Response to Intervention in the Classroom

Sonya E. Crone

Chadron State College

Response

to Intervention in the Classroom

Response

to Intervention in the Classroom

Abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to develop a clear understanding of Response to Intervention

in the classroom. This paper will include personal experiences of witnessing a successful RTI

model in a Title 1 elementary school. From hours of watching what goes on in this school’s

approach to RTI, this paper will break down what the school does in order to create a successful

RTI model.
3. Describe the RTI model. Or MTSS or Whatever your District uses for screening. Include

all aspects of the process and the effectiveness of the process.

“Response to intervention (RTI) is a process used by educators to help students who are

struggling with a skill or lesson; every teacher will use interventions or a set of teaching

procedures with any student to help them succeed in the classroom” (Response To Intervention,

2013). If a student gets behind in school, his or her teacher with try to catch that student up. This

does not just mean if a student was absent but if a student starts to struggle on a certain subject

that was taught and starts to get behind his or her classmates. In the RTI process teachers will use

targeting teaching where students are getting help in the areas, they are most struggling with (3

Tiers of RTI Support, 2019). This includes progress monitoring of each student in order to place

each student in a specific group for their individual needs. In Response to Intervention there are

three tiers, the more help a student needs the higher they go up on the tier levels. Likewise, the

more intervention needed the less students that will be needing such intensive help this includes

the higher the Tier the increase amount of time will be necessary in intervention group meeting.

The three tiers include: Tier 1 The Whole Class- level of instruction is found in general

classroom, Tier 2 Small Group Intervention- more deliberate, direct, and explicit feedback in

how students are taught and how feedback is modeled and details provided, and Tier 3 Intensive

Intervention- intensive instruction, including the introduction of a specialist with specific

expertise to weigh in on the situation (Understanding Response to Intervention (RTI) | KU

Education Online).
 There are several benefits to using a Response to Intervention or multitiered system in a

school. For starters, RTI is design not just for special education students but for general

education students as well. By having RTI be not just for one category of student, children are

less likely to fall through the cracks of being on the edge of needing help and being on the edge

of being average student. Furthermore, “RTI approach eliminates a "wait to fail" situation

because students get help promptly within the general education setting” (Klotz, M. B., &

Canter, A. 2007).Another benefit that occurs thanks to the RTI model is it has the potential to

reduce the number of students being referred to special education services while increasing the

number of students who are successful within the regular classroom. The third major benefit to

RTI is communication increases between the students, the teachers, and the parents.

Communication plays a major role in developing success towards students. The RTI approach

has teachers and parents collaborating with each other constantly to help determine what is
working with some students and what is not working with others. Similarly, communication also

helps teachers monitor the progress of each student easier and quicker.

While doing my observation hours I have been lucky enough to witness a successful RTI

approach. This semester I have been doing my clinical observation hours in a 4th grade classroom

in a Title 1 school in Sheridan, Wyoming. From grants the school has implemented a one to one

technology program where each student has either a Chromebook or an iPad. Because each

student has some sort of technology, the students are able to do a variety of lessons and projects

online with curriculum software. One example of an online reading program in 4th grade is call

Raz-Kids where students get to read or listen to e-books on an interactive learning portal

designed to keep them motivated and engaged at their own pace. Raz-Kids monitors students’

progress and allows students to take quizzes based on what they have learned (About Raz Kids).

Just like online curriculum is being used for learning in 4th grade it is also being used for

Response to Intervention. One part of the schools RTI program is called WIN groups. WIN

stands for, “What Individuals Need,” every Wednesday for 45 minutes each grade level will

break up into their WIN groups. During this time students are working a subject or concept they

are struggling with. Each grade level teacher will take a group of students based on progress

monitoring and what each student needs. In 4th grade, it does not matter what class a student is

from the teachers break the students apart strictly on performance and classroom assessments.

This past week in 4th grade WIN groups, the students were working on writing. There were three

4th grade teachers so one teacher work with students on editing sentences, one teacher work with

students on adding descriptive language to writing, and the last teacher work with students

organization skills for writing. The way the teachers determine what needs to be taught in the
WIN groups is based on what students struggled with the most in the previous week or unit. In

the WIN groups the teachers are not just helping students with writing each week, but the

teachers could be helping students in the subjects of math or science too. It just depends on what

needs the most work. Another thing, that can occur in WIN groups is helping students who are

advanced learner excel as well. A question that gets raised often is what does a teacher do with

students who do not need extra help. If this occurs there is often a teacher that will advance

students knowledge in STEM work or other fun learning games. In order for the 4th grade WIN

groups to be successful the teachers need to be in constant collaboration with each other. In the

Sheridan School District Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are being applied.

Professional Learning Communities are, “A group of educators that meets regularly, shares

expertise, and works collaboratively to improve teaching skills and the academic performance of

students” (Great Schools Partnership, 2014). Professional Learning Communities ensure that

students learn, create a culture of collaboration, and focus on results (DuFour, R. 2004). In the

school that I observe with each grade has a grade level meeting once a week during specials and

a PLC meeting once a week during a different day of specials. The few meetings I was able to sit

in on the 4th grade teachers plan what to teach next in their PLC meetings. Overall, I noticed a

massive amount of collaboration between the 4th grade level teachers to make sure that all

students were on tract to succeed. The reason why WIN groups work so well in help students get

back on tract is because the teachers will compare each classroom overall assessments grades to

determine who taught the standard or concept the best. Based on this data the teacher who did the

best at teaching a certain concept will then teach the students who struggled the most on this
subject. If a student does not understand what was being taught from one teacher, he or she

might understand the concept better from a different teacher.

In summary, Response to Intervention is an excellent strategy to use in the classroom.

RTI helps struggling learners get back on tract though researched based strategies. From my own

experience of observing a 4th grade classroom that uses RTI, I learn why it can be so successful if

used correctly in a school.

 References

3 Tiers of RTI Support. (2019, October 16). Retrieved from

https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/rti/3-tiers-of-rti-support

About Raz Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.raz-kids.com/main/AboutRazKids/

DuFour, R. (n.d.). What Is a Professional Learning Community? Retrieved from

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may04/vol61/num08/What-Is-

a-Professional-Learning-Community%C2%A2.aspx

Great Schools Partnership. (2014, March 3). Professional Learning Community Definition.

Retrieved from https://www.edglossary.org/professional-learning-community/

Klotz, M. B., & Canter, A. (2007). Response to Intervention (RTI): A Primer for Parents.

Retrieved from http://www.ldonline.org/article/15857/

Response To Intervention. (2013, February 25). Retrieved from

https://www.specialeducationguide.com/pre-k-12/response-to-intervention/

Understanding Response to Intervention (RTI) | KU Education Online. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://educationonline.ku.edu/community/what-is-response-to-intervention