As schools become more familiar with Response-to-Intervention (RtI), many get stuck when determining the best path towards response to intervention strategies in schools. One of the biggest myths in education is that RtI requires schools to simply “tweak” their current practices. Contrary to that belief, in order to implement RtI effectively, schools must first understand that doing so will require a shift in thinking about how schools go about meeting the needs of all students.

In my work as a professional development consultant, I am often called to support schools with building staff awareness of RtI and subsequently to assist in developing an action plan for implementation. Through these experiences, I’ve developed a list of my top 5 tips for RtI Implementation.

5 Tips for RtI Implementation:

1. Identify your school’s strengths & weaknesses

Before rolling out your plans to implement response to intervention strategies at your next staff meeting, take time to assess your readiness. I encourage schools to organize an RtI team to complete a needs assessment to identify which components of RtI they have in place and which components are areas of need. Based on the information gained through a needs assessment, schools can then prioritize in order to develop a logical starting point for implementation. There are many readiness surveys available for free on the web.

2. Build on solid ground

A critical step in the implementation process is ensuring that your school’s curriculum and instructional practices are truly meeting the needs of the majority of students. Without strong instructional practices and curricula, attempting to implement response to intervention strategies successfully will be difficult. You must ensure that you have a solid foundation on which to build. Schools that attempt to implement without a solid foundation find themselves feeling frustrated and overloaded in their attempts to meet the needs of too many students not meeting grade level expectations. Remember this rule of thumb, the core curriculum and instruction provided to all students should meet the needs of no less than 80% of the school population.

3. Build a strong problem solving team

An effective problem solving team is what drives the RtI process therefore, establishing a strong team is critical. I have observed many schools develop an RtI team that simply serves as a “first step” in determining whether a student should be referred on to special education. However, the most effective teams are those that are instead truly focused on data analysis and problem solving. Your RtI team should include staff members with expertise in gathering appropriate data, using the data to determine a student’s strengths and weaknesses, and using frequent monitoring to determine if the student makes adequate progress.

4. Think outside the box

A common concern I hear from educators is related to how to implement RtI with no additional resources to support targeting the needs of individual students. I am convinced that we should expect time and money to continue to be the two biggest challenges in schools. Therefore, we’ve got to get creative with the resources we do have. Consider making small group work the norm in your classroom, so that you are always able to work with a hand full of students. Brainstorm opportunities for collaboration within and between grade levels that might produce flexible groups for intervention. Maximize the use of special area (art, P.E., music, foreign language) and support (aides, coaches) staff members.

5. Train for a marathon

Implementation of response to intervention strategies is not a sprint, it is a marathon! Researchers agree that full implementation of the framework will take 3-5 years. Too often, schools excitedly begin learning about the framework and mistakenly believe that purchasing a few additional assessments and intervention kits constitutes RtI implementation. While, those are certainly necessary steps, one can’t truly say they are “doing RtI” until there is a clearly identified process for determining whether all students are learning and progressing adequately when provided with high quality instruction and intervention.

Renae Azziz Ed.S., NCSP is CEO at Virtuoso Education Consulting LLC, a professional development firm that empowers educators on best practice in the K-12 market. Her team helps educators meet AYP goals and resolve disproportionality issues. She is author of many best-selling professional development products. Copyright © 2011, Virtuoso Education Consulting LLC. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright.

Renae Azziz Ed.S., NCSP is the author of this article on Response to Intervention Strategies. Find more information on Response to Intervention rti here.