Response to Intervention (RTI)

Restructuring What We Do To Improve Learning For All Students

What is Response to Intervention?

Response to Intervention (RTI) is the practice of providing high quality instruction and intervention matched to student need, monitoring progress frequently to make decisions about change in instruction and applying student data to important educational decisions.

RTI is primarily used in Math and Reading but can be adapted and used in all curricular areas.

Goals of RTI1) Prevention of academic problems by:

Attending to skill gaps early

Providing interventions / instruction early

Closing skill gaps to prevent failure

2) Determination of eligibility as a student with a specific learning disability.

A pattern of inadequate response to interventions may result in referral to special education.

Student intervention response data may also be used to determine special education eligibility.

What is an Intervention?

An intervention is instruction that supplements and intensifies classroom curriculum / instruction to meet student needs.

All interventions must have:

-a plan for implementation

-a baseline data point

-a procedure to monitor progress

How can we restructure to support RTI?

We can organize intervention efforts into 3 levels, or tiers, that represent a continuum of increasing intensity of support. Tier 1 is the lowest level of intervention and Tier 3 is the most intensive intervention level.

5%

80%

15%

Tier 1 (Primary)

Tier 2 (Secondary)

Tier 3 (Tertiary)

RTI Progression

Tier 1: Quality differentiated classroom instruction by development level and learning style is the key in core instruction.

This differentiated core instruction is for all students and should be proactive and

preventative.

General classroom progress monitoring will provide needed documentation / data for

instructional decision making.

What is differentiated instruction?

Differentiated instruction is a process to approach teaching and learning for students of differing abilities in the same class.

Our classes contain students with a wide range of abilities. From students with learning disabilities to TAG students.

I believe there are 5 ability levels in a classroom.

TAG

Above average

Average

Below average

Special Education

Discuss what are the characteristics of students in each of these 5 levels?

How do we differentiate to this wide range of students?

Above average / TAG

Advanced curriculum

Higher level questioning

Alternate assignment / project / activity

Average

No differentiation should be needed

Below average / Special Education

Shortened assignment / assessment

Extended time

Reduced choices on multiple choice for assignments / assessments

Smaller matching sections for assignments / assessments

Notes provided

Assessments read to the student

Special education students should also be getting specially designed instruction designed by or delivered by a special education teacher. 

Students in special education should be getting the most instructional support /time because they are the top of the last Tier.

RTI Progression

Tier 2: If differentiated core instruction provided in Tier I is not meeting the student’s needs

they will advance to Tier 2.

We must assume that the student is still struggling due to gaps in learning from prior years of school.

We must determine areas of deficiency and target the interventions to these areas.

Tier 2 interventions should in addition to classroom instruction and not in place of.

Students may be assigned to small groups based on like areas of deficiency.

Interventions at the Tier 2 level should occur at least weekly.

A baseline assessment should be provided and data collected periodically to determine if the student is making appropriate progress.

Monitoring student progress should occur every 2 – 3 weeks.

If after a few months the student isn’t making appropriate progress a referral should be made to the campus TAT team.

RTI Progression

Tier 3: This tier is for the few students that didn’t make appropriate progress in Tier 2.

Now the intervention is more intensive and individualized.

Interventions at the Tier 3 level should be at least every other day.

Progress monitoring data should be kept weekly.

A learning disability should be suspected if appropriate progress is still not being made after 6–8 weeks of intensive intervention.

RTI Video

Why should Response to Intervention be used?In today’s world many of our students are not at grade level in relationship to their learning.

This discrepancy may be due to many factors such as behavior, poor attendance or that they have attended a number of different schools.

It is a goal that each student achieve least a year’s worth of learning growth each school year but for whatever reason many students don’t achieve this goal.

These students have gaps in their learning and unless these gaps are filled these students will struggle yearly.

These students are definitely “at risk” to not graduate because of the apathy that they may develop as a result of not being able to keep up and reoccurring failures in the classroom.

Response to Intervention (RTI) helps to identify these students who are behind and gives us a plan of attack to fill those gaps and get the huge majority of students to grade level.

For the few students who aren’t successful RTI will provide data to help determine if the student has a learning disability and should be placed in Special Education.

When in our busy school day can RTI occur?

Students whose needs have not been met with Tier 1 differentiated core instruction may be pulled out of the morning intervention period to work on deficiencies with a designated teacher.

This may occur maybe twice a week and if possible in small groups with other students with similar deficiencies.

How Will Data and Progress be Monitored?

Tier 1: Progress monitoring and / or Benchmark testing can serve as basis to see if the

student’s needs are met or if they need Tier 2 interventions.

Tier 2: Gaps in learning can be defined by progress monitoring in Tier 1,from a benchmark test and/or the State Assessment.

A benchmark test may be a teacher designed test that covers the curriculum that should be mastered by that grade level.

Handout and discuss the Tier 1 and Tier 2 data forms.

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.

Michelangelo