"Instead of concentrating on the "bar" that kids are supposed to be clearing, we're focusing on taking students from "where they are and moving them forward." [Read full story »]
Should interventions in Tier 2 and Tier 3 follow the alignment of the core curriculum?
Response from Karen Wixson, Ph.D.: The general answer to this question is "yes"—Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions should be aligned with the core curriculum. However...[read full response]
Welcome to the RTI Blog! Every week we will have a new editorial from an experienced implementer and/or researcher who will be posting commentary about common, emerging, or controversial issues regarding RTI. Readers are invited to post their reactions and thoughts.
RTI and Special Education
Written by Lauren Campsen, Principal, Ocean View Elementary School, VA, on September 25, 2009
During my earlier blogs, I discussed how my school, Ocean View, reorganized around a data-driven decision-making model (DDDM) and used tiered intervention (RTI) to dramatically increase student academic achievement in reading and math. Beginning with this blog, I want to turn our attention to the impact of DDDM and RTI on targeted subgroups. Let's start with a subgroup that challenges us all—special education.
Written by Bob Heimbaugh, Principal, Tongue River Elementary, WY, on September 14, 2009
During a recent training in our school district, a presenter spoke to the "soft" and "hard" skills needed to implement change in a school. Using my own loose definitions of "soft" and "hard" skills, I would characterize them in the following way:
"Soft" Skills: Soft skills refer to people skills. Soft skills are aligned with building culture and climate. Basically, soft skills are "how business is done around here." Soft skills can either be planned or attended to, or they can develop on their own depending on the personalities of the building and the general inattention to professionalism.
"Hard" Skills: Hard skills refer to the technical part of the job. Hard skills refer to processes, procedures, standards, and protocols.
Connecting What We Know About Professional Development to RTI
Written by Bob Heimbaugh, Principal, Tongue River Elementary, WY, on July 17, 2009
When my school started the implementation of RTI, the first thing we did to address staff needs was an environmental scan to assess our readiness for RTI implementation. As part of that scan we looked at our specific professional development needs around the concepts of RTI. From that environmental scan we created a professional development plan that focused on long-term, embedded training around RTI concepts.
Response to Intervention and Job-Embedded Professional Development
Written by Abraham H. Jones, Ed.D., Response to Intervention Specialist, Christina School District, DE, on July 16, 2009
Within the framework of a Delaware Response to Intervention (RTI) initiative, which mandated implementation of RTI in Delaware's elementary schools in reading during the 2008-2009 school years, job-embedded professional development and RTI can and is successfully working. On-the-job learning provides an essential solution to the problem of lack of professional development time and helps to organize best practices in universal screening, progress monitoring, intructional strategies and interventions. Job-embedded learning does not require participants to set aside a separate time to learn. Because learning occurs while on-the-job, time efficiency is maximized and integrating new knowledge is not difficult.
The Next Frontier: Rolling Out RTI Curriculum in Higher Education
Written by David P. Prasse, Ph.D., Professor and Dean of the School of Education, Loyola University Chicago, on July 07, 2009
During the past 5-10 years, many of us have worked in K-12 schools, districts, and State Departments of Education assisting in the development and implementation of educational delivery systems that support Response to Intervention (RTI) as the central approach for improving student outcomes. We have focused on foundational knowledge and skill acquisition. We worked on developing systems for buildings, districts, and states. National organizations [National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), National Education Associations (NEA)] have supported and advanced these activities. We have learned a lot through these efforts, even as we know we are still very much in the beginning phase of comprehensive successful implementation. One thing we have come to understand is that long-term, the systemic change embodied in RTI requires that all professional education programs integrate the knowledge and skill sets into the curriculum and clinical experiences.
RTI: Professional Development and Pre-Service Teacher Preparation
Written by Charles R. Grable, Assistant Superintendent, Huntington County Community School Corporation, IN, on July 07, 2009
Response to Intervention (RTI) planning and implementation will play a major role in school reform. As Bender and Shores (2007) state, "In short, this is not merely another initiative; this move to RTI promises to reform education in very significant ways, as educators in every classroom instruct and monitor progress on an individual basis for many of their students. Clearly, this is not business as usual. Within two years, it will become the responsibility of almost every teacher in the nation to develop skills for RTI and implement RTI in their classes." Planning to this extent cannot be accomplished from the top down by one or two leaders in the district. To implement all of the components of RTI effectively, including professional development, districts need to begin with a broad-based leadership team.
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Welcome to the RTI Blog! Every week we will have a new editorial from an experienced implementer and/or researcher who will be posting commentary about common, emerging, or controversial issues regarding RTI. Readers are invited to post their reactions and thoughts. 
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