MTSS/RTI
Tiered instruction and support programs are often implemented on a school or district-wide level. Response to Intervention (RTI) and Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) are common programs that provide a framework for assessment, delivery of instruction, provision of supports, and guidelines for referrals for eligibility in special education. The law requires that teams document efforts to support students in general education settings before they can be referred for special education evaluation. Not all students who struggle have a documented disability or meet eligibility requirements. Teachers and staff must address screening and assessment to identify the needs of students and make data-driven decisions regarding delivery of instruction, needed supports, and referrals when necessary for additional supports and services. RTI is a framework that includes general supports for all students, supports that are more specific for at-risk students, and identification of students who need interventions that are more intensive.
Select a grade level “Class Profile” relevant to your field of study and imagine you are the classroom teacher for these students. Review the profile and formulate a small group of students with whom you will implement RTI strategies. Using this group as an example, create a 15-20 slide digital presentation providing an introduction to the RTI for new educators.
Within your presentation, provide:
An overview of RTI and MTSS, including an explanation of the tiers and how these systems can be used to enhance and adapt instruction.
An explanation of the role of the child study team.
A discussion and examples of the types of data collected throughout the RTI process.
An explanation of what factors determine appropriate student placement within the RTI tiers. Refer to your example student group to illustrate specific ideas.
An explanation of how the RTI model can help meet the needs of students without disabilities and as a means of adapting instruction prior to evaluating students for a disability.
Five examples of research-based intervention strategies that you will use with students in your example student group who are struggling in English language, arts, or mathematics. Include justification for each intervention strategy.
Description of the data that would be collected as part of implementing the research-based intervention strategies. Explain how this data could be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the RTI strategies and how this information could be used as justification for testing for possible special education eligibility.
