Response to Intervention (RTI) and Reading Instruction

What happens when a  student of any age  in a regular classroom falls behind because their reading skills are not on level with their classmates and they are not part of a special education program?

• RTI is a process intended to shift educational resources toward the delivery and evaluation of instruction, and away from classification of disabilities.

What sort of intervention is available?

• RTI is not a particular method or instructional approach. The success of RTI depends on the timely delivery of research-based instruction by highly qualified instructors. Although RTI can be implemented at any grade level, it is likely that the development of language and literacy skills will be addressed most prominently in the early grades, kindergarten though third grade.

How is RTI implemented?

• First, a group is identified. There are different ways of identifying a group: last year's test scores, or some other screening method.
• Next, a teacher who has had the professional development to do so begins to work with that identified group with the use of a research-based, proven successful reading program.
• That group is monitored for achievement and growth.
• If there are students do not respond sufficiently to the "research-validated instruction" then they move to another tier of instruction that is more intensive.
• More intesive means: small group instruction that meets more often and supervised by someone with greater expertise than the regular classroom teacher.
• AT this point is is hoped that they instruction for this identified group has given them a boost, however, there may still be a small percentage of students who need yet another tier of instruction.
• The third tier of intervention, if needed, is delivered and monitored by multidisciplinary team.

RECAP:

Tier 1 - students are identified and research-validated instruction is delivered by a trained teacher.
Tier 2 - students who do not show growth from the first tier are instructed and monitored by an expert, one professionally trained in intensive delivery of intervention.
Tier 3 - students who have not responded sufficiently to tiers 1 and 2 move to a group that is led by a multidisciplinary team for more formal instruction.