week 14-1

THE IMPLICATIONS OF RTI FOR THE READING TEACHER (  assignment 1)

   RTI is not something you can buy or acquire. It is an attitude- to be aggressive about getting students to understand and read. RTI makes sure teaching is up to par and to catch the students before they fall, providing rich sufficient instructional response. 

   There are 3 or 4 tiers in the RTI. The FIRST is providing ALL students with high quality classroom teaching. The LAST  is moving students into supportive special ed programs. What is in between?

In class  extra instruction by the regular teacher or another teacher. It can be outside school time as well. There would be no need for special ed if the classroom is providing all the improvements necessary. We need the coordination of teachers, professionals and the students themselves to make these decisions.

    Reading teachers must possess a great scope of knowledge about reading. They need to know how to support decoding, phonological skills, reading fluency, vocabulary, comprehension strategies and reading motivation. Understanding sound, and instructional text are also crucial components. 

   Reading teachers can do many things and play many roles. one such way is by 

PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

    A well prepared teacher is step number one to high quality learning. Hence, the professional development. Observing, giving feedback and modeling are another way to provide this. Make sure teachers know the key elements of reading. These coaches should use classroom assessments across the school and look for patterns. Which classes are doing well, which aspects are successful in each classroom, is there a school wide gap etc.? The reading teacher can also target the struggling students instead of the whole class. Taking data helps reading professionals know what to target. Professional development has provided teachers with resources to upgrade their reading to reach ALL  students!

   As far as  INTERVENTIONS: This has been shown to eliminate the need for special ed placement and improve reading achievement long lasting! Push-ins can be so effective as long as their goals are based on learning data. Coordination with the push-in, pull-out and classroom teacher is key to success and of course to avoid confusion. The 4 key elements of success are: 

1. increase the amount of teaching ( work around the schedule so intervention does not replace classroom teaching.

2.Targeted teaching ( base instruction on said students level of skill and need)

3. Adjustment of instructional level (match students level)

4. Intensity of instruction( ie. create small group for focus and attention)

   Such instruction needs to (1) coordinate carefully with classroom reading instruction, (2) be based on student performance data, (3) increase the amount of teaching students receive, (4) emphasize specific student learning needs, (5) be adjusted to student reading level, and (6) be of sufficient intensity that student learning results. Reading teachers are essential for an effective RTI program.

WHAT TEACHERS OF READING NEED TO KNOW( assignment 2)

RTI  was developed because of many problems with the discrepancy model for identifying students with learning disabilites. RTI can tell us if students are developing at their peer level. First: we screen students on basic literacy. If they reach below benchmark age level, they are identifies as in need of help. The intervention is provided right away in small groups to develop important reading skills. Progress is continuously monitored throughout the year and must be reliable and brief. For students still struggling:  They might need more targeted instruction and possiblly additional testing to pinpoint their specific deficit. All professionals and teachers need to work collaboratively based on these results. Parents and teachers can then decide if special education is necessary while continually monitoring student progress and success rate. students response to intervention over a period of time will determine eligibility.

RTI has improved the quality of instruction at a rapid pace for struggling readers and we are catching them before too much damage is done through the 3 tiered approach of the RTI.