Response to Intervention RTI
Princeton ISD recognizes that federal mandates require the implementation of proactive models of instruction that allow all students to receive effective instructional as well as behavioral interventions in the general education setting. Therefore, in accordance with special education policy in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004), Princeton ISD provides the RTI program for grades pre-kindergarten through grade twelve.
Response to Intervention (RTI) is a systematic problem-solving and decision-making process designed to allow for early and effective responses to children’s learning and behavioral difficulties. RTI may be described as a model addressing the needs of all students through a continuum of services which provide: (1) high-quality instruction and scientific, researched-based, tiered intervention strategies aligned with individual student need; (2) frequent monitoring of student progress to make results-based academic or behavioral decisions; (3) data-based school improvement; and (4) the application of student response data to important educational decisions (such as those regarding placement, intervention, curriculum, and instructional goals and methodologies).
Program Guidelines
To ensure that appropriate instruction directly addresses students’ academic and behavioral difficulties in the general education setting, a multi-tiered service delivery model is used. Included are layers of increasingly intense intervention responding to student-specific needs.
- Tier 1: Teachers use high-quality core class instruction aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) in which about 80% or more of the students are successful. Interventions are developed based on student needs and are implemented in the general education setting by the classroom teacher. The classroom teacher shall document ongoing interventions, evidence of progress monitoring, and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, as needed, for all students in the general education classroom and shall work collaboratively with other teachers in the grade level or department for support.
- Tier 2: Tier 2 addresses the needs of approximately 10–15% of the students. Students who have not successfully responded to Tier 1 interventions that were provided in the classroom will be referred to the student’s individualized Student Support Team (SST). The SST committee shall match appropriate, measurable intervention strategies to specific student needs including individual and small group instruction as well as scientific research-based programs, strategies, and procedures designed and employed to supplement, enhance, and support Tier 1 activities.
- Tier 3: Tier 3 addresses the needs of approximately 5–10% of the students. Students who have not successfully responded to Tier 1 and 2 interventions shall be referred to Section 504 for an evaluation and the development of an individualized intervention plan beyond the instruction in Tiers 1 and 2. This level of intervention is aimed at those students who have identified difficulties academically or behaviorally. (See the Princeton ISD Section 504 Program Handbook for guidelines and procedures).
- Students who have not responded adequately to Tiers 1, 2, and 3 will receive a special education referral through the 504 committee. (See the Princeton ISD SPED Handbook for guidelines and procedures).