How Parents Can Get Involved

Communicate frequently with your childs teacher. Ask if you have questions or concerns. Attend school functions such as parent-teacher conferences. Show your child that education is important and that you are interested in what they do while at school. Monitor and assist your child with homework and assignments. Help your child learn to be responsible. Praise your childs progress, especially in the area(s) of concern. Dont forget to build on their strengths too, by encouraging them to continue their growth. Tell them how proud you are of all their hard work. Inform your childs teacher(s) of different strategies that you have found to work at home.

Helpful Online Resources

www.nysrti.org NYS RtI Technical Assistance Center. Parent Resource Section. www.rtinetwork.org/parents-a-families RtI Action Network. Information for Parents and Families. www.rti4success.org National Center on RtI. Information related to screening, monitoring and decision-making. www.nasponline.org/resources/handou ts/revisedPDFs/rtiprimer.pdf National Association of School Psychologists. A Primer for Parents. www.ncld.org National Center for Learning Disabilities. Information on Learning Disabilities and advocacy. www.getreadytoread.org Free Early Learning Resources

For additional information regarding RtI in NYS, contact: The NYS Education Department, P-12 Education NYSEDP12@mail.nysed.gov (518) 474-3862

For additional information,

please contact: Erin J.Brewer Email: erin.brewer@neric.org

Response to Intervention (RtI)

The purpose of RtI is to ensure all children receive the right instruction or intervention to be successful in school. Within the RtI structure there are three tiers or levels of instruction (represented in the triangle below). Each tier represents a different level of support that increases depending on a childs need. Progress is closely watched and measured through different tests (also called assessments or screeners). The results help teachers decide if a child is making progress or needs additional help. If a child needs additional help, an intervention is developed (Tier II). The term intervention is used to mean a specific type of instruction that is used to help with a problem usually in the area of reading

Research based interventions are used to support children. Research based interventions are teaching strategies or methods that have been proven to be effective in helping children learn. There are many different kinds of instruction. This instruction can happen in the classroom, outside the classroom or in small groups. When the child meets the goals developed by the school, the intervention is no longer needed and the child continues to receive support from the general education curriculum. When progress monitoring shows that a child is not responding to the intervention another approach or intervention may be tried. However, when a higher level of support is needed, children are given individualized instruction that further focuses on the supporting the skills they need to be successful learners (Tier III).

Questions parents can ask to learn more about RtI in their childs school:
What curriculum is being taught in my childs classroom? What are the targeted interventions my childs school is using if a student is struggling in the classroom? What are your formal guidelines for progress monitoring? How will I be informed of the progress my child is making? Can I be sent frequent monitoring reports in both math and reading? What happens if an intervention is not working?* *If you suspect your child may have a disability and needs special education services, you have the right to request a formal special education evaluation. A referral is a written statement asking for your child to be formally evaluated. Contact your childs teacher or district office for assistance.

RtI. Reaching all children, all of the time.

Core Curriculum + Custom Intervention Most often takes place outside of the classroom, in small groups or individually. The curriculum is customized to target your childs greatest need. Progress assessed weekly. Core Curriculum + Supplemental Intervention May occur in or outside of the classroom setting in small groups, 20-30 minutes, 3 to 4 times per week. Children are assessed 2x per month to ensure progress.

Core Curriculum (All Students Receive) General classroom setting. Curriculum aligned to state learning standards in academic areas. All children screened 3x per year.