According to the article RTI or Response to Intervention is an approach to identify students as learning disabled. I could not disagree more. Response to Intervention should be the platform to identification of gaps in a students learning. All students should be labeled as exceptional. No child is identical to another child, therefore, the way each child learns is specific and unique to that child. Each child should be taught by a teacher that knows their strengths and weaknesses. RTI is the process in which we should examine, evaluate, and implement a plan of instruction for each child in our classroom.
The model that we use in Georgia is very effective if used properly! Tier I of the RTI pyramid is for the general population in your classroom. Again, this does not mean that you give everyone in the classroom the same "prescription". Tier II of the RTI pyramid is small group interventions. Here there are a lot of programs that could help students at this level such as: READ 180, math enrichment programs, and other reading enrichment programs. These programs have been effective for some, but I tend to think that they would be more successful if the classes were much smaller. Having fifteen struggling readers in one classroom is not conducive to any intervention that I know of. The same can be said for fifteen struggling math students. Tier III should be individualized interventions or the SST tier. The problems I see here are the teachers are not adequately trained on strategies that are effective for struggling students. They don't know how to identify and assess the needs of the students, much less develop an individualized map of interventions that would put the child on the road to success. If we utilized the pyramid at level two as we should, there would be fewer students referred to tier III and tier IV (special ed and gifted) would be a true reflection of learning disabilities, not just gaps in learning
I totally agree with this article on the fact that some school systems are adopting the enrichment programs and identifying "bubble" students, as a one-size-fits-all philosophy of fixing our test scores and helping children to meet their potential. Well, what happened to No Child Left Behind? I'm sorry, but that whole program got the boot from the get-go. Our government took a wonderful program that worked in Texas and turned it into something that it wasn't intended to be! That just goes to show you that something that works somewhere doesn't mean that it's going to work everywhere.
According to this article, matching students' needs with instruction by using "if-then" thinking is at the heart of effective and efficient assessment instruction and is essential if RTI is going to make a difference. Can I say amen?! RTI is our road map to help each child in our classroom reach their potential. I hope I am making sure that I take the time to evaluate each child and give them a prescription that will cure their ailments, not just the symptoms.
