What is RtI?

In the 21st century, one of the easiest things that any person can do is to access any type of information, from nearly anywhere and at any time. If you are searching for the most accurate and correctly worded definition of RtI, I suggest you use Google, and I can assure you that this blog will not appear in the first page of results. As an education student taking a class called "Introduction to Students with Disabilities", my assignment (the fruit of which you see here) is not so much to copy-and-paste from reliable sources. Rather, I am presenting my own version of the facts which I have learned and been exposed to. Don't worry, I have reliable sources to consult so that I don't fly of the handle; but I hope to present this information in a non-teacher-lingo fashion, so that the average reader might understand what this discussion is about without having to refer to a dictionary or Google at every other word.
      So let's dive in! What is RtI? (Heads up: the education profession uses quite a few acronyms.) This stands for "Response to Intervention", and refers to the model for a categorized approach to assisting students who are struggling in school. Most teachers can identify three main groups of students in any given class: the bright ones who get all A's and B's, the average ones who get B's, C's and occasional D's, and the struggling students who get C's on a good day. Students will struggle for all kinds of reasons, some of which the students themselves might be able to help, but some of which they might need professionals to help them with. Currently, one out of every ten students in American classrooms receive special education services, and these can range from students who have physical disabilities to those who are intellectually disabled to those who just don't speak English well enough to understand what is being taught in a regular classroom. However, a student may not necessarily need special education services just because they are struggling. Sometimes they just need an extra boost to get to the same average level as their fellow students, and this is where RtI comes in.

      The diagram above shows the thinking behind the RtI model, and this paragraph is a brief rundown of what it means. It all starts with Tier I, in the regular classroom, but this expression should not mislead you. The idea is that, at Tier I, all students are receiving a high-quality educational experience which incorporates (ready for a big word?) evidence-based practices. This means activities, methods and strategies that have been studied and proven to have the best results when used in a classroom; that is, the students learn best when these practices are used in the classroom. And they aren't only teaching practices; they include practices for behavior management, social interaction and other factors that contribute to a safe, enjoyable and engaging learning environment. This is what RtI envisions at Tier I, for all students. Now, some students will need a bit more than that in order to succeed in school, so Tier II aims to provide the additional assistance to make sure this happens. Students may receive after-school support (such as reading practice or math skills practice) with tutors, and more personalized support from their teachers and teacher aides in the classroom. The few students for whom this is still not enough go on to receive Tier III interventions, which may require a team of people working to assess the students' needs and formulate specialized plans (known as IEPs, for Individualized Education Programs) for making progress in school and usually in other areas of development as well. So Tier III is the level that special education services may enter the picture.

      A few notes about RtI: this model is handy for several reasons. The cost to provide special education services to students is not low, so this model provides a way to help students who may not necessarily require that higher level of assistance, but also for whom the regular classroom support is just not enough. It does require a bit more work for the teachers, as they need to frequently assess their students' level of progress to verify whether each student is advancing adequately. But this would result in the teachers understanding their students better and catching on sooner than later to any difficulties the students are having with their learning. As was mentioned earlier, this model is not just about the academic part of learning. Some students may get good grades, but may need help in learning appropriate social behavior or to get along well with their classmates, and this approach would aid teachers in assisting them in these ways as well. 

      So this is just a brief summary, based on the textbook ""Educating Exceptional Children". Read on for more insight into each tier of the model and what it entails for the students, teachers, parents and other professionals who are involved in providing a quality education to all children. Thanks for reading!

References

Kirk, S., Gallagher, J., & Coleman, M. R. (2015). Educating Exceptional Children. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.