Response to Intervention is a new way of diagnosing Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD). Before RTI, there was only one model of diagnosing an SLD, that was called the discrepancy model, also called the wait-to-fail model. I'm going to describe that and then go on to describe RTI. I am going to say this on the outset so you may be thinking about it while reading everything else in this post. RTI basically takes the discrepancy model and turns it on its head and succeeds where at every point, the discrepancy model fails.
The discrepancy model is the usual way of diagnosing students with SLD in the state of Minnesota. I will now describe what it is. The discrepancy model requires that students IQs be assessed. If they are above 80 IQ, then they can be diagnosed with an SLD. If they are below, they cannot. Now that we have the IQ, we need to give assessment tests (tests that assess how much the student achieves). There is then an equation that assesses whether they have a disability or not.
You might think that there isn't really anything wrong with this, and that is okay. I am now going to give you the two main problems that I see. Students can be diagnosed if they have an IQ of 75 and below; students can be diagnosed with an SLD if they have an IQ of 80 and above. Do you see the problem here? There are 4 IQ points where if students fall in those 4 points, they can't be diagnosed with DCD and they can't be diagnosed with SLD.
Here is the other problem with the discrepancy model. The equation requires that students have a low achievement. So let's use the example of a student in 1st grade who reads at a medium kindergarten level. He gets to 2nd grade and reads at a high kindergarten level now, but can't be diagnosed with an SLD. He gets to 3rd grade and now he is reading at a low 1st grade level, no diagnosis because he isn't achieving low enough. In 4th grade, he is now reading at a medium 1st grade level, and still can't be diagnosed with an SLD. 5th grade, he is is still reading at a 1st grade level and finally, he is diagnosed with an SLD. So, it is called the wait-to-fail model because he has to wait until 5th grade to finally be diagnosed with a SLD because he is not achieving low enough.
So how does RTI relate to this? How does it take the discrepancy model and turn it on its head and succeeds where everything in the discrepancy model fails? RTI first of all is A GENERAL EDUCATION INITIATIVE, this means it is not special education, but general education.
RTI intensifies the curriculum so that students can learn more. Look above at the triangle, the intensification of the curriculum is the first tier. There are three tiers in most RTI programs, some have four or five up to seven. Johnny is a 2nd grade student who is in a school that just started RTI. He is having a hard time in reading and once the intensive instruction is implemented in his class, he still has a hard time with this. The staff decide to move him to tier 2, which means that he is receiving an extra 20 minutes of instruction per day in combination with the general education curriculum. So, it is NOT special education because he is still in the general education class and is now getting an extra 20 minutes by the teacher. Johnny is still struggling at this point, so staff moves him up to tier 2. This adds an extra 20 minutes. So now, Johnny is receiving the full general education curriculum, 20 minutes of extra instruction, and 20 MORE minutes of extra instruction. Johnny still has a really hard time, so they refer him to special education. And BAM! Johnny is diagnosed with an SLD in 2nd grade.
Do you see that? The discrepancy model waits for Johnny to get to 5th grade when he is reading at a 1st grade level to diagnose him with an SLD. RTI gives him intensive instruction, then more instruction, and then even more instruction, then finally refers him to special education. He is not waiting to fail, he is being educated more intensively and then diagnosed with an SLD.
I just want to remind you again RTI IS GENERAL EDUCATION NOT SPECIAL EDUCATION. Look into it more if you are curious because I would imagine that it would help students immensely whether they have disabilities or not.
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