Response to Intervention
Kate Murray
Shayna Stuempfig
What is it?
 RTI is a data-driven, multi-tiered approach to the early
identification and support of students with learning
and behavioral needs. RTI is not a program but a
process: a way to identify who is at risk and, more
importantly, why. RTI helps us to support students
within general education long before they fail, it can
help us better identify those students with true
disabilities in need of special education services, and it
aims to avoid mislabeling students as disabled when
they are not.
Why do we need RTI?
 Our kids are continuing to fail despite amazing teachers and
kick ass lessons
 There is an overrepresentation of African American students in
special education (especially under Emotional Disturbance)
 Why are they failing?
 Lots of reasons!

Stress, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, different learning styles, poor
nutrition, poor vision, lack of opportunity to learn, chaos at home,
processing issues, adolescent ridiculousness
 RTI is the process of learning why certain students are failing so
we can help them be successful
 Many steps can be taken to help student succeed prior to
referring them to special education
It’s the Law
 Under RTI, schools will consider most students for
special education services only after the students
have not responded to a series of timely, systematic,
increasingly focused and intensive research-based
interventions, which are the responsibility of the
regular education program.
 RTI is a part of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) signed into law
in 2004
What does RTI look like?
Tier 3(5-10%)
Intensive: Small Group/Individual
Tier 2 (10-15%)
Strategic: Small Groups/Lower class
size or pre-teach class
Tier 1 (80-90%)
Benchmark/ Universal Access: All
students
What does this mean for you?
 If a student is continually struggling academically or
behaviorally despite general classroom supports, you
may call on a problem-solving team to help figure out
the best way to support the student and how to best
mobilize these supports/help/intervention. That
problem solving team is our SST.
 Remember to invite all of the student’s teachers and
notify Cyndi Baker-Smith by filling out one of the
referral forms and putting it in her box.
 Put the date and time of the SST on the referral form.
 One of us will lead the SST
SST meeting
 At the SST meeting teachers will set an academic or
behavioral goal for the student and discuss possible
interventions and supports.
 The teachers will leave with a student check-in packet
that they will fill out over the following 6 weeks before
the next SST meeting.
 This packet will help monitor the student’s response to
the interventions put in place and be the data looked
at when the SST meets again. This data will direct the
team towards the best help for that student.
Interventions vs. Supports
 INTERVENTIONS
 Something you do with a student to build a specific skill.

Hot read/cold read, echo reading, pre-reading practice
 SUPPORTS
 Something you do to support a student who already has
the skills or to motivate him or her to do other skillbuilding activities

Student check-in, staying after school to finish work, seat
change
How to Intervene
 Tier 1 (80-90%): Universal Access
 Culturally and linguistically responsive instruction
 School-wide/classroom positive behavioral strategies
 High expectations and inclusive environment
 Researched-based differentiated instruction

i.e. identifying students who are not learning skills in PLCs
and planning small group work time to target skill building
 Progress monitoring
 Examples at Westlake
 After school program, parent resource center, schedule
change, Kagan strategies, lunchtime/afterschool help
How to Intervene
 Tier 2 (10-15%): Strategic
 SST process begins
 Small group, outside of core instructional time
Before/afterschool for 30-60 minutes
 Referral to learning center to work with intervention teacher
or specialist (i.e. Kate and Neku)
 Tier 1 continues plus more time, more focus, and more progress
monitoring
 Examples at Westlake
 Math strategies, conflict management, girls’/boys’ group,
modifications and accommodations in class

How to Intervene
 Tier 3 (5-10%): Intensive
 Increased frequency and duration of skill building help
 More frequent progress monitoring
 Intensify SST process
 Examples at Westlake

Read 180, individual counseling, one-on-one academic
intervention, behavior contract, more frequent use of the
learning center, referral to special education testing (last step)
Special Education Referral
 We have 60 days to complete the assessment once the
assessment plan is signed
 Expect students who are assessed to remain in your
classroom
 Common disabilities include:
 Specific Learning Disability (SLD)
 Emotional Disturbance (ED)
 ADHD (OHI)
 Speech and Language Impairment (SLI)
Questions???
 Please contact us anytime throughout the year
 We are here to support you and use us as a resource