| Is your child struggling with academics in school? Have | | | | 1. The US Department of Education strongly |
| they been diagnosed with a learning disability by a | | | | recommends that schools use a model that: uses a |
| private evaluator, but the school district is refusing to | | | | process based on systematic assessment of the |
| accept the diagnosis? Did special education personnel | | | | student's response to high quality research based |
| tell you that they are using a Response to Intervention | | | | general education. instruction. . .that incorporate |
| approach to see how your child progresses? This | | | | response to a research based intervention. I |
| article will discuss Response to Intervention (RTI) what | | | | 2. For it to be effective it must be used school wide |
| it is and whether it can help your child! | | | | and not just on some children. |
| RTI has actually been in use for a long time-but | | | | 3. If teachers are using research based instruction in |
| became more widely used after the reauthorization of | | | | Tier 1 and 2 they must receive the appropriate amount |
| the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 2004. | | | | of training in the type of instruction used. A non trained |
| IDEA put in writing that school districts are allowed to | | | | teacher will not be able to effectively teach children in |
| use an RTI model to prevent over identification of | | | | the research based program, which means it will be |
| children as having a disability. | | | | useless. |
| This process is a multi step approach to providing | | | | 4. It has been a few years since IDEA's regulations |
| services to struggling students. It uses tiers of | | | | have come out and approximately half the states |
| intervention for struggling students, relies on research | | | | have not finalized their laws with regard to the use of |
| based instruction and intervention, uses problem solving | | | | RTI. By states not setting up specific guidelines for |
| to determine interventions for students and monitors | | | | schools to use-the chance to abuse the system is |
| students regularly to determine if they are progressing | | | | huge. |
| as they should academically and behaviorally. | | | | 5. Five elements critical to its success: a. Implementing |
| Most RTI models use a three tier system. | | | | interventions with fidelity (interventions are conducted |
| In Tier 1 schools must provide effective core instruction | | | | as specified by the interventions developers, b. A |
| that is scientifically research based, to all children, and | | | | continuum of evidence based interventions, c. Student |
| should have structured enforced timelines to determine | | | | performance which demonstrates the effectiveness |
| progress and movement to Tier 2 if no progress | | | | of the instruction, d. continuous progress monitoring, e. |
| found. | | | | universal screening of all students. |
| In Tier 2 schools need to use only one evidence based | | | | 6. If at any point in the Tier system a parent believes |
| intervention for students not responding to Tier 1. | | | | that their child has a disability they have the right to ask |
| Timelines should be structured and enforced to | | | | for comprehensive psychological testing to determine if |
| determine progress and movement to Tier 3 if no | | | | their child is eligible for special education services. |
| progress found. | | | | Schools cannot use this process to shirk their child find |
| In Tier 3 most students will require special education | | | | requirements under IDEA. Under child find school |
| services in order to benefit from their education. | | | | districts must locate, identify and evaluate all children |
| Below are 6 things about RTI that parents must know: | | | | with disabilities. |