Response to Intervention

RTI also know as Response to Intervention is a system put in place in classrooms to help ensure that no students fall through the cracks. It is imperative that students who begin to show signs of non-understanding receive intervention quickly as to get them back on track with the rest of the class (Johnson, 2012).

Formative assessments are key to RTI. With frequent formative assessments being conducted it should be easy for the teacher to identify students who need extra help. The tiered system also helps to maintain students in a mainstream environment while still providing the extra instruction that they need (Response to Intervention, 2008).

In my classroom I will pay close attention to formative assessments conducted daily and act on the results. I will be sure to provide students with the objective of what we are working on to help them place the new information within the bigger picture. I will make use of rubrics and other guiding materials like example student work to set up a clear framework of expectations. These expectations will be reviewed daily in different ways. I think it is also important to guide students to the level you would like them at without putting them down for not quite getting there. When students need extra help it will not be a shameful thing in my classroom. I want to create an environment that helps students reach their own goals and maintain pride along the way.

At times RTI might feel like juggling but it is imperative for the success of all of our students to act early and fast with intervention strategies when students show the first signs of falling behind.  I like the idea of setting up contracts with students that are struggling with key procedures in the classroom like turning in homework assignments and/or being disruptive. By involving the student in the monitoring of these behaviors it provides them with the power to make changes and be proud of their accomplishments. Contracts will be monitored weekly with pre-agreed upon rewards provided for those students who show improvement. In addition to contracts for struggling students I would like to have all of my students partake in goal setting and tracking to work on accountability and to help reinforce the high expectations in the classroom.

Every student in my classroom matters and it will be my job to help them work towards success the best way that they can.