Response to instruction and intervention (RtI2) in LAUSD: Reading and the special needs student

October 31, 7:20 PMLA Special Education ExaminerDr. Kari Miller

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Proper support for learning to read is fundamental.

Photo courtesy of PhotoXpress.com

In 2004, the federal government set new guidelines for effective instruction in core disciplines, including reading. IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, strengthened the requirements for identifying and educating students with disabilities.

One approach to both identification and instruction that has gained widespread acceptance is Response to Intervention. Broadly speaking Response to Intervention provides increased instructional services to struggling learners to help them succeed.

The implementation of this approach in LAUSD is termed Response to Instruction and Intervention or RtI2. According to LAUSD Policy Bulletin BUL-4827.1, “The RtI2 framework establishes a process of providing increasing levels of instructional time and intensity whereby the needs of all learners are identified, supported early and effectively, and high performing students have access to acceleration in learning.”

Instructional decisions are based upon a student’s response to research-based, high-quality, instruction.  LAUSD has set up three levels, or tiers, of support which are anchored in instruction guided by frequent monitoring to determine the appropriate level of service provided to the student.

The tiers define a regular education instruction process that is designed to provide the proper intensity of services regardless of a student’s qualifying exceptionality. In other words, tiers are not self-contained special education classes. Since these tiers are provided within the regular education framework, participation in a tier is not dependent upon whether a student is qualified for special education services. All students have access to all of the following three tiers.

TIER 1
This level is termed “Core Instruction” and is the core instructional program to which all students have access. This instruction includes research-based instructional methods, adaptation in the methods used to teach and assess students, periodic assessments and efforts by teachers to provide needed support to students who have difficulty.

Students who are qualified to receive special education assistance may be placed in Tier 1. There are three kinds, or “layers,” of support that can be provided to special education students in this tier:

• Classroom accommodations
• Co-planning between regular and special education teachers
• Collaborative co-teaching between special and regular education teachers

When assessments indicate that students are not progressing according to expectations, more intensive services are provided at Tier 2.

TIER 2
This more intensive level of support is termed “Strategic or Supplemental Intervention” and is provided to students in addition to Tier 1 instruction. Students receiving instruction in Tier 2 are generally reading up to two years below grade level.

In addition to the three layers of support provided to special education students in Tier 1, students receiving Tier 2 instruction may also receive direct instruction from special education personnel. Some students may receive a temporary boost from a short placement in the resource room (RSP) for tutorial sessions. The Special Education Coordinator manages this intervention.

At the elementary level, students may receive specialized, small group instruction in any one of a number of research-based reading, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension programs.

Another program provided at this tier is the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. This is a college prep program provided in middle and high schools to students whose family background does not include members who have been to college. This program provides encouragement to students to aspire to and qualify for college admittance. Special education students have access to this program in subject areas in which their grades are at least average, if they meet the other qualification.

Also at this tier, the LACER program provides after-school tutoring and help with homework.

The Beyond the Bell program provides support to Title 1 students. This program provides special instruction on Saturdays targeted to boosting students’ interest in reading and writing, as well as a “boot camp” at the high school level, to prepare students to pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE).

TIER 3
This level of instruction is known as “Intensive Intervention,” and is provided to students who require significant support to succeed. Students in this tier require different methods, curricula, and approaches than those provided at Tiers 1 and 2.

At the elementary level, one program used to help students in this tier is the Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing program which builds students’ awareness of the sound structure of the English language so they can develop decoding skills.

One program at the level in middle and high schools is the Developing Readers and Writers (DRW) program, which provides intensive reading instruction in smaller groups. The most commonly used reading curriculum in the DRW program is the Read 180 program.  Another reading program that is used at this level is the Language! program.

Some special education students at this tier receive help from adult aides in the classroom.

Read the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Position Paper on Elementary Literacy — Special Education, Students with Mild/Moderate Disabilities

Read the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Position Paper on Secondary Instruction and Services — Students with Disabilities Accessing the Core Curriculum

To connect with Dr. Kari Miller
Website
Email: klmiller555@sbcglobal.net
Phone: (310) 280-9813

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