RED 6540 Assessment in Literacy: Blog Post 4 (weeks 11-13)

Response to Intervention (RTI) normally involves three tiers of support.  The first tier "represents instruction and services available to all students, generally provided at the classroom level" (Brozo, 2009-2010).  Brozo (2009-2010) goes on to explain the second tier's objective is to work short-term with small groups of students who need help.  Tier three involves the more intense level of instruction.  It is usually carried out on a one-to-one basis.  The tier of support a student is placed in depends on their needs with the least amount of extra support provided for the student to make successful gains (Brozo, 2009-2010).

Interestingly, the majority of research done on RTI is at the elementary level.  As a result, middle and high schools have been forced to devise their own intervention plans.  Three vital questions for secondary professionals when considering how they are going to devise an RTI-like program include:

1. Is RTI a feasible structure for secondary literacy?
2. Is RTI the most effective model for a comprehensive secondary literacy program?
3. Can RTI provide responsive literacy instruction for all students (Brozo, 2009-2010)?

RTI's goal is to prevent reading difficulties.  There are many details that need to be worked out in order to insure that RTI can be successful at the secondary level, and all teachers must be on board and commited to making RTI work (Brozo, 2009-2010).

     "The key principle of RTI² is that any intervention is predicated on the notion that Tier 1 core
     instruction is responsive, standards-based, and data-driven... instruction be scaffolded so that
     students on all points of the learning continuum can benefit from the educational environment of
     the general education classroom." (Fischer & Frey, 2010, p. 25)
 

References

Brozo, W. G. (2009-2010). Response to intervention or responsive instruction?  Challenges and possibilites of response to intervention for adolescent literacy.  Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53 (4), 277-281.


Fischer, D. & Frey, N. (2010). Enhancing RTI: How to ensure success with effective classroom instruction and intervention.Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.