Is Your Child Struggling?

At the end of this article are 10 Questions every parent should ask if your child is struggling.

Students in the public system right now are, whether they know it or not, in the middle of a revolution of sorts.  It’s called Response to Intervention and it is changing the way we look at identifying students who struggle in school academically and/or behaviorally.  According to Schwab Learning, the move towards RTI has been triggered in part by the fact that three million of the six million students who receive special education services under The Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) are identified as having a specific learning disability or SLD.

RTI introduces the idea that if interventions keyed to a child’s weaknesses are introduced earlier and are based on scientific research, the child could have the opportunity to respond and thrive without ever having to go into the ESE system.

In 2004, President George Bush approved a reauthorization of IDEA that took effect on July 1, 2005 allowing school districts to move away from determining eligibility of special education for SLD students based on a “severe discrepancy” between achievement and intellectual ability.  While the discrepancy model remains an option and still the norm in IDEA, a new provision allows a local education agency to first determine if a child responds to “scientific research-based intervention” in the regular classroom.

Most districts are in the process of moving to the RTI or similar models. Florida rules now require an RTI conference prior to discussing eligibility for special education for students with learning difficulties.

Why RTI?

The goals of RTI are to reduce the number of referrals for special education while increasing the number of students who succeed in the classroom.  A successful RTI program should eventually save each district money.  According to the National Education Association, the average annual cost for a student is $7,552 in regular educations and $16,921 in special education.

RTI introduces the idea that if interventions keyed to a child’s weaknesses are introduced earlier and are based on scientific research, the child could have the opportunity to respond and thrive without ever having to go into the ESE system.

So, basically instead of going straight from struggling student to IEP to ESE, the student would stay in her regular classroom with interventions and progress monitoring until she either caught up to the class or was referred for special education.

Always keep in mind, special education is a program, or a set of services, it is not a place, so students that do qualify for an IEP, or special education often do remain in the regular education classroom.

That ties in nicely with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, a federal law that requires public schools to focus on closing the achievement gap between under-performing students and their peers by focusing on reading, research, student testing and qualifications of teachers.

How RTI Works

RTI is usually, but not always, a three-tier process that focuses on making a student more successful in the classroom. Progress monitoring is a key component of RTI. In a successful model, data gathering is backed by research to test for specific curriculum skills and then that data is used by the teacher to plan curriculum and interventions.

The focus of Tier One is the development of high quality, research-based instruction targeted to meet the educational needs of all students. In Florida, the curriculum would align with the Sunshine State Standards and the benchmarks that students must reach to meet those standards.

An example of Tier One would be teaching the third grade reading standard, “The Student uses the Reading Process Effectively” focusing on the benchmark “The student uses a table of contents, index, headings, captions, illustrations and major words to anticipate and predict content and purpose of a reading selection.”

Tier Two—As soon as progress monitoring indicates that a child has a weakness or difficulty in a specific skill, the student will receive Tier Two intervention. In the above example say that 85% of the children were able to demonstrate their grasp of the benchmark, but 15% failed to prove that they understood the benchmark. Since at least 80% of the class got the benchmark they would move on to the next lesson plan.  But the other 15% are now eligible for a Tier Two intervention. When a student becomes eligible for tier two interventions, the teacher should notify the parent and arrange a conference.

Like an IEP, there is a written plan indicating the length of time, minutes during the day, location and person responsible for supervising the intervention. The method for judging success or goals are also part of a written RTI plan. Again, interventions are research-based and targeted specifically to a child’s area of weakness. In this case the child will work on the benchmark skills in learning to use a table of contents, index etc. so the intervention would target this specific deficit and not for example, the reading component of fluency.

When an intervention isn’t working, it is replaced by another. It is up to the district or the teacher as to how intensive interventions are in Tier Two.  Supplemental work at home or school and additional time or resources can all be part of Tier Two.

If testing shows that the interventions brought the child back up with his classmates, the teacher will meet with the parents and the child will go back on Tier One. If the student fails to show improvement despite the interventions, she moves on to Tier Three.

Tier Three—Interventions at this level are more intense, such as one-to-one tutoring. There should also be a more comprehensive evaluation during this period and another parent meeting. At this point if the child still does not respond, the next step would be a referral for evaluation for special education services. However, at any time during the RTI process, a parent can still request a traditional evaluation for special education.

RTI is not the Perfect Solution—Yet

If implemented correctly the advantages of RTI are obvious. Students at risk are identified quicker and receive interventions in their own classroom avoiding what can still be the stigma of special education. Fewer children in special education also mean money saved by a District.

Another positive is that ideally, with the emphasis on scientific research-based instruction and progress monitoring, core general education curriculum and testing will become more effective and streamlined. However, a successful RTI program relies on well-trained staff, familiar with research-based interventions and progress monitoring. What if a school does not have the budget, space or resources to implement the program and train the personnel?

Students who are already in the special education system with an IEP in hand will not lose that status if and when a District switches over to the RTI model.  However if an additional area of weakness surfaces, the child with an IEP will still participate in RTI to determine what interventions may support success, or what additionally might be needed in the IEP. 

Gifted children may also slip through the cracks in this model as it is focused on identifying students who are not performing at class level and not on students performing below their potential as some gifted children with learning issues do.  States throughout the country are handling this issue differently and some districts have comprehensive assistance plans for gifted learners.

In theory, RTI if implemented appropriately and with consistency can help your child who was struggling to become a successful and engaged learner.  However, some children, even with solid interventions have true learning disabilities that require the support of specialized instruction, accommodations and/or modifications to meet with success.  The important thing is to remain involved, ask questions, and remember you are your child’s best advocate.

Ten questions a Parent should ask to understand the Response to Intervention process; from the National Center for Learning Disabilities (www.ld.org)

1. Is the school district currently using an RTI process to provide additional support to struggling students? If not do they plan to? 

2. What screening procedures are used to identify students in need of interventions?

3. What are the interventions and instructional programs being used? What research supports their effectiveness?

4. What process is used to determine the intervention that will be provided?

5. What length of time is allowed for the intervention before determining if the student is making adequate progress? (Editor’s note: The time will vary with the individual student and from tier to tier, it is not always a set period of time but almost never longer than 8 weeks)

6. What strategy is being used to monitor student progress? What are the types of data that will be collected and how will student progress be conveyed to parents?

7. Is a written intervention plan provided to parents as part of the RTI process? (Editor’s note: The answer to this should always be yes once the need for intervention has been determined.)

8. Is the teacher or other person responsible for provided the interventions trained in using them?

9. When and how will information about a student’s performance and progress be provided?  (Editor’s note: Insist that this be included in a written RTI plan.)

10.  At what point in the RTI process are students who are suspected of having a learning disability referred for formal evaluation?  (Editor’s note: You as a parent can request a formal evaluation at any time in the RTI process.)