Getting Started

Provide training

The members of the School RtI Leadership Team should understand:

• the Response to Intervention framework;
• the expectations for student achievement set forth in IDEA and NCLB legislation;
• data driven instruction; and
• curriculum-based measurement.

Identify members of the RtI Problem Solving Team

·         Schools should initially expect to have 6-8 members commit to regular involvement.

·         Members should be a mixture of staff including general education teachers, special educators, related services staff, support personnel, etc.

·         Assign roles for each team meeting (e.g., facilitator, scribe, parent liaison, student data, etc.). Team members may assume different roles throughout the year.

Create your school’s pyramid of research-based interventions

·         Arrange the school’s current research-based intervention strategies and programs into the three tiers.

·         Interventions can exist in more than one tier when modified by intensity, duration and frequency.

·         Ensure the school’s intervention pyramid is available to the Team and school staff.

Determine steps in the RtI referral process.

·         This generally incorporates gathering student data that reflects documented gaps or problems with academic skills, academic performance, or behavior.  (See the RtI Problem Solving Team Referral form on this website for an example).

Establish a clear team process

• Generate norms for meetings including regular meeting times.
• Decide how parents will be included in the process.
• Create a system for collecting and analyzing data.
• Create a decision-making process for student movement between tiers.
• Practice team roles and meeting procedures before scheduling the first teacher referral to include:

o       examining data;

o       prioritizing student achievement gaps or behavioral issues;

o       establishing a hypothesis and goal as the basis for action planning;

o       creating an action plan with measurable objectives, specific interventions, and data collection process.

Communicate with faculty, staff and parents about the Problem Solving Team process.

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