More on Response to Intervention (RTI)

Our previous article explored some of the frequently asked questions about Response to Intervention (RTI). I would like to continue with that theme and provide more information. RTI is composed of several activities that support students in both academics and behavior. Parent involvement is strongly encouraged and documented throughout the process. RTI supports the use of high-quality instructional and behavioral structure in a school. Scientific, research-based interventions are provided to students on a consistent basis to students who have been found "at-risk". These interventions are documented so that both parents and school personnel are aware of what the specific components and structure of the process are in regards to the interventions. Interventions address each individual student's learning difficulties and provide the needed level of intensity in order to make adequate progress. Progress is continuously monitored of at-risk students in order to help guide their instruction and ensure the instruction is meeting their needs. This data is documented and maintained on each student to help ensure that interventions are being implemented with fidelity and the intended intensity. The team of parents and school personnel use the data to make a data-based decision as to if interventions are working or if a comprehensive evaluation might be necessary in order to rule out the possibility of a learning disability.
Response to Intervention is a multi-layered process. It allows home and school to collaborate on ways to support a student in need. RTI is a process that is growing and changing, improving what all of us can do to help that student reach their potential and beyond.

Frequently Asked Questions About RTI

FAQ: Response to Intervention (RTI)

1. Q: What is Response to Intervention (RTI)?

A: Response to Intervention is a multitiered process that provides interventions to struggling learners at increasing levels of intensity. Universal screenings are used for the early identification of struggling learners. The process allows for collaboration between teachers, specialists, and parents in order to plan strategies and the use of resources to help a student make progress in the general curriculum.

2. Q: What is the purpose of RTI?

A: RTI is intended to provide interventions to a student before they begin to fail. This is different from the discrepancy method which has been called the "wait to fail" approach. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 allows the use of RTI data as part of the evaluation for learning disabilities. This Act adds the concept in eligibility that prohibits children from being found eligible for special education if they have not received instruction in the five components of reading as identified by Reading First. The components are: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

3. Q: What are the other benefits to RTI?

A: RTI has many benefits. It promotes collaboration between general education and special education professionals, earlier identification of students using a problem-solving approach, and the provision of more instructionally relevant data.

4. Q: What are the central principles of Response to Intervention?

A: First, schools should use scientific, researched-based interventions and instruction in general education. These interventions and instruction should have a high probability of success for the majority of the students. Teachers should monitor classroom performance and progress to ensure students are meeting grade-level standards on a regular basis. Waiting until information is provided on statewide assessments does not allow the teacher to adjust their teaching and lesson plans throughout the year.

These are just four of many of the questions about RTI. As the year progresses we will continue to answer more questions. If you have a question about RTI, please send it in an email and we will do our best to address it.

Math Word Problem Strategies

Helping a student be prepared to solve a math word problem is an area that a lot of teachers worry about while they teach. Solving a word problem requires the coordination of a number of math skills. The student needs to be able to analyze the problem, choose the correct strategy to implement, and follow through with the correct procedure. I would like to share some tips that teachers can teach students for solving word problems.

1. Read the problem: The student will read the problem and reread it if they don't understand the problem.
   
2. Paraphrase the problem: They can highlight the key words/phrases.
   
3. Draw the problem: The student will create a drawing of the problem or use a graphic organizer.
4. Create a plan to solve the problem. The student will make a plan outlining the steps to solving the problem.
5. Predict: the student will use estimation to predict the answer.
6. Compute the answer: The student will compute the answer to the problem. They then check the answer against their estimate of the answer for comparison.
   
7. Check the answer: The student checks the steps of the answer. They check to see that they went through the steps in the plan were followed and that the operations were done in the correct orders.

Hopefully this framework will help the student go through a word problem with success!

Learning styles for ADHD students from ADDitude Magazine

I have had several teachers ask for more information on learning styles of students and how that can help students with ADHD. I found the following article at ADDitude Magazine's website. I hope this information is helpful.

ADDitudeMag.com

Helping Visual, Auditory, and Tactile ADHD Learners

Know your child's learning style? Help your ADHD student achieve school success by focusing on study methods that play to his visual, auditory, or tactile ways of learning.

by ADDitude Editors

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Each child has his or her own learning style — a unique way of taking in and processing information. Most kids – especially ADHD students – use all of their five senses for learning, but often favor one sense over the others.

"Visual learners" prefer reading or observing. "Auditory learners" do best with talking and listening. "Tactile/kinesthetic learners" benefit most from a hands-on approach.

Tune into how your attention deficit child learns best to creatively help her succeed in school.

If your child is a visual learner

• Have her type up class notes or homework in typefaces of varying style, color, and size.
  
• Use flash cards, drawings, and diagrams to help him study for a test.
  
• Ask the teacher to provide homework assignments in writing. At home, make a written list of instructions, schedules, and routines.
  
• Introduce Scrabble, crossword puzzles, anagrams, and other word games.
  

Next: If your child is an auditory learner...

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If your child is an auditory learner

-- Have him read notes and study materials into a cassette recorder as if he were a disc jockey or sports announcer. This will hold his interest when he reviews them for a test.

