RTI

RTI (Response to Intervention)

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi tier approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behavior needs. Struggling learners are provided with interventions at increasing levels of intensity to accelerate their rate of learning. Progress is closely monitored to assess both the learning rate and level of performance of individual students. Educational decisions about the intensity and duration of interventions are based on individual student response to instruction. RTI is designed for use when making decisions in both general education and special education, creating a well-integrated system of instruction and intervention guided by child outcome data.

For RTI implementation to work well, the following essential components must be implemented:

Ongoing student assessment. Regular benchmark testing is used to assess standards mastery and student growth.

Tiered instruction. A multi-tier approach is used to efficiently differentiate instruction for all students.

Parent involvement. Parental support and assistance with achieving RTI goals is imperative to student success.

Students that test far below grade level in either Reading or Mathematics will be a part of RTI. This process is specifically designed to address specific areas of focus indicated by benchmark and state testing.

RTI is a tiered program. Tier 1, 2 or 3 will be assigned based on the distance below grade level a student falls. Different tiers will mandate new levels of instruction and implementation.

A way to think of RTI would be to consider this: In a student's education, it is quite possible to have a "hole" in the building blocks of our learning. For example, if a student was absent the day that positive and negative integers were covered in Math, the difficulty compounds yearly. The next year, when the student is expected to simplify Algebraic expressions by multiplying and dividing +/- integers, he or she might struggle. Assume that this is not addressed with the student at this point. A couple of years later, a student is in Algebra and they must solve equations, using +/- integers. The struggle is compounded exponentially.

By using regular benchmarking that offers detailed insight into specific areas of focus, the RTI process gives the teacher the ability to address ALL areas such as this, individually, with a very specific target.

The RTI Process continues throughout the Summer. Students scoring below level on their Spring benchmark will receive services from teachers year round. This is just another level of the commitment to standards mastery from Epic.