Response to Intervention

Background

The term RTI was first conceptualized in 1982 by leaders in the field of education, who proposed that the validity of a special education classification be judged according to three criteria. The first criterion was whether the quality of the general education program was such that adequate learning might be expected. The second criterion was whether the special education program would lead to academic improvements justifying the classification. The third criterion was whether the assessment process was accurate and meaningful. Under this model, all three criteria must be met for the classification to be considered valid. This new framework required judgments about the quality of instruction in both the general education and special education settings as well as judgments about the way students responded to these learning environments, all based on accurate and meaningful assessments.

The main premise of RTI is that students are identified as having an SLD when their response to effective academic interventions is significantly lower than that of peers. The inference is that students who fail to make adequate progress in response to scientific interventions that are proven successful for most students must have a deficit that requires specialized treatment beyond what general education programs can offer. RTI is sometimes referred to as the problem-solving method because it focuses on applying a problem-solving framework to identify and address student difficulties.

Prior to the RTI conceptualization, SLD was viewed exclusively as a within-child deficit, despite awareness that learning is influenced by the context in which instruction takes place. Instead of making the assumption that the underlying cause of the learning difficulty lies within the child, RTI models recognize that the difficulty may also lie within instruction, within the child, or a combination of the two. Thus, [Page 841]the new approach focuses on early identification/ prevention of learning problems and the contribution of the instructional environment to the child's academic growth. Instead of measuring a student's skills at a single point in time and identifying the student as SLD, assessment and intervention occur on an ongoing basis.

RTI Models

Currently, there are many ways to implement RTI; however, there some common elements that distinguish a RTI model from other approaches to SLD identification. The core characteristics of RTI include the

...