What+does+the+RTI+Model+look+like+in+our+schools?

Source: Brown, Elizabeth. (2011). Responsiveness-to-Intervention (RTI) is to subjective. // National Examiner. // Summary: Responsiveness to Intervention (RTI) is a three-tiered approach to education. It has gained enormous popularity through state mandates, and is welcomed in districts that are seeking to cut budgets, avoid costly fees associated with formal evaluations and possible over-identification of disabilities. Special Education for a student is double the cost of regular education because it includes a legal contract or Individualized Education Program (IEP), lawyers, consultants and specialized staff and training required to meet the student’s needs. It is essential that we preserve a specialized approach to students that require it. The RTI method delays entry into special education. It eliminates the particulars, the bothersome evaluation that is costly for the school system. Instead, documentation of interventions employed in the classroom will be used in place of the formal testing.  Reaction: This particular article discusses the more negative aspects of RTI. While reading it, I figured that it was a good idea to get a spectrum of different opinions that are attached with this topic. It provided me with a good background of why this particular program doesn’t always work in our schools. There was ample information provided that went to show that RTI could be interpreted as a negative thing. It cuts back from diagnosing special education children while these diagnosis’s are being made by people who aren’t always tailored to do so. ** Analysis Article ** Source: Hauerwas, B., Goessling, P. (2008). Who are the interventionalists? Guidelines for paraeducators in RTI. // Teaching Exceptional Children Plus, 4, 3. // Summary: As a Response to Intervention approach begins to be utilized in our schools, there is growing confusion regarding the role of teacher assistants/paraeducators in this problem solving approach. In this article, the authors share survey and interview data from their experiences working with Rhode Island teacher assistants – both in leading teacher assistant training on RTI and in researching implementation of RTI in RI elementary schools. Both challenges and guidelines for the use of teacher assistants in a RTI model are presented. Recommendations for the effective use of teacher assistants in general education and special education classrooms include: teacher assistants as members of school-wide intervention teams; a greater focus on the use of teacher assistants during the assessment process; better professional development; and increased common planning time for enhanced communication about student learning.  Reaction: Besides debating whether or not RTI is a good program or not, this article describes the role of the teachers now that this has been implemented. I could understand there being a lot of confusion when something new is being put into place. So, the first thing that should be done is handle the concerns of teachers so that they can provide the best help possible. While thinking this, it was good to know that I could find something that would answer my questions. I could see exactly what specific jobs are associated with RTI and I was able to see the broadband of other issues that arise. It does not just show the new issues but gives potential solutions which I actually agree with. ** Two articles from a scholarly or professional journal ** Source: Zirkel, A., Thomas, B. (2010). State laws for RTI, an updates snapshot. // Teaching Exceptional Children. 42, 56-63. // Summary: Professionally, and ultimately legally, the definition of specific learning disabilities has been “a long-standing source of controversy, conflict, and crisis.” Yet students with the SLD continue to be more numerous by far than any other group receiving special education services. The long-time controversy concerning the eligibility criteria for SLD reached a high point with the emergence of response to intervention as purportedly more effective that the traditional severe discrepancy approach. The 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act provided that states may no longer require severe discrepancy and that school districts “may use a process that determines if a child respond to scientific, research based intervention as a part of” its SLD identification procedures. The resulting IDEA regulations required state to adopt SLD criteria that must not require sever discrepancy, must permit RTI, and may permit the use of other alternative research-based procedures for determining SLD eligibility. This article fills the gap in literature with regard to the resulting state laws. Reaction: Before RTI there were other plans in progress in which our state, like many others, ran by. As this new RTI program emerged, there was an idea that things could run smoother and they could have an easy transition. But after RTI was implemented, there was a problem where things were running by earlier programs, along with programs that were just issued. This created a mix of things, which were now being combined that now helped the transition. Once these things were in place though, it was time to see the changes and what was being done. The only way to do that, is to read this article because it was able to show me a light from the past, the present, and the future. Source: Duffy, Helen. (2005). Meeting the needs of significantly struggling learners in high school: a look at approaches to tiered intervention. // National High School Center. // Summary: Effective tiered intervention strategies depend on accurate diagnostic information and data about what is or is not working for students and what new adjustments need to be made, such as whether to move a student into or out of a more intensive level of support. One increasingly popular approach to gathering and adjusting to key diagnostic information is Response to Intervention (RTI), which may utilize progress monitoring as one of its components. When identifying students with learning disabilities (LD), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, 2004 (IDEA 2004) allows educators to use a process, such as RTI, that is based on a child’s response to scientific, research-based interventions. IDEA 2004 allows educators to use an approach such as RTI instead of, or in addition to, the IQ-achievement discrepancy approach. To date, much attention has been focused on the promise RTI holds as an alternative method to identify students with LD in the early grades. Reaction: One thing that I realized when completing my years of schooling is that I always found myself wanting more guidance. Guidance so I could know whether or not what I was doing was correct, or if I actually needed help with the work. After reading this article I realized that finding the right place for students is hard and has only become easier for children when they are part of RTI. That way, things can be adjusted to fit specific needs of the individuals. I did not think it was possible but this article has changed my mind. I now can see the process that RTI uses that coincides with the act for disabilities. When these two things works together, the article shows that this alternative method is proved to be a very good method in our schools. ** Summary Article ** Source: Bocala, Candice, Mello, Daniel, Reedy, Kristin, Lacireno-Paquet, Natalie. (2009). Features of State Response to Intervention Initiatives in Northeast and Islands Region States. // Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast & Islands. 45, 32. //  Summary: Response to intervention (RTI) is an approach to instruction, assessment, and intervention that enables early identification of students who are experiencing academic or behavioral difficulties. The jurisdictions served by the Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands expressed interest in a study of whether and how state education agencies are addressing RTI in state-level policy and guidance to local school districts. This report describes an analysis of documents related to RTI that are publicly available on state education agency web sites in the nine Northeast and Islands Region jurisdictions: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the Virgin Islands. Specifically, this review of documents on RTI available on state education agency web sites in the nine Northeast and Islands Region jurisdictions concludes that RTI is supported in seven jurisdictions as an overall school instructional improvement approach or an approach to determining special education eligibility. Reaction: An article devoted specifically to the regions that include Rhode Island goes a long way. It shows the affect of RTI specifically for here. This way, readers like myself, can see the difficulties that students are having either academically or behaviorally. When these problems are brought to light, the article shows the different breakdowns of how each state or territory handles this new program. I was able to tell whether or not it was working for each state or if there are problems. It was good to find this particular article because not only could I see the data for Rhode Island, but I was also able to compare it to the surrounding areas. I found this data the most useful because I was able to see the spectrum of successes and not just see the particulars.
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