Susan’s View | Monthly Column
Response to Intervention
Response to Intervention (RTI) initiative
is a multi-tiered method for collaboratively delivering instruction
through increasingly intensive and individualized interventions
matched to student need. Understandably,
there are many questions about RTI. “What is RTI? How do I
begin? Who will determine the tier initiation decisions? How can
best collaborate with others to meet my students’ needs in an
RTI model?” Successful implementation requires training and
support for redefining our roles and responsibilities.
As an educator for many years, I have had the responsibility to
be aware of the diverse influences that affect the learning
process of students and also to meet their needs through varied
instructional strategies while improving their success rate in
the general education classroom. Consulting with cohorts of
educators provided me with an increased knowledge base of best
practices resulting in improved student achievement, however, it
was not until I developed collaborative relationships with
various students, parents, and educators that teaching and
learning was most effective. With the current mandates of
evidence-based practice, the Response to Intervention initiative
intensifies the need for collaboration to address student needs
through a multi-tiered problem solving process with at least
three tiers of increasingly intensive interventions. Students
that are struggling can be helped with effective teaching,
targeted interventions, progress monitoring, and support through
collaboration.