Frequently asked questions about RTI!

Q: Why would one school do RTI and another would not?
A: There is a perception that there is a lot of work associated with using RTI. Many times schools may have a lot of veteran teachers that find older methods to be working in their classroom and feel they do not need to change the set up.

Q: How much more teaching training is needed to understand RTI?
A: Actually, many methods used in RTI are already being implemented in the classroom through regular instruction.  I have found that "Article 7" is a very useful tool in understanding Indiana's outlook on Special Education laws!

Q: Are the tiers a statewide thing or basic principals?
A: The tiers are just basic principal but many school will make different generalizations based on what works for their curriculum.

Q: Why wouldn't all teachers want to do RTI?
A: Much like question #1, teachers may feel that there would be a lot of extra work involved in this process. They may also feel that they are not well equipped to handle RTI, when again, they may already be modeling different steps in their classroom right now.

Q:How can parents collaborate with teachers to make RTI happen?
A: The biggest thing that parents can do is be honest about the struggles that they are seeing at home. This will help the teacher to understand where certain problems may arise and also allow for the parent and teacher to work through ideas that will work both in the classroom and at home!

Q: Do parents get open access to their students' records?
A: Absolutely! Teachers should be sending home reports and graphs that monitor the progress that the student is making so that collaboration between school and home can be as strong as possible!

Q: Is RTI just for reading?
A: No; many times RTI is commonly used for reading but it can be used in any academic or possible behavior issue that may arise. But more commonly you would see this used in reading at the Elementary level.

Q: Does this apply to behavior?
A: Yes, RTI is a great system that can monitor behavior and the issues that arise most often. There are methods that can assist through the different tiers, such as PBS (Positive Behavior Support).

Q: How does this differ from tracking?
A: RTI is used to HELP the student succeed. Tracking labels a child from the beginning as a child with issues that may be beyond their control and therefor would keep them from being a part of the class! Tracking is something that will ultimately alienate a student from their peers while RTI will help them get back on track!

Q: This seems to require a lot more staff. Does this hold it back?
A: There is a perception that more staff would need to be hired but this is not the case. It is actually more beneficial that the classroom teacher do all the assessments since they are the one that spends the most time with the student. The CBM tests that would be used are fast and the teacher would be able to get through the entire class in under an hour if kept moving!