RtI at Willow
RtI at Willow School
"All children will learn. All children will be served."
What is RtI?
“The goal is for the school to intervene, or step in, and start helping before anyone falls really far behind.”
When you walk in to any classroom, you will often find that students are working at a range of different levels. Our classroom teachers work hard to meet the needs of all of their students throughout the day during the classroom. However, there are some students who need more support that their classroom teacher is unable to provide. It is for these students, that a more focused intervention is needed.
The word intervention is key to understanding what RTI is all about. The goal is for the school to intervene, or step in, and start helping before anyone falls really far behind. RTI isn’t a specific program or type of teaching. It’s a proactive approach to measuring students’ skills and using this data to decide which types of targeted teaching to use
What are the “Tiers”?
After it has been determined by teachers, administrators and specialists that your child would benefit from additional RtI services, your child is then placed in a level of intervention, Tier 2 or Tier 3.
Tier 2: Small Group Interventions
If your child isn’t making adequate progress in classroom, they will start to receive more targeted help. This is in addition to the regular classroom instruction, not a replacement for it. Tier 2 interventions at Willow School take place every day during the grade level "WIN (What I Need) Time." This is a specific time of the school day where all students are receiving additional instruction to meet their needs. Your child will not be missing any core or specials classes.
During these extra help sessions, they will be taught in small groups focusing on the classroom content but using a different method than in in the classroom. The interventionist will work hard on staying on pace or close to pace as the classroom teacher. In this situation Tier 2 intervention becomes a small group, reteach of classroom components.
Tier 3: Intensive Interventions
If your child has shown significant gaps in learning or is not making progress in Tier 2 interventions, it is usually recommended that he or she be placed in a Tier 3 intervention. Once again, this is a small group intervention (usually only 3-4 students) during the grade level WIN time. However, rather then focusing solely on classroom skills and goals, the interventionist will work at your child's specific level and meet their needs.
Final Thoughts:
The RtI process and tiers are designed to be fluid throughout the grade levels. This means, that one child might change from different tiers within one school year or throughout their education. Teachers and interventionists are consistently monitoring ALL of our students' progress in order to meet their needs throughout the school year.
If you have any questions about your child's placement or the RtI process, please feel free to contact me at any time.