The Response to Intervention (RTI) process is one that has many facets. In 2015 (after the creation of this course) RTI was integrated through the federal enactment of the Every Student Succeeds Act into what is now known as Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) with the addition of social/emotional concerns. Certainly, there is plenty of information available about this, and Washington State’s public information about modern practices is particularly clear (Washington OSPI, 2020). This paper will not branch out to MTSS but will stay within the scope of RTI to discuss four main points: how students get identified for tiering, differentiation that is appropriate to some students within the tiers, how students are monitored within it, and some examples of vocabulary interventions.
Within the structure of RTI, three standard tiers are simply named 1, 2, and 3. Tier 1 is the most broadly applied, with a general assumption that about 80%-90% of student needs will be sufficiently addressed (Appelbaum, 2009; Johnson 2008). About 15% will need Tier 2, which is the first level of concerted interventions with a smaller percentage typically in need of more intense attention, and that is what is known as Tier 3. In order to be identified for Tiers 2 and 3 attention, students in the classroom need to be found through scientific means for fair isolation. As Fitzell tells us “Diagnostic assessments can include preassessments, measures of a student’s prior knowledge, baseline data, documented observations, or probing questions to assess student understanding” (Fitzell, 2011). These various assessments are valuable because they are both fair and helpful.
For example, if my tenth-grade class is studying Romeo and Juliet, looking towards discussing themes of love, violence, and satire, most students will need some sort of language support for this text that is hundreds of years old. That is representative of Tier 1 scaffolding. However, if some students continue to have pronounced difficulty after we’ve had some time practicing with the language together, they may need focused attention because of a lack of previous exposure to rhythmic reading or cultural abstraction. These students could be positively affected by a specialized grouping that allows them to practice the language patterns in a more isolated area of focus involving more explicit communication from me about how language evolves and has done so over time. A smaller group of students who continue to not grasp the material may need more explicit definitions and resources such as a broader emphasis on graphic organizers for visualization or worksheets such as what the Buck County, Pennsylvania school district has made publicly available (IRIS, 2008; Central Bucks, ND). Moving through this expanded volume of support material can be helpful for students to incorporate the vocabulary into their understanding but could slow down a class that is otherwise aiming to focus on the broader parables of the story.
Generally, when students are identified for Tier 2 or 3 intervention support, small groups or 1:1 work with a specialist becomes necessary. Some examples of how differentiation would look include having students work with a peer-tutor or specialist twice a week (Fitzell 2011). Students should work initially in the second tier for a period of time deemed either: sufficient to be helpful, or indicative of further attention. Students can either be held in the second tier or advance to Tier 3 because of further assessments (as named in paragraph two) that relate the efficacy of Tier 2 efforts. If a student is recognized as needing Tier 3 support, they are then given more intensive attention from teachers who will provide more complex scaffolding, 1:1 tutoring, or other such measures that can assist the student with their struggles. Differentiation should be individualized to the student’s unique needs. Perhaps they need a type of material that is closer to their realm of interest, or perhaps that which comes with simpler language (Fitzell 2011). Indeed, sometimes it is motivation rather than ability that is leading to the student’s output slump, and by attending to their interests, a teacher can help a student who is capable, but disinterested, while other students are more in need of support such as vocabulary expansion for success.
To maintain awareness on the part of the teacher, throughout all three tiers, there should be a consistent system of monitoring to keep track of their output. Some styles of monitoring were mentioned above generally but can be discussed more in-depth, here.
Preassessments that tell what students are bringing to the classroom are a first step in any classroom interaction. This universal screening is considerably integral to RTI and ultimately cannot be separated from the process (Appelbaum 2009).
From informal, formative, information gathering through conversation, to more structured inquiry that involves quizzes or tests that can be used to show technical awareness on a broad range of topics, gathering levels of prior knowledge is an important first step for a teacher in the path of monitoring any student’s abilities.
Documentable observations, such as the usage of taught vocabulary in appropriate context or successful application of particular skills such as a mathematical equation can offer a second area of teacher-monitoring that is helpful for recognition of student advancement. Using the feedback from those observations, a teacher can be cognizant of student needs and abilities in ways that will inform whether or not a student needs extra help.
