What is MTSS and RtII?
Vision Academy Charter School has long established Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII) as a guiding framework for comprehensive school improvement efforts and a method as part of our ‘child find process’ for identifying specific learning disabilities.
While Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII) is a familiar acronym in most schools, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS ) is relatively new language. PA-MTSS is defined as a comprehensive system of supports that includes high-quality standards-aligned, culturally responsive core instruction, as well as universal screening, data-based decision-making, tiered services and supports, parental engagement, central/building-level leadership, professional development, and use of RtII for determining student learning disabilities.
Simply put, PA-MTSS represents a broad set of evidence-based practices that may be implemented across a system to include academics and behavior within a problem-solving process. PA-MTSS is relatively synonymous with RtII and is intended to help all students meet with continual academic and behavioral success. PA Core Standards, MTSS, and Pennsylvania’s Educator Effectiveness System serve to connect what students should know and be able to do within the context of effective instruction and intervention using data-based decision making. It may also be used as a mechanism to evaluate how well educators are bridging the what-how gap and target professional learning to help the field at large continue to evolve. Evidence associated with planning and preparation, the classroom environment, instruction and professional development, and learning is naturally collected as a function of MTSS adoption and implementation.
Does our school still use RtII?
Yes. The tenets and strategies of RtII are embedded with a larger system of school improvement. Our teachers collect, analyze, and plan to address individual student needs in data-driven and collaborative manner.
Grouping Practices
RtII is an early-intervention support process where the goal is to improve student achievement using research-based interventions matched to the instructional need and level of the student. The core of RtII is the premise that all children can learn.
In Pennsylvania, RtII carries dual meaning. First, it is a comprehensive, multi-tiered, standards-aligned strategy to enable early identification and intervention of students at academic or behavioral risk. Second, RtII is an alternative to the aptitude achievement discrepancy model for the identification of students. This strategy allows education professionals to identify and address academic and behavioral difficulties prior to student failure. Monitoring student response to a series of increasingly intense interventions assists in guiding instruction to prevent academic failure and provides data that may guide eligibility decisions for learning disabilities.
In brief, RtII is:
- A data-driven model to enable early identification and strategic interventions for students at academic or behavioral risk
- A multi-level instructional framework aimed at improving instruction for ALL students
- A shared, collaborative, decision-making process among professional educators
Is MTSS/RtII utilized for English Language Learners?
Yes. The successful participation of English learners within an MTSS/RtII framework begins with meaningful access to high-quality, standards-aligned core instruction. Core instruction encompasses all core content areas, including English as a second language (ESL) instruction. High-quality core instruction for diverse learners is informed by a competent classroom teacher who has a foundation in culturally and linguistically appropriate instruction. Opportunities to receive supplemental, increasingly differentiated instruction matched to student need have also been found to be helpful in closing the achievement gaps for English learners, particularly when instructional focus, design, and delivery are aligned and implemented with fidelity.
To ensure fidelity of RtII implementation relative to the needs of diverse learners, implementation efforts should include:
- A systematic process for examining specific background variables, such as first and second language proficiency, educational history, including bilingual programming, immigration patterns, SES, and culture
- Examination of the appropriateness of classroom instruction relative to individual student factors
- Information on the development of English language proficiency based on informal and formal assessments (ACCESS for English learners, W-APT)
- Interpretation of assessment data using an interdisciplinary team that includes an ESL specialist
- Interdisciplinary collaboration and alignment among instruction and intervention within and across tiers 1, 2 and 3
- Initiating and strengthening home-school-community partnerships within the context of culture and language