Module 4 RTI

Getting Started With ‘Response to Intervention’: A Guide for Schools

Jim Wright

www.interventioncentral.org

January 2006

Wright (2005) states “The quality of a school as a learning community can be measured by how effectively it addresses the needs of struggling students.” Response to Intervention (RTI) allows teachers and schools to come together and provide intensive interventions for struggling students. I believe this is an excellent way to establish a strong learning environment for all students and the RTI model can be easily adapted in order to promote a learning community. RTI requires a strong amount of progress monitoring and data collection in order to give research based interventions to aid in student success and learning.

          There are several advantages to implementing the RTI program. It is a way in which learning impairments are easily identified and students are offered a variety of interventions to promote successful learning for all students. RTI outlines specific procedures to be used based on the individual learning needs. This process has been proved to be effective for both teachers and parents. The RTI model helps teachers to outline the process in which students may be identified for special education services. The program allows intensive interventions that begin as soon as a student is thought to struggle or have difficulties retaining information.

          There are several steps that should be utilized when using the RTI model. The first step is for the teacher to identify where that student is when compared to their peers of their same age level. They will then create new learning goals for the student. Next, they must discuss the reasons to poor academic achievement and whether or not students are making progress. Then an intervention is determined in which to use to make steady progress in the learning process. Scientifically based interventions are more likely to make a difference in the learning process.  In order to frequently evaluate the student’s progress, progress monitoring must be used. If the students are still failing and making little progress, special education services may be looked at and analyzed. Interventions and goals should be based on the specific norms for the student’s age group.

          Teachers must assess the student’s individual learning needs based on several factors such as, skill deficits, ‘fragile’ skills, and performance (deficit) or motivation. If a student fails to respond to several, repeated interventions, then a referral to special education is something to consider. In order to implement the RTI model effectively there are some ideas that schools should stick too. For example, it is crucial to establish a structured format for problem solving, and the school must be willing to adapt multiple ways to effectively progress monitor in order to have multiple assessment tools. Schools should first adapt educational research based learning strategies to utilize during the RTI model.