Generally, all students in general education will be screened using whatever measures the districts/states feel are appropriate. Students whose scores on these measures place them at risk for not developing requisite skills at an acceptable rate and level are provided with intensive short-term interventions. Usually, these interventions are delivered in the general education classroom, often in a group setting. The focus of this activity is to improve the quality of instruction for larger groups of students to raise the overall level of classroom instruction while focusing on the deficient students.
Students who continue to display academic performance deficiencies after group-based interventions in Tier 1, or after it has been determined that there are no systemic factors in the instructional environment that are preventing satisfactory academic achievement (high quality instruction), are referred for more individually tailored interventions.
In this phase, a close match is forged between the precisely assessed skills of the target student and the instructional approach. Instruction that is typical for large groups of students is specifically adapted for the target student. It is in this phase that the student's RTI is specifically described and quantified. Students who display acceptable progress during this phase are deemed to have "good" RTI while those who show significantly sub-par progress have "poor" RTI. Students who display acceptable RTI are typically not referred for further assistance after this phase. Rather, the support team works to ensure that the interventions that have worked to produce this improved performance continue in the general education classroom.
In this phase, the multidisciplinary team is charged with determining whether the student meets qualifications for special education. This determination is based on a dual-discrepancy model: low academic performance and poor response to appropriate instruction. Clearly, the RTI model does not require a further appraisal of intelligence, unless moderate levels of mental retardation are suspected.
| Tier 1 Core Instruction |
Tier 2 Early Intervention |
Tier 3 Intensive Intervention |
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| Schools using Sonday System as a supplement to a Core reading program in Grades K-6 have greatly reduced referrals to Special Education in the higher grades. Multisensory teaching methods prevent the need for additional support in TIERs 2 & 3. | The Sonday System shines in TIER 2. Teachers, Paraprofessionals, and Tutors are trained to work with small groups to enhance basic skills that promote fluency and comprehension growth. | The Sonday System is highly effective in TIER 3. Intense Intervention is the setting in which the Sonday methods were perfected. Teachers and Tutors are provided the tools and training to increase student achievement by applying diagnostic reading methods in their classroom. Mastery Checks track student progress. |
| CBM Progress Monitoring between all tiers. If progress is inadequate, move to the next tier. |
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One of the many benefits of RTI is early identification of students who experience academic or behavioral difficulties. Experts in the field have reached consensus regarding the need to identify children with academic and behavioral difficulties at an early age. Early intervention with these students can either eliminate the need for special education or at least reduce the intensity of the services required. A National Research Council (NRC) report (Donovan & Cross, 2002) confirmed that intervening early, specifically in reading and behavior management, is associated with reduced placement rates of students in special education programs. Specifically, it was found that placement rates in special education were lower in schools where effective reading programs or strong classroom management programs existed than in schools where such programs did not exist. The report concluded that the effectiveness of early intervention was greater than the cumulative effectiveness of interventions provided to students after they had experienced years of failure.
RTI is currently being used and investigated in regular and special education classrooms and is demonstrating promise as a means for early identification of children with disabilities, particularly specific learning disabilities (SLD), as well as students who are at risk of either or both academic or behavioral disabilities (Kamps & Greenwood, 2005; Fuchs & Fuchs, 2006; Vaughn, 2003). RTI also holds promise for children from some racial and ethnic backgrounds who are not progressing in the general education curriculum. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) indicate that students from certain racial and ethnic backgrounds continue to lag behind other students in English, math, and science (Lee, 2006). Over time, the disparity in progress may lead to over-identification or disproportionate representation of this group of students for special education services (Donovan & Cross, 2002). Preliminary data indicate that RTI may reduce the number of instances of inappropriately identified students who are from certain racial or ethnic backgrounds or who are limited-English proficient for special education services (Kamps & Greenwood, 2005; Kamps, Wills, Greenwood, Thorne, Lazo, Crockett, McGonigle, & Swaggart, 2003).
The 2004 amendments to IDEA amended section 613(f) to allow local educational agencies (LEAs) to use up to 15 percent of their Part B funding for early intervening services to support students who struggle academically or behaviorally in a general education environment, but who have not been identified for special education. Additionally, LEAs that significantly over-identify children from particular racial or ethnic backgrounds for special education services must use the maximum amount of their IDEA funding available for early intervening services to provide comprehensive, coordinated early intervening services to children, particularly children in groups that were significantly over-identified (see section 618(d)(2)(B) of IDEA).
Amendments made to IDEA by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 also explicitly authorize the use of response to scientifically- based research interventions to identify students with SLD. The amendments removed a requirement to find discrepancies between achievement and intellectual ability before identifying a student as having SLD. This requirement often precluded early identification of children in need of special education.
For more information concerning RTI, we offer several resources concerning the Sonday System and Reading Intervention, including a collection of excellent articles concerning RTI.
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