Issue # 13 - RTI Roundtable
RTI Roundtable - Issue #13
Application of the RtI Model in Learning Disability Diagnosis: Perceptions of Current Practices by New Jersey Special Education Administrators
Response to intervention assessment requires changes in the ways resources are used and a very close relationship between general and special education.
General educators need to understand the approach and why all of their students need to be closely monitored—especially in the development of early academic skills. Special educators must understand the limitations of traditional assessment systems and adopt highly prescribed and systematic interventions.
This issue of NASET’s RTI roundtable was written by Pamela E. Lowry, Ed.D. from Georgian Court University and was published in the Spring 2013 edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals (JAASEP). Dr. Lowry’s paper examines current practices in implementing a Response to Intervention (RtI) in diagnosing specific learning disabilities. The use of the aptitude achievement discrepancy model, RtI model or a combination is reviewed. A survey of special education administrators in New Jersey compares methods of identification and consistency of application across districts. Findings indicate that few districts are currently implementing RtI along with the discrepancy model in determining eligibility with a specific learning disability. No district is using RtI as the sole determinant for this classification category. RtI models differ across districts with no consistency in interventions or screening tools.
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