Every year there are students that are failing due to lack of extra help. Some of these students have a learning disability. A major problem is that until now many school systems and parents have been waiting until students are in elementary school to test them. By then it is already too late for some children to seek help. The concept of RTI (Response To Intervention) was brought up in the IDEA 2004. It has changed the way we determine if children are eligible for special services. Instead of waiting until the children are older, RTI states that intervention should start when the children are younger. This way, many children are saved the label of a Learning Disability and instead receive the help they need. RTI allows the teacher to do everything s/he can to help students before they require an evaluation.
There are two different approaches to RTI. The first is the Problem-Solving model. In this model, the teacher and the school work on how things should be done to identify and help children. There are positives and negatives to this approach. The positive is a teacher who knows the child and his/her strengths and weaknesses, and can come up with a plan specifically for that child. The negative is that there is no training that teachers require in order to be involved in RTI. One cannot assume the teacher knows what steps are necessary.
The other approach is Standardized Treatment. This is a scripted program that is used on all children. This is designed to eliminate the question of who the teacher is that is involved in RTI. It does not matter if the teacher is knowledgeable in the issues or not, the school has a program that advises which children need extra help.
RTI is presented in three tiers. Tier one is called Primary Instruction. This is creating a differentiated curriculum for all students. The second tier is Secondary Interventions, which are specific interventions for the students at risk. The third, Tertiary Interventions, is special interventions targeted for the child with needs. The tier system can be used classroom and school wide. The tier system helps recognize the child who might have a learning disability or other serious issues. This system allows a child to work first as part of the class, then as part of a smaller group, and then as an individual to test what the issue might be. This helps eliminate children receiving the title of Learning Disability when it is not necessary.
Progress monitoring helps the teacher assess student progress in areas where help is needed. This is a way to determine if the student is benefiting from the help and the tier s/he is receiving. When a student is identified at risk, his/her progress should be monitored frequently. The way to measure one’s progress is by comparing the student’s expected rate of learning to the actual rate of learning. If a student is not benefiting from a tier, s/he will move up until the appropriate tier provides the adequate help or until the child is identified as exceeding the tiers.
The process of RTI is saving many children from ending up in Special Needs classes and receiving a Learning Disability label. It is a way to identify from an early age if a child needs extra help or if s/he needs special services. This is an excellent process that allows many children to receive help before it is too late.
By Amanda Hoffman
