Have you recently received a letter in the mail from school notifying you that your child is getting extra help in math or reading? Was your response, “What!?! I thought my son or daughter was doing well in that class.” If so, you aren’t alone.
Schools across the nation are buffing up their curriculum and instruction in an effort to meet the new standards of education. The Tomorrow River School District has been working hard to do the same the last few years by adopting new curriculum in language arts and math. We’ve also been implementing new programs to ensure we are meeting the expectations of new laws being put into place by our government. One of these programs is RtI (Reponse to Intervention). But what exactly does that mean?
Response to Intervention is really a philosophy around how children learn and making sure that students get the instruction that best meets their unique learning style. It is no secret that every child learns in their own way. Teachers do their best to teach in a variety of ways throughout the school day in order to reach every child within their classrooms. However, sometimes students fall behind in one area or another.
With RtI, we now have screeners (reading and math tests) in place that show more specifically who is not meeting grade level expectations and where. School staff can use this information (data) to plan additional lessons (interventions) to give students an extra ‘boost’ in the specific areas he or she needs. (These specific areas may include phonics, sight words, fluency, comprehension, basic math facts, problem solving, etc.) Each grade level has a 30-40 minute RtI time scheduled into their day. This allows teachers the time to teach these extra lessons (interventions) in small groups to the students who need that extra ‘boost’. It also allows us the time to reassess (progress monitor) these students to see if the extra lessons (interventions) are working or not, and make adjustments as necessary.
RtI is not special education. Being involved in an RtI intervention does not mean that a child has a learning disability. And, just because a child is receiving an extra ‘boost’ during RtI now, doesn’t mean they will always need to. Students who receive interventions during RtI are students who are not meeting grade level expectations in reading, language arts, writing, or math. Everyone learns in a different way. Sometimes we need to take a closer look at how a child learns, and make adjustments to how their lessons are being taught to them. Once that is resolved and an adjustment has been made, RtI allows us the time needed to teach small groups of students in a new way that better fits their needs (interventions). Once they are caught up, students will exit the program.
So if you receive one of these letters in the mail, please read it carefully. It will inform you what area your child will be getting a ‘boost’ (intervention) in. If you are concerned or have questions, don’t hesitate to contact your child’s classroom teacher, the Elementary RtI Coordinator & Interventionist, Sarah Scheunemann: phone: 715-824-5523 ext. 1482, sscheunemann@amherst.k12.wi.us; the Middle School RtI Coordinator & Interventionist, Sarah Borgen: phone: 715-824-5523 ext. 1212, sborgen@amherst.k12.wi.us; or the Reading Specialist, Roberta Snyder: phone: 715-824-5523 ext. 1432; rsnyder@amherst.k12.wi.us. Your child’s teacher can give you specific information regarding our decision to enter your child into the RtI program. The RtI teachers can answer specific questions about the RtI program. You may also visit the RtI Website. Our site has more information about RtI, vocabulary you may hear relating to RtI, as well as suggestions for things you can work on at home with our child. Response to Intervention works to help all students be successful!