-- Help her recite multiplication tables and other facts to the rhythm of a favorite song.

-- Allow him to study with a partner or a few classmates.

-- Look for the audio versions of books she's reading in class or for pleasure. Your child may be eligible to borrow recorded textbooks from Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic for a modest annual membership fee — or to get non-textbook recordings from the National Library Service at no cost.

Next: If your child is a tactile/kinesthetic learner...

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If your child is a tactile/kinesthetic learner

-- Provide blocks, jelly beans, or playing cards to use to compute math problems; give Scrabble pieces or alphabet cereal to spell words.

-- Create hands-on learning experiences — nature hikes, science experiments, and so on.

-- Have her act out scenes from history or literature.

-- Explore various materials and techniques for assignments — a collage, diorama, or clay construction.

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More ADHD School Help

Determining Your Child's Learning Style

Homework Help for ADHD Children

Memory Tips for ADHD Students

More ADHD School Help

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What can you do to encourage a reader?

Many times parents want to help their child to become a reader but are
unsure where to start. There are many activities that can be done at
home to support a child as they begin the experience of becoming a
reader. It can begin as easily as a parent talking with their child.
Parents can talk as you eat dinner, talk in the car about what you
each see along the road, or simply talk about the food you are buying
at the grocery store. Parents can ask questions that will encourage
their child to talk and not just give yes or no answers.

Start your own family book club. Time is precious for many families.
I have my children take turns reading to us in the car on the way to
and from school. We ask questions about what we have heard and
discuss the storyline and the characters. My children are excited
that I am interested in their favorite characters and can't wait to
read as a result.

When you are reading with your child take the time to point out and
discuss the front or back of the book, the title, and the author.
Discuss what the author does for a book. Have your child show you
where to begin reading.

As you read aloud, stop from time to time to ask your child about the
meaning of the book. Help them make a connection between the book and
their own life. Encourage your child to ask questions and retell the
story in their own words.

Parents need to remember that reading is not limited to books. Share
with your child magazines, newspapers, brochures, and other
materials. Including non-fiction materials is important.

There are many different activities a parent can do with their child
to encourage reading. The one's suggested in this article are just
the tip of the iceberg. What is your favorite activity? Add it to
our comments section.

Using websites to open up instructional worlds....

As a teacher who grew up during the time that computers moved from writing the simplest program line by line yourself on an Apple IIe to using a MacBook Pro and talking to teachers across the United States, I have watched and participated in the evolution of online learning. More teachers today expand their classrooms beyond the four walls of their school building than ever before in order to provide more tools to their students. I would like to share some of the sites that I have used and encourage you to share your favorites in the comments section.

I have enjoyed looking at the many ideas offered on Teacher Tube. It is the educator's version of YouTube that allows teachers to upload and share video clips of lessons. I have watched teachers share songs about math standards to motivational speeches by students that remind me why I do what I do every day.

Another site that I often visit is the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives. This website offers a wealth of java applets that allow students to see math in many different ways. It was a website recommended by our state trainers for math standards training.

For teachers looking for more information on differentiated instruction, please visit Verna Eaton's website Differentiated Instruction. She gives several ideas on how it can look and how to go about providing such instruction.

A large website with a wealth of information is the Center of Instruction. They describe themselves as "your gateway to a cutting-edge collection of scientifically based research and information on K-12 instruction in reading, math, science, special education, and English language learning. Part of the Comprehensive Center network, the Center on Instruction is one of five content centers serving as resources for the 16 regional U.S. Department of Education Comprehensive Centers. Explore the links to the left for topic-based materials, syntheses of recent research, and exemplars of best practices."

What websites have you found to be particularly helpful? Would you like to see them added to our running list of websites on our site? Add your favorites to our comments section.

Long term literature projects

I am frequently asked by teachers for ideas on long term literature projects that they can do with their students; projects that require higher order thinking, peer cooperation, and involve reading and writing. I would like to share my two most favorite projects.

1. Mrs. __________'s Book Clubs

Just like Oprah, I like to form book clubs with my students. I pick out three titles that meet the standards that I wish to cover but also allow the students to have some input about titles. Since students are grouped by reading level, that reading level must also be taken into consideration. Some teachers may be able to group a higher group with a lower reading group of students. Each group can learn from each other. The higher reading students can help support the lower reading students. I provide a brief summary of each book and lead a discussion of the pro's and con's of each book. After the group decides which book to read, the fun begins! At times the students can be paired up in teams of two, letting them take turns reading. At other times each student can read in the round. Sometimes I would read to the students. There are many different reading strategies to use.

2. The Travel Guide

Once the students read the book, I have them work in pairs on creating a travel guide for the world created in the book just read. The students are given a rubric outlining the requirements for the travel guide: table of contents, places to stay, places to eat, local attractions, and publishing credits. The students are encouraged to be creative and research other travel guides. I will typically bring in travel guides I have collected to show students when the assignment is given. The students are given two weeks to complete the project, allowing time during class to work in the library, work as pairs, and prepare a presentation. At the end of the assignment the students present the travel guide in the form of a commercial to the class.

What is your favorite long term assignment to have students complete?