RTI² – General Education & Special Education Implications

In our last post, we discussed the supports needed for a successful transition to the more rigorous Common Core State Standards (CCSS). And we applauded Tennessee for rolling out their Response to Instruction & Intervention (RTI²) initiative simultaneously with CCSS. The timing is not accidental. RTI² is the support system for those struggling to adapt to CCSS.

But let’s look at an individual case to examine how RTI² will impact how we deliver both general education and special education services.

Take Chris (not his real name), a 6^th grader with a diagnosed learning disability. Chris came to Grizzlies Prep this year without even a basic grasp of the alphabet. His previous school had placed him in a special education classroom several years ago, presumably to get extra support, but he still left elementary school without the most basic of literacy skills.

RTI² calls for a different type of support for scholars like Chris.

RTI²: Response to Instruction & Intervention

Instead of removing him from the general education classroom, we believe strongly that Chris should be included in the full life of the school, be held to rigorous grade-level expectations, and have access to the same challenging curriculum as his non-disabled peers. That high-level instruction from a great core content teacher is a big piece of the first “I” (Instruction) in RTI².

Now, there are things we have to do to ensure that Chris can access the general curriculum, and we follow the principles of Universal Design for Learning, using multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement.

Consultation and consultative services are the first level of achieving access. We start by reviewing materials, then modifying the text on assignments. You see, Chris is an intelligent guy, and he can comprehend grade-level ideas just fine. He just couldn’t read when he entered our school – and still doesn’t read well. So, we have to give him access, which we do by differentiating assignment packets.

Every scholar is working on the same skill, but they may do so in different ways. Some scholars, like Chris, have texts differentiated down to their 1^st grade reading level, while others have texts differentiated up to their 9^th grade reading level.

Likewise, because writing is difficult for Chris, we try to use a lot of oral drills and oral assessment with him when possible.

We also work with core content teachers to build their capacity by reading lesson plans, coaching, modeling, observing, and giving feedback on how to meet the needs of all scholars. This is something we do in two layers. One, there is the general level, with a focus on the entire class. Next, we look at individual scholars, particularly our most struggling scholars and our scholars with disabilities. (At most schools, this would be about 15% of students, but 25% of our scholars have disabilities and then there are several addition scholars who are more than three years behind grade-level.)

We believe strongly in inclusion at Grizzlies Prep. But it’s important not to think of inclusion as a service. It’s a setting – and in the inclusion setting, we provide co-teaching special education services. Parallel teaching, team teaching, and one teach/one assist are the co-teaching strategies we use the most. The importance here is having multiple voices, smaller teacher-scholar ratios, and more individualized learning.

And, importantly, we don’t just limit our support to Reading and Math, the “AYP subjects.” We are data-driven and put services where they are needed the most. Sometimes scholars actually need more support in Science and Social Studies, because of the amount of reading and the technical language involved, than in Language Arts.

RTI²: Response to Instruction & Intervention

So far, we’ve only discussed the main general education core content classes. But what about the extra help Chris needs to catch up – the second “I” (Intervention) in RTI²?

This is where many schools use pull-out or even self-contained special education classes. Sometimes these classes may be in addition to the general education class, but most of the time the special education class actually serves as a replacement.

We don’t accept these options. We do offer intensive small group instruction in addition to the main core content class, but following the RTI² framework these intervention classes are needs-based rather than category-based. In other words, they are not special education classes. The data determines which scholars need these classes, not whether or not they have a diagnosed disability. Some scholars receiving intensive interventions have IEPs, but (a) not all scholars with IEPs need these interventions and (b) many scholars who don’t have IEPs need these interventions.

RTI²: Before and After

If we look back at Chris, let’s compare his schedule last year at his previous school versus his schedule this year at Grizzlies Prep. Last year, Chris was in a special education classroom for all core content classes because he couldn’t read. This year, Chris participates in the general education program alongside his nondisabled peers. He receives two blocks of both Math and Reading/Language Arts. In addition, he takes a Wilson Reading class, our Tier III general education reading intervention, daily with our literacy specialist. And, even though he never learned to read in six years of elementary school, Chris is on pace to be reading on a 3^rd grade level by the end of the year.

Here’s the brilliance of RTI². Kids don’t have to be diagnosed with a disability to receive extra support to help them catch up. Intervention classes are part of the general education program, so all kids who need remediation should get it, and special education services can focus on helping students with disabilities meet grade-level expectations. As a general rule, special education services focus on supporting needs that are directly related to a disability, while intervention services help kids catch up in areas where they are behind.

Next week, we’ll discuss the shifts in funding, personnel, and resource allocation necessary to make RTI² possible.

James Aycock is currently the Director of Scholar Support at Grizzlies Prep, an all-boys public charter middle school located in downtown Memphis. He previously served as the founding Special Education Coordinator with Tennessee’s Achievement School District, after several years as a special educator and baseball coach at Westside Middle School in the Frayser community of North Memphis. Contact him at [email protected] with questions or to learn more about Grizzlies Prep’s RTI system.