Blog 12: Response to Intervention (RTI)

Nicholas Matuszewski

Blog 12

Educ. 361

10/31/2011

Response to Intervention (RTI)

            RTI is finding out a student’s strengths and weaknesses in how they learn and understand what is being taught. By figuring out these strengths and weaknesses teachers can use this information to be able to better teach their students according to their learning abilities. This can lead to getting assistance in the classroom or having the student(s) qualify for special education. This can be difficult for teachers due to the fact that students possess wide ranges of learning abilities.

            RTI differs from special education in that RTI is figuring out how to successfully teach to all students in the classroom where special education is based more on helping students who struggle with learning by giving them mostly one on one help with a person who is specialized in special education. While all parents want their kids to pass RTI so their kids don’t fall under the category of needing special education, the fact that many students who pass the RTI may need specialized help remains and the parents may not realize this. Students falling in the gray area of the RTI, which is where a student isn’t considered as learning disabled but is close enough to where they more than likely need more help, have a good chance of struggling even more in school because they cannot get the help they need based on their RTI. Having special education in schools is expensive making it limited for school to decide which students can receive special education.

            RTI is good for a teacher to figure out how to better teach their students. While this helps teachers understand how their students learn, it also can hurt a teacher by having gray area students who are struggling hinder the learning of the other students. It is hard for a teacher to meet state testing requirements if they have to focus a lot of their time on trying to get the slower students caught up or on task. This can get the teacher behind in their lessons. Teachers can’t do everything on their own they need outside help as well. Parents need to understand RTI, what their child’s learning abilities are, and how they can help their child at home. By getting parents more involved and understanding their child’s RTI ranking, teachers will be greatly helped and able to continue moving forward with teaching their students.

            RTI can help students by qualifying them for the help they need but can also hinder their learning. Sure money is usually the deciding factor when it comes to whether or not a school has the resources to provide help for struggling students. But there are other ways teachers and students can get help. By getting parents to understand their child’s learning abilities teachers can get cheap and much needed help. I feel that parents don’t really know what RTI is and don’t fully realize what it means where their child’s learning abilities rank. By educating parents about RTI and what it means, parents will have a better understanding of what they can and have to do to help their child become a better learner. They will realize that the teacher is limited in what they can do and any help parents can bring to the table would be great for both students and teachers. Every child is special. Special education helps students who are slow and higher learners. RTI simply tells teachers where their students rank and if they qualify for special education. Without outside help, teachers will continue to struggle with getting their students to understand and get through all that needs to being taught.