Reponse to Intervention
(from the National Association of School Psychologists)
A major concern for parents as well as teachers is how to help children
who experience difficulty in school. All parents want to see their child
excel and it can be very frustrating when a child falls behind in either
learning to read, achieving as expected in math and other subjects, or
getting along socially with peers and teachers.
"Response to Intervention" refers to a process that emphasizes how well
students respond to changes in instruction. It is an array of procedures
that can be used to determine if and how students respond to specific changes
in instruction. RTI provides an improved process and structure for school
teams in designing, implementing and evaluating educational interventions.
Key elements of the RTI process include:
1. High quality research-based instruction and behavioral support in general
education.
2. District wide screening procedures in order to determine which students
need closer monitoring or additional interventions.
3. Tiers of increasingly intense research-based interventions that are
matched to student need.
4. Continuous monitoring of student progress
5. Followup measures providing information that the intervention was
implemented as intended.
6. Documentation of parent involvement.
RTI may play a role in special education eligibility by providing an
alternative to the requirement that students must exhibit a severe
discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement in order to be found
eligible for special education services.
One of the most commonly cited benefits of an RTI approach is that it
eliminates a "wait to fail" situation because students get help promptly in
the general education setting.
RTI is an educational approach that has the potential to help all students
reach their full potential and to successfully meet the state grade level
standards.
