Response To Intervention

• Provides high quality, integrated educational programs, bringing together and working across general, remedial, supplementary and compensatory, and special education. Thus, RTI is not owned by any profession or section of education
• Utilizes a systematic, data-driven, problem-solving, high quality instructional program that addresses the academic, social-emotional, and behavioral needs of ALL students, with interventions matched to student needs.
• Involves a multi-tiered integrated school improvement model that is research-based and standards-driven, using a three-tiered model The first tier represents universal instruction for all students (representing approximately 80% of the student population) and increasing levels of intervention for those students who need them (tier 2 = 15% of student population and tier 3 = 5% of the student population).
• Involves regular measurement of student achievement and behavior, thereby monitoring progress frequently to make changes in instruction or goals based on child response and child-specific data for important educational decisions and meaningful relevant instructional programs.
• Addresses both prevention and intervention using collaborative teams that include all professionals and parents in a well-defined decision-making process.

• High Quality classroom instruction. Students receive high quality instruction in their general education setting.
• Research-based instruction. General education’s classroom practices and the curriculum is research-based, answering such questions as: Is it valid? Is it reliable? Is it culturally sensitive?
• Classroom performance. General education instructors and staff assume an active role in students’ assessment in the general education curriculum.
• Universal screening. School staff conducts universal screening of academics and behavior to determine which students need closer monitoring, additional assessment, or an intervention.
• Continuous progress monitoring.  Students’ classroom progress is to be monitored continuously for immediate information  and action regarding those learners who are not meeting the benchmarks or other expected standards.
• Research-based interventions. All team members must use instructional methods and materials that have been proven to work effectively.  Thus the demand is for the implementation of an appropriate instructional intervention  that is high quality and  research-based.
• Progress monitoring during interventions. Teachers check the progress of each student needing extra help to determine the intervention’s effectiveness  and to see what changes, if any, need to be made. 
• Fidelity measures.  School staff members make sure that the materials and methods are used exactly as intended.  Thus “fidelity measures,” i.e. an observational checklist of critical teaching behaviors, are completed to indicate whether the intervention was implemented as intended.
• Parent involvement.  The active and meaningful participation of parents in all stages of the instructional program is required. Collaboration too among all school personnel and program participants is expected.

In summary, note the following characteristics of RTI:

1. scientific-based instruction and intervention
2. assessment of the effects of instruction
3. data-based decision-making
4. parent involvement and collaboration

In addition, points 1 and 2 require highly trained teachers.
Therefore you would:

1. Screen.
2. Teach.
3. Intervene (where and when needed) by using:
• Probes (progress monitoring).
• Charts ( document results and interpret data).
• Adjustment (provide a child-specific response).

Response to Intervention is a multi-tiered model of instruction offered at increasing levels of intensity. It is based on research and best practices in instruction and intervention. In general, this model is visualized with three tiers, though it may have more.

Tier 1

Primary intervention: General education core classroom program based on evidence-based practices that all students receive. It is the universal level of instruction or core curriculum. The expectation is on high quality instruction. It is thus preventive and proactive, and for all students

Tier 2

Secondary intervention (additional instruction) that struggling students receive. These are more intensive and relatively short-term. Here supplemental small group instruction may be used with varying levels of intensity. At this level, only some (generally referred to as “at risk”) students are involved. This level of the model is characterized by high efficiency and rapid responses for targeted groups.

Tier 3

Tertiary interventions that are long-term, more intensive than in Tier 1 and Tier 2, programs and may lead to special education services and programs. Here intensive intervention is provided and offered for varying durations and in varying settings. The programs may be of longer duration. This level thus provides intensive individual intervention.

• The RtI process is a very active process in which students are moved in and out of structured intervention situations as determined by problems solving teams and education professionals The decisions are based on:
• High quality, research-based evidence.
• Collaborative approach by school staff.
• Active parent involvement.

With RTI:

• Greater numbers of at-risk students achieve benchmarks.
• Building principals and superintendents want to know, and are easily informed as to, whether students are achieving bench­marks, regardless of whether the student is in a Tier 1 or is served in general education, or in a supplemental program or special education
• Information on a child is given in skill strengths and needs rather than in “generalized statements.”
• Intervention is evidence-based (NCLB/IDEA).
• Staff training and support (e.g., coaching) improve intervention skills.
• RTI distinguishes between those students whose achievement problems are due to a learning disability and those students whose achievement problems are due to other issues, such as lack of prior instruction, that can readily be addressed in the school.
• Need for referrals for special education evaluations are often reduced because student progress-monitoring techniques utilized in an RTI approach provide more instructional and curriculum-relevant information than traditional assessments.
• As RTI is a model of early intervention, students with legitimate learning disabilities will be identified for support services much earlier, thereby reducing the number of students referred for special education services while increasing the number of students who are successful within regular education.
• RTI eliminates a “wait to fail” situation because students get help promptly within the general education setting.

Response to Intervention has the goal of aiding educators in making decisions based on objectivity and research findings. Your course material provides information and prompts you to critically assess this as one of the “promising directions” available to us.

The information provided in Section 2 (Assessment) and in Section 3 (Working with the Student and Curriculum) provide much information that will help you to actualize the RTI in your classroom.