learning or behavioral need. Typically each level of intervention lasts from 9–12 weeks with data collection completed regularly, e.g., weekly to three times per week. If the child’s skills improve, the intervention is considered successful. In addition, An academic intervention is successful if there is a sustained narrowing of the achievement gap for the

Our three tiered RTI process is designed to identify whether general education techniques and supports are sufficient or if a student might require special education services. Having exhausted all three tiers, the Special Education Coordinator will convene a Child Study Team (CST) comprised of a classroom teacher, a learning support teacher, and the Principal to review past attempts at meeting the student’s needs and determine whether to recommend the student to the appropriate Committee on Special Education (CSE) for evaluation. We recognize that the school cannot make a determination and will work closely with the CSE to provide all necessary information to support its evaluation and IEP (Individualized Education Plan) development processes.

In addressing the role of the Response to Intervention process (RTI), one must first become familiar with the premise of this process. RTI is a method that is used to address school aged children that are showing evidence of academic struggle. At the beginning of the pre-referral process, educators identify struggling pupils. Following this identification, these same teachers begin to explore several avenues of remediation through highly recommended research based approaches. An approach is selected, implemented, and the child’s progress is documented fully. If solid evidence of success is discovered, through the implementation of a given program, then the process is concluded because success has been met. However, if there is solid evidence that proves that the program is unsuccessful then

The Response to Intervention (RTI) model has been incorporated into many districts throughout the nation, as a means to ensure that no one in the school environment is overlooked and deprived of services. The impact of school psychologists can be seen in many areas of schools; they do not limit their focus to the students, but also focus on the classrooms, teachers, and staff. More school psychologists will be placed in schools with the RTI model and will need to be familiar with its theoretical framework. School psychologists should be knowledgeable about the RTI model for all age and grade levels to ensure the best possible learning for their students.

The students Ms. Edwards works with on a daily basis have several different learning disabilities. However, all of the students Ms. Edwards instruct are currently in Tier 3 of Respond to Intervention. In Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, and at Risk Vaughn describes RTI Tier 3 students as those who may need “even more intensive intervention [such as] longer instructional sessions, smaller group, instruction more specifically aligned with their learning needs” (Vaughn, 2014). More specifically, Ms. Edwards instructs students with Autism, specific learning disabilities, emotional disturbances, intellectual disabilities, type 1 diabetes, muscular dystrophy, speech and languages disorders, and students with traumatic brain injuries. Furthermore, Ms. Edwards also works with students who have different learnings styles. For example, she will works with students in small groups who do have receive the one-on-one attention they need in the general education classroom.

Response to Intervention (RTI) is not an intervention, but a framework to identify and provide support for at risk students to prevent academic and behavior outcomes that do not lead to long term success (Stecker, Fuchs & Fuchs, 2008). RTI should not be used as a gateway to special education. Referral to special education is one result of the RTI process; however emphasis should be placed on implementing evidence based interventions that will result in closing the gap between those students at risk and students making grade level progress. There are multiple components of RTI and each should be used as intended for optimal results. The goal of all instruction is for a student to master both academic and behavioral skills taught. Before a student is referred to tier, teachers should work collaboratively with peers, specialists, and principals