IRA Convention: An inside look at the 9 Tier model of RTI

We just got back from Orlando to the land of verdant lawns and endless rain!  This year’s IRA conference attendance was down probably due to budget cuts in in many states.  Most people who stopped by the Continental Press booth were from the Sunshine State.  Visitors to our booth listened to our presentation of the Common Core Finish Line series and the accompanying brand-new Test Tracks software. They were 

excited about the flexibility of the custom-designed tests.

I also took advantage of some of the big name seminars.  Timothy Shanahan, former IRA president, and University of Illinois professor, spoke on the 9 Tier model of RTI (Response to Intervention).  His research with schools in Illinois produced big results using his model.

Mr. Shanahan has expanded the popular 3 Tier model to include more deliberate  utilization of good teaching techniques to increase student achievement. Quality Tier 1 teaching by the main teacher should be research-based (think the National Reading Panel) using both easy and challenging text.  This seems to be a nod to the 

new rigor of the Common Core.

The next tiers are a departure from the current 3 tier model. He strongly believes that at Tier 2, the classroom teacher, not another staff member, must make intentional changes for students needing remediation.  In this way, the teacher with the most knowledge of the student retains control and remains accountable.  These changes would relate to the class environment and methods to reach the student during the regular time for reading instruction.

At Tier 3, instruction continues to remain with the original teacher but now needs to be aimed at increasing responsiveness and providing instruction in addition to the core teaching within small groups or individually.  This extra teaching may have not been necessary at Tier 2. Changes at Tier 3 are more focused on extra time for remediation , not just adjusting the core instruction.

Tier 4 is a welcome focus on deliberately asking for and believing in parental help.  We have been preaching this for a while!

 

 Tiers 5 and 6 outline extra practice using a separate intervention program but coordinated with the classroom teacher. This level of intervention would require an additional teacher with specialized training.  At Tier 6,  the separate intervention program would increase in intensity.

Tiers 7 and 8 emphasize the importance of developing afterschool and summer school programs in order to provide more time for extra instruction and practice.

Finally, at Tier 9, after all these avenues are exhausted, referral for Special Ed services could be pursued.  When Mr. Shanahan spoke of the profoundly neglected resource of parental involvement at every tier, his heart echoed my own. We need to train parents in the same research-based techniques teachers use and students will make more progress. (Senechal 2006) We are used to asking parents to read to their kids or to monitor homework.  They are able to do more! For example, let’s ask them to model comprehension strategies and prompt use of phonics cues. Parents can become a whole new squadron of fighters sent to the front-lines of reading intervention.

For more information on Shanahan’s RTI research read: Implications of RTI for the Reading Teacher, Timothy Shanahan, Response to Intervention: A Framework for Reading Educators, 2008.