THE ABCs OF IEPs

By Sheila Wolfe - IEP Services

Identifying students that require special education can be a challenging task. How do you determine if a student that is struggling simply needs a little bit of extra help or a completely different approach to their education? Often the answer lies with a process referred to as RTI (Response to Intervention).

Schools should always be engaged in “best practices” when educating students. “Best practices” are defined as strategies, activities, or approaches that have been shown through research and evaluation to be effective and/or efficient for most students. In other words, best practices deliver instruction through techniques, methods, and processes that allow for fewer problems and maximum student benefit with minimal effort.

By using best practices, schools expect students to be able to learn and progress at a “typical” rate. To assess whether students are progressing at an appropriate rate, schools use screening tools/evaluations to chart student progress. These are often referred to as “baseline” and “benchmark” assessments. Typically, these tests are given three times per year: when students return to school in the fall; at the end of the first semester; and in the spring. Students who do not perform as expected can be referred to the RTI program for additional instruction to “catch up” with their peers.

RTI originated as a medical model and has been adapted for educational practice: 1. Prevention (best practices) 2.Annual checkups (universal screening/baseline assessments) 3. Irregularities noted (“at-risk” students identified) 4.Diagnosis (source of the problem is identified) 5. Prescription (intervention is administered) 6.Response to treatment evaluated (progress monitoring data is analyzed) 7. New prescription if needed (change intensity, method, duration of intervention) 8.Cure or referral to specialist (catch up with peers or special education referral)

Typical RTI plans have three tiers or levels of intensity. Tier one usually involves more intense instruction in the general education setting but in small groups. Tier two includes additional instruction (on top of the regular classroom instruction), usually outside the general education classroom in small groups. Tier three is the most intense form of intervention and is typically one-on-one instruction outside the general education setting.

For RTI to be meaningful and effective, a set of strict rules and schedules must be followed. Students must receive scientific, research-based instruction (What Works Clearinghouse: https:// ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/) that is administered with fidelity from carefully trained and monitored teachers. Data must be collected every 1-2 weeks on student progress. Criteria must be established for expected student growth/progress. If the criteria are not met by the deadline set forth in the RTI program (typically about 8 weeks), students must be moved to the next tier of intervention without delay.

Here’s an example: Tim has been identified as an “at-risk” student through a baseline assessment done at the beginning of the school year. He begins to receive Tier One small group instruction during the language arts reading period. Tim’s progress is monitored every 2 weeks using a DIBELS assessment. At the end of 8 weeks, the RTI team reviews Tim’s scores. As a beginning second-grade student, Tim was expected to score a 52 on his Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) test. He scored a 40. After 8 weeks of intervention, Tim scored a 45 on the ORF. By mid-year, Tim should score a 72 on the ORF. Clearly, Tim is not making progress at a rate that will allow him to score a 72 by the end of the semester. He is referred to Tier Two intervention.

Problems occur frequently with RTI programs that do not appropriately evaluate student progress and make timely decisions to increase the intensity of intervention. Some schools may claim that Tim was making progress since he increased his score from 40 to 45 in eight weeks, and the same intervention should continue. But the goal of RTI must be to close any gap that exists between a student’s current level of functioning and the level expected of a “typical student” at that grade level. If this gap cannot be closed within the school year, the RTI team must decide whether the student should be referred for special education evaluation.

It is important for parents to know if their child is receiving “extra” help through a school’s RTI program. Monitoring the student’s progress is critical to assure there is no delay in either advancing the student to the next tier of RTI when appropriate or referring the student for a full educational evaluation to see if they qualify for special education.

Next month we will examine how to appropriately evaluate student progress. Parents can learn more about RTI at: https://www.interventioncentral.org/ http://www.rtinetwork.org/ learn/what/whatisrti https://youtu.be/S-y2v1a5XRU.

IEP IEP Services, Services, LLC LLC

Sheila A. Wolfe Special Education Consultant Integrated Educational Programming

Please email for more information. sheilawolfe@sbcglobal.net

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