Indeed, probing questions that can come in a variety of formats, such as discourse, impromptu presentation assignments, or tests can be another area of monitoring to inform administrative decisions.
Fitzell offers quite a lot of valuable information regarding vocabulary interventions (VI) with the third chapter of her 2011 text focused on exactly that. Her structure to consider VI is a frame based on describing how to go about individual lessons to manifest a learning exercise. For example: “Using vocabulary mapping to acquire new vocabulary” is a heading to describe the mapping strategy she leads with (Fitzell, 2011). After touching on research, she begins with learning objectives, expected difficulties, materials needed, and expected time frame, and continues to describe procedures for how to go about the strategy in each individual tier.
Tier 1 is characterized by whole-class participation, group work, and presentations at the close of the class so that students can share their work with the class. This would be a VI that is created for all students, such as a short list of words that are archaic with their modern equivalents, listed, and presented in a way that students can practice using them briefly so that they are not unnecessarily confusing during initial readings of the passage.
Tier 2 is characterized by smaller groups, smaller lists of words to work with, and does not have presentations illustrated. This VI could include workgroups that expand discussion around word patterns, including extra teacher involvement to explicitly describe how portions of the text in question (such as Romeo and Juliet) are put together. Realistically, a student may have never read a play, may be coming from another language and need more discussion around the obscure linguistic aspects, or may have a lower reading capacity due to practice. Any of these reasons and more can lead to justification for Tier 2 support, and each iteration of support will correspond appropriately, may it be for one reason or another.
Tier 3 is differentiated by isolating a student with a specialist in a non-descript arrangement “to master the skill” (Fitzell, 2011). More explicit instruction for students who are having pronounced issues with the material will be helpful. As with the worksheets that come from the Central Bucks School District, there are plenty of materials and styles available to address a piece of literature from (Central Bucks, ND). What the job of a teacher is, is to find a type that works for an individual student. Sometimes, a student is socially, academically, or physically unprepared for the work that their classmates are doing well with. These students will need something like worksheets that explicitly lay out cloze reading, practice, and integrated use of material that allows for tangible, incremental growth so they can then return to the source text with the hope of achievements that are more accessible than what they had been working with.
Indeed, the expansion of focus from only academic ability (RTI alone) to include social/emotional needs (MTSS) was smart and kind when it came in the structure of the federal legislation known as the Every Student Succeeds Act. The three tiers of RTI combine for a thoughtful structure of its own that has been well-hewed through time. I look forward to reading more modern research and literature on the matter, incorporating the last ten vibrant years that are not represented in the materials of this course, for what they might add through their representation of modern studies and techniques.
References
Appelbaum, Maryln. (2009). The One-Stop Guide to Implementing RTI : Academic and Behavioral Interventions, K-12. Corwin. https://eds.p.ebscohost.com/eds/ebookviewer/ebook?sid=0c61acb1-bd48-40df-a276-9024000e9f77%40redis&ppid=pp_1&vid=0&format=EB. Accessed April 2024.
Central Bucks School District, Pennsylvania (not dated). Romeo and Juliet Vocabulary. https://www.cbsd.org/cms/lib/PA01916442/Centricity/Domain/1793/romeojulietvocablistsandactivities.doc. Accessed April 2024.
Fitzell, Susan A. Gingras (2011). RTI Strategies for Secondary Teachers, Corwin Press. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/westerngovernors-ebooks/detail.action?docID=6261923. Created from westerngovernors-ebooks on 2024-04-16 22:25:53.
Johnson, Evelyn S., Pool, Juli, Carter, Deborah R., (2008). Screening for Reading Problems in Grades 4 through 12. RTI Action Network. Boise State University. http://www.rtinetwork.org/essential/assessment/screening/screening-for-reading-problems-in-grades-4-through-12. Accessed April 2024.
Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Education, (2020). Washington State’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports. https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2023-10/washington_s-mtss-framework-document.pdf. Accessed April 2024.