What RTI should and shouldn’t include

Your child’s school might use response to intervention (RTI) to help kids make progress. There are some things RTI should include, and some things it shouldn’t. Here’s what to know.

RTI should include:

• Screening the entire class, then frequently testing students to see how they’re responding to targeted help.
• Breaking into small groups and helping students improve skills using interventions supported by research.
• A set of guidelines to follow when deciding which students aren’t making enough progress and need more help from teachers, reading specialists, and other professionals.
• A plan for figuring out what type of support a student needs to avoid repeating a grade.
• Consistent communication with families.

RTI should not include:

• Relying on classroom observations to identify struggling students.
• More of the same type of classroom instruction and work.
• Special seat assignments or a reduced workload.
• Repeating a grade.
• Informal and infrequent communication with families about their child’s progress.

Find out who’s on the RTI team. And explore RTI in more depth.