National Center for Learning Disabilities

RTI Action Network. The information you need to take action, the networking you need to be successful

September 18, 2008 ACTION UPDATE

RTI National Online Forum

Don't miss the opportunity on Wednesday, October 1, from 12-1:30 p.m. ET, to join the RTI Action Network's second RTI National Online Forum, "The Role of RTI in LD Identification." Engage in a dialogue with Drs. Don Deshler, Jack Fletcher, and Rick Wagner, three nationally recognized experts on RTI and learning disabilities (LD), during this live interactive event.

Individuals are welcome to participate on their own, or you can gather your colleagues to share this webcast and then use our follow-up questions for discussion of applications in your particular setting. Get more information on participating in this RTI National Online Forum today!

From the RTI Blog:
"A Day of Reckoning"

Blogger — Bob Heimbaugh

Does relying on data necessarily mean devaluing teacher knowledge? In "A Day of Reckoning" Bob Heimbaugh, principal of Tongue River Elementary School in Wyoming, describes how data motivated and inspired his school to implement the RTI process as the impetus for positive change, while the school maintains the heart of a teacher at the center of everything it does. Read and respond to his ideas.

RTI Interview Series:
Mary Beth Klotz on The Changing Role of School Psychologists Engaged in RTI

In the latest video, Mary Beth Klotz, Director of IDEA Projects and Technical Assistance for the National Association of School Psychologists, discusses the evolving roles of school psychologists who have been involved with RTI planning and implementation. Watch the video to understand how RTI greatly enhances these specialists' roles and the services that they provide to students.

QUESTION OF THE MONTH

I understand RTI is based on instruction, but how and where does the actual curriculum fit in all this? Would you agree that it doesn't matter how intense you try to teach a subject, if the curriculum is not appropriate, the student will never master the necessary skills?

Answer from Carolyn Denton, from the Children's Learning Institute at the University of Texas Health Science Center Houston:

The word "curriculum" is used to mean "published program" or "a list of objectives that should be addressed in a given subject/grade level." Both of these are very important in RTI models, both at Tier 1 (classroom instruction) and for supplemental intervention. It's important that instruction is directed at teaching appropriate objectives (content, strategies, and skills).

Teachers can address their states' established objectives for each subject area and grade level, although students performing below grade level in reading need instruction designed to address their needs.

Read Dr. Denton's entire answer.

Carolyn Denton

Classroom Reading Instruction That Supports Struggling Readers

Research has shown that the vast majority of reading problems can be prevented when primary students are provided with quality classroom reading instruction along with additional small-group intervention when needed. Carolyn Denton, a researcher at the Children's Learning Institute at the University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, discusses the importance of such instruction in her article, "Classroom Reading Instruction that Supports Struggling Readers."


		NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS National Center on RTI offers Webinar On Tuesday, September 23rd from 2-3 p.m. ET the National Center on Response to Intervention is hosting a webinar on "Planning for the Implementation of RTI: Examples from the MP3 Model Demonstration Project." This webinar will provide state education agencies with a description of the process the Monitoring the Progress of Pennsylvania's Pupils (MP3) project used to diagnose schools' readiness to implement RTI and assess their professional development needs. In addition, this webinar will discuss the professional development provided by MP3 to the schools and the initial findings of the project. Universal Design for Learning Virtual Policy Forum Beginning October 6, 2008, participate in a Virtual Forum presented by Project Forum at the National Association for State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) in collaboration with the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) to discuss barriers to the implementation of universal design for learning (UDL) with colleagues at the federal, state, district and school levels across the nation. More information will be available at the Project Forum Web site in late September. RTI at the High School Level Jay Engeln, a member of the RTI Action Network Advisory Council as the representative from the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), will be giving a presentation titled "Implementation of RTI at the High School Level — Overcoming Obstacles," at the 13th Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health in Phoenix, Arizona on September 26th. Joining Engeln in the presentation will be Jill Martin, 2007 National High School Principal of the Year and currently principal at Pine Creek High School, and Brenda LeBrasse, an award winning principal now serving as Executive Director for Colorado District Eleven in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The session is being sponsored by the RTI Action Network, NASSP, and the IDEA Partnership.

A Program of:

The RTI Action Network is made possible by the generous support of Cisco Foundation.

Founding Partners:
AFT, IRA, NAESP, NASDSE, NASP, NASSP, and NEA.

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