I thought I would blog about how the RTI program works at the school where I work. First of all, RTI stands for Response to Intervention. According to the National Center on Response to Intervention, Response to intervention integrates assessment and intervention within a multi-level prevention system to maximize student achievement and to reduce behavior problems. With RTI, schools identify students at risk for poor learning outcomes, monitor student progress, provide evidence-based interventions and adjust the intensity and nature of those interventions depending on a student’s responsiveness, and identify students with learning disabilities or other disabilities.
Our school first decided to attempt the RTI model three years ago. We decided that the middle school age group was suffering because not enough reading intervention was provided once students were out of elementary school. We decided to give all students in our school the Qualitative Reading Inventory (QRI) and measure what reading level every student was on. This was no small task. We have 900 students in the middle school. It took three weeks and every spare hand we could grab. Teachers were testing on prep times and instructional assistants were watching classrooms so that teachers could help test. This QRI tests is a one-on-one reading test. We gave this test twice that first year. The students who were reading below third grade instructional were assigned to a reading intervention class. This is the TIER 3 level. This was available to all students, not just special education students. It was amazing to see the progress in these students. They were receiving reading instruction daily for 45 minutes and making a lot of progress. Students who were measured at reading on the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade levels were assigned to reading instruction groups for 45 minutes two times a week. This is the TIER 2 level. We teach the Anita Archer reading program, REWARDS, during this time. The students who were reading above fifth grade instructional level were assigned to the TIER 1 level. Classroom teachers are responsible to provide intervention that is needed at this level.
We just finished up the third year of RTI groups and still see growth in the students. For example, at the beginning of the year, we had 148 students in the TIER 2 group. We just ended the year with 109 students. That means 39 students made enough reading growth to exit the intervention groups. I see this as a huge accomplishment. Reading affects students throughout their entire lives. We have used the GRADE reading assessment this year and have found it more time efficient. The test scores are consistent with the QRI and the teachers are more willing to help with testing because it doesn't take as long as the QRI. If you are interested in learning more about the RTI system here is a great website http://www.rti4success.org/
Excellent blog Robyn. Methinks this isn't your first. You appear to be a pro. Do you know if this site is accessible via the student portal? That's my question numero uno right now. My UEN blog page is boring to say the least. I'd like to use something like this, but I feel like Google in China when it comes to websites and access, if you know what I mean. Thanks for the great example.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like your RTI program has been a HUGE success to me. Thanks for describing it and giving the link. Your kids are adorable! What a fun time of life you are in!
ReplyDeleteRobyn,
ReplyDeleteThis RTI program sounds like an excellent program. Your post made me think a little bit about what happens to these students after they exit elementary. In elementary we do a lot of work on students' reading ability. There are many programs that we use. I am glad to see that your middle school learned that they can't stop paying attention to the reading progress of your students.
I think there is a big adjustment after elementary school to middle school for students. They are in a new environment. They have multiple classes to attend. They are experiencing new dynamics in their social networks. Their bodies are changing around and making them feel a little crazy. I can imagine that something like reading could easily fall between the cracks and it is great that your school is doing something to help those students get up and ahead. I wonder also if some of their drops in reading are due to the massive changes they are experiencing. I remember much more worrying about myself and fitting in than worrying about my homework and classes. It is a rough time!
Thanks for sharing a program that seems to be working for your students and congratulations on graduating 39 of your students from the program!
First of all, I am impressed by the dedication you educators have to put in that huge effort to get students caught up! Many schools I have been to just assume that students who can't read by middle school just won't be able to read. To have an entire school push for helping these students is awesome!
ReplyDeleteI have also had a lot of success seeing RTI work well in our elementary school. We just began implementing it fully this year, with Special Education being pushed into the regular classrooms rather than having students pulled out. Although, at first, we had a lot of moaning from some teachers, the whole thing worked out beautifully, and we all saw the benefit of working with kids at their level with interventions that they needed.
Thanks for the great post!