Links

A PARENT’S GUIDE TO RESPONSE TO
INTERVENTION (RTI)

In order to comply with the Illinois State Board of Education’s mandate for all public schools, Tri-C Elementary and Carterville Intermediate Schools are devising a plan to ensure Response to Intervention (RTI).  This plan is aimed at providing all students with necessary interventions to be successful in the areas of reading, math, and behavior.  All public schools in Illinois must have a plan in place as of January 2009, and Carterville Unit 5 is well ahead of schedule in training faculty members in this process, designing a reading plan that meets our needs, and implementing the universal reading screenings to the first through eighth grade student body. 

The Response to Intervention process includes three universal screening assessments throughout the course of the school year.  We are beginning our plan in the area of reading and will be expanding to math and behavior components in subsequent years.  Each child will fall into one of three tiers based on screening results, as shown on back.  Throughout this process if your child should require an intervention beyond the scope of the classroom curriculum, you will be notified from his/her teacher or a school representative.  If you have questions regarding the RTI process, feel free to contact your student’s school or visit the district’s website for links to more extensive information about the state RTI plan (www.cartervillelions.com).  By working together through early interventions, we hope to help each student reach his or her potential for academic success.    

What is “Response to Intervention” or RTI?

RTI is a federal and state initiative intended to meet a wide range of individual student needs through general education services.  The regular classroom teacher and other personnel (other classroom teachers and educational specialists) can help meet the needs of individual students.  The goal of RTI is to provide students with the help they need to be successful as early as possible in their school career.

How does RTI work?

When a child begins to have some area of concern affecting his/her school progress the teacher will create an intervention plan designed to improve the student’s performance. If the child continues to have difficulty, the teacher will meet with a team of other staff members to discuss the child’s needs, consider other interventions, and outline a method to carefully monitor the child’s progress**.  The child’s progress is measured over time. If he/she makes acceptable progress the interventions may be discontinued (if sufficient progress is made) or continued (if the team feels the interventions are needed to help the student succeed). If the child continues to struggle then more intensive interventions may be tried.

**This team – referred to as the “RTI Team” – uses the insight and expertise of several different school staff members.  Team members contribute in different ways to the RTI process: offering suggestions, gathering data, and communicating with other staff and/or parents.  The team meets regularly to discuss and monitor student concerns.

 What is the role of the Parent in RTI?

Parents have an important role throughout the RTI process. Teachers will communicate concerns regarding their student and invite parent participation in telephone conversations and/or team meetings regarding their child. Parents provide insight into a child’s learning and development to understand the problem and why it occurs, plan and implement an intervention plan, and measure and evaluate the plan’s effectiveness.  Parents should contact their child’s teacher with any concerns regarding academics or behavior. 

Please contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions. We look forward to working together to help your child succeed.