By: Shantell Berrett, Reading Horizons Reading Specialist

*This blog post has to do with Response to Intervention (RTI). To find out more about RTI go here> RTI

Ask students placed in Tiers II and III if the instruction given there is helpful, many will say yes.  However, ask those same students how that instruction helps in their regular classroom, Tier I, and they seem baffled. Their eyes tend to glaze over with confusion. There is complete disconnect.

While many receive intensive intervention for their reading struggles in Tiers II and III, their experience in Tier I appears unchanged.  They are still always a step behind and usually struggling to get the first concept given by their classroom teacher as their peers and teacher move on to additional concepts.  They are frustrated and often feel like giving up.

In our effort to help we pull them out for a ‘special’ class, their Tier III.  No matter how we position that or what inspiring name we give it, they know they are there because they are behind their other classmates. Even with sugar added, it still leaves a bitter taste in their mouths.

But what if their experience could be different?  What if they weren’t always behind?  Here’s how to make that happen: Use Tiers II and III not as a place for students to catch up, but as a place for them to get ahead. 

When students are pre-taught, the dynamics shift.  Those students who are usually behind are pre-taught a concept and given sufficient time to practice.  Then, when they are given the same instruction in the class, for the first time in their lives they are ahead, or at the very least on par, with their fellow classmates.  Can you imagine what this is like for them?  It is truly life-changing. 

This is RTI at its best.

If tier teachers and classroom teachers spend the time working out schedules to ensure that all concepts taught in the classroom will be pre-taught in pull out, the results are amazing. 

Not only does this benefit the students, but the teachers as well.  This approach helps the classroom teachers on so many levels. Those students who are usually behind often end up being discipline problems because it is easier to be the problem student than the dumb student who is always lost.  When they are keeping up with their peers they tend to stop acting out.  Discipline problems are often eliminated. 

Making RTI successful has as much to do with how things are implemented as it does with what is implemented.  Pre-teaching is the key.  It ensures that the time spent in Tier I and/or Tier II for those in Tier III is useful and successful.  It is no longer time spent staring out the window, causing trouble, or frantically trying to compensate to hide their struggles from their peers.  It unlocks a whole new world for these students--a world where they are equals and where they find hope and success.

P.S.

If you enjoyed this post you may also want to read:

"RTI & Remedial Reading Resources and Information"

"How Reading Horizons Intervention Program Meets the Needs of All 3 RTI Tiers"

To improve your teaching strategies for struggling readers, sign up for FREE access to Reading Horizons Online Workshop:

Response to Intervention (RTI) is an early intervention model used to help teachers and schools like yours, prevent long-term academic failure. The following outlines how you could use Reading Horizons Discover Intensive Phonics reading intervention program in all 3 RTI tiers to help your school accomplish this goal:

RTI Triangle

How Does Discover Intensive Phonics Meet the Requirements of Tier I?

• Research-based program
• Materials for teaching explicit, systematic phonics (builds phonemic awareness, letter-sound association, recognition and understanding of word patterns and formations)
• Works well in a classroom setting
• Multi-sensory activities appeal to many learning styles
  
• Direct assessments identify proficiency & monitor progress
• Supplements most major core curriculums
• Computer software is aligned with classroom instruction 
• Software supplement helps students internalize skills

How Does Discover Intensive Phonics Meet the Requirements of Tier II?

• Works well for small-group instruction
• Students receive guided practice
• Additional activities & instruction available for students that need extra help
  
• Resource materials for reinforcing & internalizing skills
• Multi-sensory direct instruction
• Assessments given on a weekly basis
• Errors receive immediate corrective feedback

How Does Discover Intensive Phonics Meet the Requirements of Tier III?

• Found effective in special education settings (especially for students displaying dyslexia, ADD, & other learning disabilities)
  
• Instruction adjusts well for very small groups or one-on-one instruction
  
• Works well for any age group
  
• Multi-sensory involvement (essential when working with special-needs students)
  
• Computer software allows collaboration between all teachers & tiers
  
• Instruction & interventions can easily tailored to individual student needs
  
• Continuous progress monitoring
• Instruction addresses specific skill deficits 
• The methodology allows students to progress rapidly to more-mature reading passages

To see how you could use Reading Horizons Discover Intensive Phonics program as an effective RTI reading program for all 3 tiers, watch: "Happy Tiers":

P.S.

