Happy New Year!

January is certain to be a time of getting to know our students better as readers! This month, every K-5 student throughout the district will be benchmarked (i.e. assessed) in reading as part of the Response to Intervention (RtI) initiative. Classroom teachers will sit with each individual student and administer reading “probes” which are simply short reading passages. This provides the teacher with quick and meaningful information regarding reading fluency and comprehension.

All students are benchmarked three times a year to make sure that they are progressing in the instructional environment. Information gathered is analyzed by a data team here at LES, including myself, the TOSA, a reading specialist, and classroom teachers. The data is used to make decisions regarding each student’s reading program.  If the data shows that sufficient progress is not being made, students will be receive intervention either by the classroom teacher or a reading specialist. Progress will be continually monitored and children can move in and out of intervention support throughout the year; it is a fluid and flexible process based on need.

The great benefit of an RtI approach is that it eliminates a “wait to fail” situation because students get help promptly within the general education setting. As soon as teacher concern or assessment data indicates a problem area for a student or a group of students, interventions are put into place either within the classroom or as a supplemental service to address these concerns. The RtI process provides information that allows teachers to better evaluate students and match instruction, resources and interventions appropriately. 

You will be notified if your child is struggling academically or behaviorally and it is necessary for the school to implement targeted academic and/or behavioral interventions.  In many cases, this support will be enough to get your child back on track, and you may see supports decrease if they are no longer needed. If it is determined, however, that your child is not making sufficient progress with interventions provided in the classroom or small group, it may be necessary for your child to receive even more intense intervention. If the intensive interventions result in insufficient progress, the school and/or the parent reserve the right to make a referral to the Committee on Special Education (CSE). 

You can stay involved by doing the following:

• Communicating frequently with the teacher
• Asking your child about his/her school day
• Monitoring and assisting with homework
• Implementing and reinforcing suggested strategies at home
• Reinforcing your child as he/she improves- even small change is a reason to celebrate!!!

Online Resources:
www.rti4success.org

www.rtinetwork.org

www.interventioncentral.com