The ABCs of RTI:

Background and the Basics

Questions we will cover about RTI

1. What is RTI anyway?

2. Why do it?

3. What’s so wrong with the way we’re doing things now?

4. What are the components of RTI?

5. Where do we start?2

RTI stands for..

Response

to

Intervention

3

In a nutshell, RTI is the practice of…

1. providing high quality interventions matched to student need,

2. monitoring progress frequently to make decisions about changes in instruction or goals and

3. applying child response data to important educational decisions.

(NASDSE, 2005)

RTI Is

RTI is an overall integrated system of service delivery.

RTI is effective for students who are at risk for school failure as well as students in other disability categories.

RTI Is

The use of RTI is an excellent opportunity to more effectively align IDEA and NCLB principles and practices.

RTI Is

Why do it?

1 in 17!

Why do it?

Why do it?

A combination of effective classroom instruction and targeted small-group instruction can remediate up to 98% of students performing below the 30th percentile in early reading skills.

Foorman, 2003

Why do it?

What’s so wrong with the way we’re doing things now?

We are already doing many things right!

Problems With the Traditional System

– Separation of general and special education– Little emphasis on prevention and early intervention– Undocumented benefits of special education– Offers little information to inform instruction– Lack of scientifically-based instruction and

intervention– Eligibility determination variable across and within

states– Minority overrepresentation

DibelsNWEA

Standardized Testing

Progress Monitoring

Star Reading

Minds in Motion

Small group instruction

Individualized Instruction

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The framework is the 3-tier model

Tier I:•All Students•Preventative, Proactive

Tier 2:•Targeted, At-Risk Students•Some students•Group Interventions, Targeted, Efficient

Tier 3:•Individual Students•Few Students•Intense Interventions, Longer Duration

Movement across tiers is fluid and data-driven.

15%

5%

80%

The Key Components of RTIAll Children canlearn

Tiered Model

Progress Monitoring

Differentiated Instruction

Data-driven Decision Making

Problem-Solving Method

Research-Based Instruction

Early Intervention

Where do we start?• RTI is a general education initiative

• General educators will be more involved in RTI than all specialists

• General educators will play an active role in student assessment

• General educators will play an active role in intervention planning and implementation

• The key is in identifying the right students, early enough, and in a way that informs how we serve them..

• And how we serve struggling students is not a one-size-fits-all approach

This is the essence of Response to Intervention or RTI!

Where do we start?

Primary Prevention or Tier I:School-/Classroom-Wide Systems forAll Students,Staff, & SettingsCore Reading Program

Secondary Prevention or Tier II:Specialized GroupSystems for Students with At-Risk Behavior

Tertiary Prevention or Tier III:Specialized IndividualizedSystems for Students with Intensive Needs

~80% of Students

~15%

~5%

3-Tier Model