RTI & Special Education Referrals

Response to Intervention (RtI):


New York State determines eligibility for special education services using the Response to Intervention (RtI) model. In an RtI framework, students must exhibit significant deficiencies in their rate of learning based on progress monitoring data. A student’s progress is compared to his or her performance during baseline data collection, to the normative rate of progress displayed by peers, and to the rate of learning required to close his or her performance gap with typical peers. Students are eligible for special education services when they fail to make adequate progress or their rate of learning is significantly slower when compared with grade level peers, even after receiving intense intervention in a general education setting. To read more about New York's RTI process, click the link below.

Components of the RtI Process:

If you have concerns about your child's academic progress, you should begin by speaking with their classroom teacher. The classroom teacher can begin to provide academic intervention and will refer your child to the Child Study Team. You will receive an invitation to attend a CST meeting, where your child's teacher will explain their progress on a targeted intervention goal. The team will then determine if your child requires continued intervention with the classroom teacher, or a more intensive intervention that may be provided by the teacher or an academic intervention specialist. The table below provides information and a timeline for each level of intervention provided in the RtI framework. Please be sure to reach out the the School Psychologists if you have additional questions or concerns about the RtI process.

RTI Checklists.doc

Special Education:

Please review the New York State Department of Education's Parent Guide for Special Education for a complete description of the referral process and parental safeguards. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child and the special education referral process, please reach out to your school psychologists or the Special Education Department at Springhurst Elementary School.