Response to Intervention Information for Parents
What is RtI?
RtI stands for Response to Intervention. It is an approach schools use to help ALL students, including average, gifted and struggling learners. It is not a special kind of program or book; rather it is a systematic approach to providing every student within a school the support they need on a regular basis.
Many schools in the State of Wisconsin are using this approach to make sure that every student has opportunities to learn at high levels. The goal of RtI is to help all students be successful. Wisconsin’s vision for RtI addresses both academics and behavior, and uses a strengths-based model to systematically provide ALL students with the supports they need to succeed. Various stakeholders from across the state have developed the following guiding principles that provide the vision for an RtI framework in schools and also to serve as a reference point for assessing an enacted system:
• RtI is for ALL children and ALL educators
• RtI must support and provide value to effective practices
• Success for RtI lies within the classroom through collaboration
• RtI applies to both academics and behavior
• RtI supports and provides value to the use of multiple assessments to inform instructional practices
• RtI is something you do and not necessarily something you buy
• RtI emerges from and supports research and evidence-based practice.
(Wisconsin Response to Intervention: A Guiding Document, Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction, 2010)
Why is RtI discussed so frequently in schools?
RtI is getting a lot of attention now. Some new federal laws have directed schools to focus more on helping all children learn by addressing problems earlier before the child is so far behind that a referral to special education services is warranted. These laws include the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004. Both laws underscore the importance of providing high quality, scientifically-based instruction, and interventions, and hold schools accountable for the progress of all students in terms of meeting grade level standards.
Do all schools in the State of Wisconsin have to implement RtI?
Although districts are encouraged to fully implement a RtI framework, RtI, as articulated by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), is not required. However, it should be noted that schools that have embraced the RtI process, as envisioned by the State of Wisconsin, are seeing great things happen. These schools see results because they have established a clear organizational framework for achieving higher levels of academic and behavioral success for ALL students. The framework the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction envisions for full implementation of RtI is one that applies to the education of ALL students and it requires significant systems change in order to support ALL students.
Resources/Documents Related to RtI
Interventions That Work: The Why Behind RtI
The above link will take you to an article from Educational Leadership magazine from October 2010, suggesting the right and wrong questions to ask about implementing RtI. Educational Leadership is published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
RtI Resources for Parents and Students
This site will help continue your involvement in the RtI conversation and help you learn more about Wisconsin RtI and how you can help your student.
Wisconsin DPI Information
In Wisconsin, there is a vision for RtI that is supported by the Department of Public Instruction. There are three essential elements of high-quality instruction; balanced assessment and collaboration, which systematically interact within a multi-level system of support to provide the structures to increase success for all students. This site provides an abundance of information on what RtI is, and what the vision is for its implementation.
Wisconsin Response to Intervention: A Guiding Document, Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction, 2010
To assist Wisconsin education leaders with planning for Response to Intervention (RtI), DPI, in partnership with Wisconsin education stakeholders, has developed this informational brief. This brief is intended to provide guidance for implementation of RtI and should not be read as an administrative rule. This brief provides Wisconsin’s vision for RtI, shares a definition and an accompanying visual model for RtI, reviews essential elements of RtI, highlights existing state resources for getting started, responds to frequently asked questions, and includes a glossary of terms.
Response to Intervention at our Buildings
| Abrams Elementary | Oconto Falls Elementary | Washington Middle | Oconto Falls High School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abrams RtI Manual | OFES RtI Manual | Forthcoming… | OFHS RtI Rationale |
| Title I Brochure | OFHS RtI Perceived Strengths | ||
| Explanation of Tiers | |||
| ESSA Data |