RTI: An Introduction for Elementary Schools

The 'Response to Intervention' (RTI) model has been widely adopted by elementary schools across the nation as a proactive way to respond to students with academic or behavioral concerns. This full-day workshop provides participants with an overview of RTI and an explanation of how this framework can better support students with academic or behavioral challenges.

In the RTI model, a student in general education that begins to experience difficulties is given one or more evidence-based interventions. If the student fails to make expected progress despite several intervention attempts, that student can be considered to be a ‘non-responder’ to intervention. The workshop includes short tutorials on essential components of RTI, including:

• the importance of building understanding and support among classroom teachers to serve as RTI ‘first responders’.
• selection of efficient schoolwide screening tools to identify students at-risk for academic or behavioral problems.
• review of free evidence-based interventions available to schools.
• recommendations for allocating scarce intervention resources to provide more efficient and targeted assistance to struggling students
•  creation of effective RTI Problem-Solving Teams to develop customized intervention plans for students with intensive needs.

The training concludes with a checklist that schools can use to verify that a general-education student has failed to respond to intervention and may require special education support.