Figure 1: Response to Intervention Pyramid (http://www.bgcsedu.org/BGS/Students/TeacherWebsites/BGCSTeachers/ResponseToInterventionTeacher.htm)
I conducted 3.5 interviews with 4 different people at my school to gain some insight on how the referral process works for students that are in general education and may been more support, and for already exiting special education students that need more differentiated instruction, accommodations, and modifications. I interviewed my co-teacher, school psychologist, DCPS Leadership Coach/ Technology Specialist, and briefly spoke to a general education teacher. When I asked these educators and support staff members "How is a student identified for special education referral? They all had one common answer and that was Response to Intervention.
Response to Intervention is a process that schools uses when their are signs of a struggling student. In Level 1 of the RTI process the student the student is performing on an average level. At level 2, it the students has fallen behind in the first tier then at this point the educator can work with the student in small group settings, one on one, and administer assessments periodically. After the teacher has tried modifications for the students in tier 2 and the strategies are not working, the student then rises to tier three. In Tier 3 the students is administered some testing, and if the student needs more help beyond this point the school will reach out to the parent. Once the parent is contacted it is then determined if the child will undergo further testing to determine the root of the behavior or lack of academic achievement. RTI is very important when determining if a students needs a special education referral, because often times students may not have learning disabilities. Some students have test anxiety. My co-teacher said that some students have a hard time coping with the learning environment when they have experienced traumatic events within their life, or when they lack a support.
For more information on Response to Intervention please visit: http://www.rtinetwork.org/learn/what/whatisrti
