 |
|
|
||
|
Response to Intervention is being discussed in public schools on a daily basis. Several years ago, changes in federal and state laws, including the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, called on schools to address the learning or behavior needs of a student within the general education classroom as much as possible. The intent of this change was to provide support, as early as possible, to a student showing signs of academic or behavioral difficulties. This is not a new concept in District 54. We have always believed in this philosophy and striven to meet the needs of our students in a timely manner. To address what these changes may mean for our district, a committee of general and special education teachers, support personnel, administrators and parents have been meeting to develop District 54's RtI framework. Part of their work involved creating a Response to Intervention parent brochure. A brief synopsis is below, but you also can request a copy from your neighborhood school or from the Community Relations Department, (847) 357-5027. Response to Intervention is grounded in the belief that high-quality, research-based instruction and intervention are necessary to meet the needs of a student who is experiencing difficulty. A variety of assessment data, along with staff and parent input, becomes the basis for deciding how to intervene with children not making sufficient academic, social or behavioral progress. Following the RtI framework, teachers and other school personnel intervene earlier when a student experiences difficulty. School staff collaborates with parents to define the specific learning or behavioral needs, develop and implement a plan for improvement, establish a schedule to monitor progress and evaluate the student's response to the intervention. The intent of RtI is to create an educational system that focuses on the success of every student. The RtI framework is divided into three tiers of intervention: * Tier I: Requires that all students receive high-quality, scientifically-based instruction differentiated to meet their needs in the general education classroom. A screening tool identifies students who may be at risk for academic difficulties: We use Measures of Academic Progress as the reading and mathematics screening tool for grades 2-8; the Illinois Snapshot of Early Literacy is used in kindergarten and first grade to measure reading growth. Around 80-90 percent of students are successful at this level. * Students not making adequate progress move to Tier II, where they receive additional small-group instruction in specific skill areas. Tier II support is designed to supplement, enhance and support Tier I instruction. Student progress is monitored on a regular basis. * Students in Tier III of the RtI framework receive intensive strategic and supplemental instruction specifically designed to address their individual needs. Typically this instruction is delivered in a small group or one-to-one setting. Progress is monitored on a frequent basis to determine the impact of the intervention and if any change in the type of support is necessary. The key to understanding RtI is simple: If we provide quality instruction to every child and use personnel to intervene with students who are experiencing difficulties as early as possible, we will increase the likelihood of meeting District 54's mission of Ensuring Student Success and preparing our students to be successful in high school and beyond. |
||||
|
|
||||