RtI Response to Intervention

Introduction What is RtI or Response to Intervention? RtI and federal regulations

RtI or Response to Intervention emphasizes: High quality instruction for all students High quality teachers Ongoing student assessment A coherent instructional plan that provides coordinated reading lessons every day for every student at every level of intervention Interventions to help students learn how to read Special education placement on basis of ability to learn

High Quality Instruction For All Students Schools develop comprehensive school-wide problem-solving approaches to Strengthen instruction of general education students and, Early identification of general education students experiencing reading difficulties

High Quality Instruction For All Students Schools develop comprehensive school-wide problem-solving approaches to Design research-based, differentiated, and high impact general education curriculum Establish and train a school-wide intervention team

High Quality Instruction For All Students Schools develop comprehensive multi-tiered interventions to match students with appropriate research-based instruction Universal interventions – all students, preventive Selected interventions – at risk-students, rapid response Intensive interventions – individual students, high intensity

High Quality Instruction For All Students Establish high quality reading instruction in all classrooms based on scientific-based research Monitor and evaluate core reading instruction to determine that it works for most general education students Establishment of reading benchmark norms for school, grade-level and classroom

High Quality Teachers Establish ongoing professional development agenda to address high quality teaching, research-based standards, and differentiated instruction

High Quality Teachers Engage teachers in high quality professional development programs that Focus on what students are to learn and on how to address the different problems students may have in learning the content Are differentiated according to need Are job embedded and school specific

High Quality Teachers Engage teachers in high quality professional development programs that Involve teams of teachers learning together Are continuous and ongoing Are based on analyses of the differences between actual student performance and desired performance

High Quality Teachers Engage teachers in high quality professional development programs that Incorporate the evaluation of multiple sources of information on student learning Provide opportunities to gain an understanding of the pedagogy underlying the skills being learned Are connected to a comprehensive change process focused on improving student learning

High Quality Reading Teachers Understand how literacy develops in children Can assess progress and relate instruction to previous experience Know a variety of ways to teach reading Provide a range of materials and texts for children to read Tailor instruction to individual students

High Quality Reading Teachers Motivate children Encourage independent learning Have high expectations for achievement Help children who are having difficulty Understand that reading development begins well before children enter school and continues throughout the school years

Ongoing Student Assessment Establish and design clear criteria and assessment tools for measuring student reading performance First assumption: Student difficulty is with instruction Universal screening 3 times per year Identify students before they fall behind

Common Ways to Assess Student Reading Proficiency Alphabetics Phonemic awareness Manipulate sounds Phonological awareness Linking sounds to letter symbols to make words Reading fluency Speed and accuracy Comprehension Vocabulary

Develop Multi-Tiered Interventions To Help Students Learn Interventions are based on monitored progress and are targeted to specific student needs Interventions are administered by classroom teacher, reading specialist, and other highly qualified teachers Interventions provide students with ADDITIONAL instruction

Develop Multi-Tiered Interventions To Help Students Learn FIRST LEVEL – Universal Assess children early, kindergarten and grade 1 Measure all student progress against grade level progress Look at progress of all subgroups If all students, or subgroups, fall below standards you have a curriculum problem—fix it Begin with whole class intervention strategies Differentiate instruction as needed Monitor and assess student progress using authentic same day result oriented measures Measure student progress school wide

Develop Multi-Tiered Interventions To Help Students Learn SECOND LEVEL - Selected Students in general education classroom who have not met reading benchmarks through whole class interventions Interventions do not replace classroom instruction but work in a mutual dependence relationship with classroom instruction to expand classroom reading lessons Interventions should be conducted by reading specialist with groups of five or fewer students Interventions are intense (an additional 30 minutes of reading instruction per day), student responses are closely monitored and documented, and are designed to produce immediate results

Develop Multi-Tiered Interventions To Help Students Learn THIRD LEVEL - Intensive Students in general education classroom who have not met reading benchmarks through whole class and selected interventions Interventions should be conducted by reading specialist with small group (2 or 3 students or one-on-one tutoring) Interventions should be in addition to (teaching time and curriculum) level one and two intervention instruction Continue providing intensive reading instruction while monitoring student progress and instructional program

Special Education Placement On Basis Of Ability To Learn Questions to answer before special education placement Is learning problem instruction or disability? Did the school provide student with high quality reading instruction in the regular classroom? Are other students learning? Did the school provide student with highly qualified teachers? Was student progress monitored? Did multi-tiered interventions work for other students?

Special Education Placement On Basis Of Ability To Learn Opportunities to respond to research-based instruction and interventions are ruled out Comprehensive student evaluation is conducted by multidisciplinary school team Use multiple assessments, including RtI generated data to determine specific LD Develop student IEP guided by instructional data collected during various stages of RtI

RtI and Federal Regulations Required by NCLB, IDEA, and RtI Monitoring of general education Core curriculum that addresses needs of all students and all subgroups Supplemental instruction for struggling readers Intensive interventions for students who have not experienced success Instruction over discrepancy

Review of Federal Regulation Concerning RtI IDEA: PL 108-446 300.307 (a) (3) Must permit the use of a process that determines if the child responds to scientific, research-based intervention as a part of the evaluation procedures Schools no longer required to use discrepancy model (waiting for failure) for determining LD

300.8 (c) (10) SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY Defined GENERAL - Specific learning disability means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which disorder may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, READ, write, spell…

300.8 (c) (10) SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY Defined ii. DISORDERS NOT INCLUDED - Specific learning disability does not include a learning problem that is primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage A child does not have SLD if there is a lack of high quality reading instruction or Has limited English proficiency

Federal Money 15 percent of IDEA Part B funds can be used for early intervention Professional development Assessment Materials Other services NCLB funds

A School-Wide RtI Team Should Include Classroom teacher Certified reading specialist Special education teacher Parents of child Principal Speech teacher School nurse

Summary RtI is the: Establishment of effective teaching strategies and core curriculum with general education population Universal screening of ALL students Use of research based interventions in general education Measurement of student responses to interventions Use of student RtI data to change intensity or form of new interventions