RTI Presentation for Erie Elementary Staff
by Denise Houghton
September 25, 2007
On Wednesday August 29, 2007, Louise Venneman Title I Reading Specialist, presented a program to the staff at Erie Elementary on MTSS, a multi-tiered system of instructional support and RTI, response to intervention.
WHAT IS A MULTI-TIERED APPROACH TO TEACHING LITERACY?
The multi-tiered system of approach to
literacy provides each child with the extra instructional support
to be successful in school.
The classroom teacher is the major source
for a child's instruction. Other resource people who assist with
instruction may include the Title 1 Reading Specialist, Title1
paraprofessionals special education teachers, special education
paraprofessionals, and counselors.
Children who need more support will have
individual and small group instruction in addition to the regular
classroom instruction. Children are tested with the DIBELS test
then divided into groups, Tier 1, 2, or 3 depending on their
instructional needs.
Tier 1: Students who are responding to classroom instruction are identified in the DIBELS test as reaching BENCHMARK.
Tier 2: Student are identified on the test as STRATEGIC showing that they need additional instruction that supports the classroom instruction.
Tier 3: Students are identified as INTENSIVE and need additional small group and/or individual targeted instruction.
WHAT IS RTI?
Response to Intervention is designed to make sure that four things happen.
1. Students who need additional support are identified early. This is done through the DIBELS test. They are (one minute) fluency measures used to regularly monitor the development of pre-reading and early reading skills.
2. Students identified as needing more support are provided targeted intervention instruction either individual or small group.
3. The student's progress is monitored frequently to make sure that they are making progress.
4. Teachers use the test data to adjust the instruction to meet the individual needs.
Title will do progress monitoring every two weeks, adjust the instruction and groups as necessary. The goal is for all children to reach the BENCHMARK or Tier 1 level.
December, 2007 will be the second BENCHMARK re-evaluation for every child.
