{"id":4749,"date":"2013-07-31T16:19:12","date_gmt":"2013-07-31T16:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/?p=4749"},"modified":"2023-11-08T10:26:48","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T18:26:48","slug":"what-is-rti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/iep\/what-is-rti\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is RTI? Finding Ways to Help Every Child"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Image Courtesy of teachingwhatworks.blogspot.com<\/p><\/div>\n

The line between disabilities<\/i> and differences<\/i> can be subtle, and if your child is struggling in school you might be wondering on which side of the line your child stands. A new approach to helping parents and teachers make this determination is RTI \u2013 or Response to Intervention.<\/p>\n

IDEA, IEP, and RTI \u2013 What are the Differences?<\/h2>\n

Education is a process of evolving ideas and methods for teaching and learning, and part of that evolution process is determining how to best help students who are struggling in school. In 1975 Congress enacted IDEA \u2013 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act<\/a> \u2013 in order to better serve students with disabilities. Then along came the IEP \u2013 or Individualized Education Program \u2013 which is directly tied to IDEA. The IEP is designed to help those students who are identified with a disability<\/a> get the special education services that will be most beneficial to them.<\/p>\n

But what if your child is struggling and you or even the education professionals just aren\u2019t sure why? Sometimes speech and communication delays are not diagnosed as disabilities, but are still interfering with your child\u2019s ability to succeed in the classroom. The RTI can be a tool to determine how to best help your child succeed in school. Speech, communication, processing, and even behavior issues can all be assessed through an initial RTI evaluation.<\/p>\n

How Does the RTI Work?<\/h3>\n
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Image Courtesy of blog.edmentum.com<\/p><\/div>\n

In 2004 RTI was proposed as a way to empower educators to help students who show signs of struggle, but who aren\u2019t necessarily obviously dealing with a formal disability. The goal of RTI is to identify the students who are at risk, address both academic and behavior issues, and to improve learning and performance in schools.<\/p>\n

Unlike IEPs, an RTI program is not a mandated, formal policy adopted by every school. In fact, there are differing opinions as to how best to follow an RTI plan. The first and most prevalent opinion is that the RTI should be looked at like a triangular model. There are various tiers and students are identified, monitored, and reassessed on a predictable schedule<\/a>.<\/p>\n