If you are interested in RTI, you should listen to the webinar: "Creating Synergy Between Mainstream Reading Instruction & Special Education"

According to a recent report from the Annie E. Casey foundation, 68% of America’s 4th graders read below grade level last school year. The necessity of literacy skills in today’s society makes this statistic troublesome. Reading skills strongly impact students’ academic success as well as their emotional and social well-being. Poor reading skills impact students in the following ways:

1. Academically

Because reading skills are easily the most necessary skill for academic success, students that do not read at grade level will undoubtedly struggle in school. This is especially true for students after the 3rd grade. In 4th grade, teachers’ spend significantly less time helping students learn to read, and the curriculum shifts in that students must use their reading skills to stay caught up in almost every subject. For this reason reading skills must be at grade level in 4th grade- if not students’ begin to fall behind in almost every subject, not just language arts.

2. Emotionally

Poor reading skills also impact students emotionally by negatively influencing their self esteem. Struggling with a skill that many of their peers pick up naturally makes many students feel incapable and unintelligent. This is unfortunate because reading problems are rarely a result of the student’s personal effort. On average, 70% of students will learn to read regardless of instruction; however, 30% of students require an explicit, step-by-step approach to succeed with reading. This type of instruction is needed for 30% of students is because of the prevalence of language processing disorders (such as dyslexia, specific language impairment, and auditory processing disorder).

Because 70% of students should learn to read regardless of instruction, it is startling that 68% of 4th grade students are not reading at grade level. Only 30% of these students should be struggling. This exposes that there is a weakness in reading instruction. There is a clear need for teachers to improve the way they teach reading. Especially since ineffective instruction can easily hurt a student’s self-esteem by leaving them with a feeling of inadequacy.

3. Socially

Poor reading skills also impact students socially. A common finding in sociology and psychology is that students naturally become friends with peers that are similar to them in academic standing. In correlation, academic success is often tied to involvement in other positive activities and a sharp decline in truancy, drug use, and other types of experimentation.

When students are not provided with the proper instruction needed to obtain effective reading skills, it is difficult for them to make friends with peers that encourage them to make positive life decisions.

The Value of Literacy Skills

It is amazing how large of an impact reading skills play in the academic, social and emotional well-being of every individual. Those who naturally develop reading skills do not often realize the positive impact these skills play in their life. However, when we look at the risks of students who do not successfully develop reading skills, the importance of literacy and what it adds to your life becomes very obvious.

To ensure your students can enjoy a lifetime of learning and success through effective reading skills, learn more about Reading Horizons reading program for building a solid reading foundation for a future of reading success!

Today one of USA Today’s headlines exposed the need for education improvements in the United States by exclaiming: “One-Third of Students Need Remedial College Math, Reading.” Interestingly, that number also closely resembles the percentage of students which do not naturally learn to read with traditional teaching methods: 30%. There is no research supporting a correlation between the two statistics, however it seems almost intuitive to connect the two. 1/3 of college students need remediation as a result of past educational experiences, and almost 1/3 of students expose the need for some form of remediation in the future. Clearly something needs to change.

Many education professionals believe the answer to the current learning gaps is through implementing and improving Response to Intervention (RTI) programs. This solution appears to be a perfect fit for this problem since RTI programs help remediate reading and math difficulties in students.

I recently viewed a webinar hosted by Education Week titled: “Response to Intervention: Making it Work.” The presentation offered many suggestions and practices needed to develop and maintain a successful RTI program. Here are some of the key points from the presentation:

Effective RTI Programs:

1.    Teach effective core curriculums at Tier I of the RTI Triangle.
2.    Differentiate instruction to meet individual student needs.
3.    Review data often.
4.    Celebrate student success.

Common Problems in RTI Programs:

1.    Too many students in Tiers II & III of the RTI Triangle.
2.    Implementing or using too many interventions at one time.
3.    Uneven practices across classrooms within same school system.
4.    Do not allocate enough time to RTI programs.
5.    Students are not making progress.

