Tips, Tools and Technology for Educators

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a method developed to provide research-based instruction to students with learning disabilities or students who are at-risk. RTI uses a three tiered approach to monitor student progress and identify whether each student is receiving sufficient instruction.

This graph describes the group of students assessed in each tier and placed into instruction as part of the RTI process:

According to a recent article posted in the T.H.E. Journal on RTI, 80-85% of students were placed in Tier 1, 10-15% in Tier 2, and only 1-5% then moved to Tier 3.

Schools that want to successfully implement RTI are required to develop systems to assess their students' learning skills, monitor the changes as methods are implemented, and repeat the process when it works. They are also required to use appropriate progress monitoring to measure and record student progress.

There are several Reading and Math software programs that can help schools with the implementation of an intervention program. The Smart Tutor program provides a way to improve reading and math skills by assessing and evaluating students' needs on several skill levels and then automatically supplying explicit differentiated instruction. Student progress is monitored and tracked on a continuous basis. Classroom reports and individual student reports are readily accessible, allowing teachers to easily monitor how their students are doing at any given time. In addition, the system allows for immediate RTI implementation as principals and administrators are able to see how their students are performing without having to ask teachers for progress reports. Most teachers using the Smart Tutor program to comply with RTI find that the additional tools provided (such as the "Teacher Assignment" tool) meet the requirement for giving instruction in specific areas where students may struggle.

Software such as Smart Tutor offers a new way to identify and instruct each child using an individualized learning system in order to improve academic performance and help prevent the escalation of at-risk students to Tier 3. It also provides teachers with a faster and easier way to implement RTI in their classrooms without investing a significant amount of time during the process and/or having to seek out information from several different places in order to evaluate whether the process is working. In addition, Smart Tutor's pricing options enable principals and district administrators to apply the RTI model in their schools and districts despite tightening educational budgets.

RTI is a useful model that can help address the current crisis in education. Tools such as Smart Tutor and other software programs can go a long way in assisting schools to implement an RTI model successfully, monitor progress and fulfill its purpose.

For more information on how Smart Tutor works, please contact us at info@learningtoday.com