A Brief on RTI
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 2002
A Brief on RTI
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION & REHABILITATIVE SERVICES
OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS
WASHINGTON, D.C. 2002
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.
References
Donovan, S. & Cross, C. (2002). Minority students in special and gifted education. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
Fuchs, D. & Fuchs, L.S. (2006). Introduction to response to intervention: What, why, and how valid is it? Reading Research Quarterly, 41, 92-99.
Kamps, D., & Greenwood, C. R. (2005). Formulating secondary-level reading interventions. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 38, 500-509.
Kamps, D., Wills, H., Greenwood, C., Thorne, S., Lazo, J., Crockett, J., McGonigle, J., & Swaggart, B. (2003). Curriculum influences on growth in early reading fluency for students with academic and behavioral risks: A descriptive study. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 11, 211-224.
Lee, J. (2006). Tracking achievement gaps and assessing the impact of NCLB on the gaps: An in-depth look into national and State reading and math outcome trends. Retrieved June 27, 2006, from The Civil Rights Project Harvard University Web site: http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/research/esea/nclb_naep_lee.pdf
Vaughn, S. (2003). How many tiers are needed for response to intervention to achieve acceptable prevention outcomes. Retrieved May 14, 2006, from The National Research Center on Learning Disabilities Web site: http://www.nrcld.org/symposium2003/vaughn/vaughn.pdf