RTI Triangle

One of the strongest emphasis’s throughout the presentation was the need for effective core curriculums. If the core curriculum doesn’t present students with an effective way of learning the material in the first place then intervention is first needed at the core level. The best way to know the efficacy of a core curriculum is through data analysis, another strong emphasis throughout the presentation. By assessing students and analyzing their results teachers can know if their core curriculum is effective.

Once an effective core curriculum is in place then improvements and interventions can be implemented for Tiers II & III. Of course, as clarified by the speakers, each change and intervention needs to be implemented successively. Only one intervention should be added at a time so the results can be measured. If the results can not be measured because of too many interventions are influencing the situation, than educators will not what is working and what isn’t working. Without these measures, RTI programs will struggle to improve.

It is important for RTI programs to be effective and strong. I continuously find research supporting that it is the solution to reading and writing problems universally. I also read an article the other day from an RTI specialist claiming that the best solution to these problems is using RTI curriculums as core curriculums in grades K-2. These programs are designed to ensure that every student will have the highest chance of success in building essential foundational skills. Core curriculums are clearly in need of improvement based on the daunting statistic that 1/3 of entry level college students are in need of remediation.

Register for Education Week's upcoming webinar on Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 2 PM EST, titled: "RTI and Special Education: Putting It All Together"

Also find more information on this same topic by listening to one of Reading Horizons past webinar's titled: "Creating Synergy Between Mainstream Reading Instruction & Special Education"

Reading Horizons is often used as an effective, and measurable RTI reading program and reading remediation. For more information visit: www.ReadingHorizons.com/rti/

Lately our company has been taking a new approach to solving problems. The new approach has derived from the problem solution advice found in Dale Carnegie’s book: How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. When a problem arises the initial response should not be to go to someone else for a solution. The problem should be analyzed to discover:

1.    Why is this a problem?
2.    What are the possible solutions to this problem?
3.    What is the best solution of the options?

This process helps us take more responsibility for the problems we face in our work and usually produces the best solution for the problem.  As with most companies, Reading Horizons works to solve a problem for its consumer (teachers and parents): how to properly teach struggling readers and provide them with success in reading. We work to solve this problem by offering manuals for reading instruction, software to encourage independent learning, and professional development for reading teachers.

In a recent interview with EdWeek, Dr. Richard Allington, education professor at the University of Tennessee and prevalent early literacy expert and author, answered the questions that must be asked to properly solve the problems facing reading instructors:

Why is it difficult to provide proper reading instruction for students?

“It’s not a question that we don’t know what to do. It’s a question of having the will to develop full literacy in this country, and to organize schools and allocate money in ways that would allow us to do that.”

“Unfortunately, we have good evidence that a lot of kindergarten and 1st grade teachers in this country are just not very skilled in teaching reading. And a lot of them also assume that if a kid is struggling and is way behind in reading, he must have some neurological problem, and therefore it’s not their job to teach him…”

“Teachers know who needs help. If they don’t know, they shouldn’t be teaching… They just don’t know what to do with a kid who’s in trouble.”

What are the possible solutions to providing proper reading instruction for students?

“We have studies involving multiple school districts and hundreds or thousands of kids demonstrating that, with quality instruction and intervention, 98 percent of all kids can be reading at grade level by the end of 1st or 2nd grade.”

“RTI [Response to Intervention] works best if it’s started in kindergarten and 1st grade—we know how to solve those problems.”

“…You can do a lot by strengthening instruction.”

Reading Horizons best solution for providing proper reading instruction for students:

Reading Horizons program has been used extensively as a Response to Intervention (RTI) for struggling readers. I have agreed since the beginning of my experiences with Reading Horizons that it would be beneficial to use such a reading program as the core reading curriculum for beginning readers grades kindergarten to 2nd grade.  I know I would understand language much better if I was taught with Reading Horizons method and other intensive phonics programs.

In order to help teachers know HOW to teach reading in the way that is most beneficial for struggling readers Reading Horizons offers professional development to reading instructors.  For more information on Reading Horizons Professional Development program click here.