Module:

RTI (Part 3): Reading Instruction

Wrap Up

RTI promotes:

• High-quality instruction for all students
• Early intervention for struggling readers
• Early identification of students with learning disabilities

These benefits result from teachers using high-quality instruction and frequent progress monitoring. High-quality instruction consists of research-validated classroom instructional practices and a comprehensive core reading program, which must address these five components: Phonemic awareness Phonics and word study Fluency Vocabulary Reading comprehension

Finally, the RTI approach encourages school personnel to collaborate in their efforts to meet students' instructional needs and to accommodate students' cultural or linguistic differences as they work through the various tiers and types of interventions.

Below is a table that summarizes instruction for Tiers 1, 2, and 3.

	Tier 1	Tier 2	Tier 3
Who receives instruction	All students	Students who are not making adequate progress with Tier 1 instruction alone	Students who are not making adequate progress in Tier 2
Amount of daily instruction	Instruction should occur for at least 90 minutes	Instruction may vary, depending on the age of the student, from 30-45 minutes per day (+ Tier 1): • Younger students (e.g., Kindergartners) have shorter attention spans and may require shorter amounts of time (e.g., 30 minutes) • Older students are able to attend for longer amounts of time (e.g., 30-45 minutes)	Instruction may vary, depending on the age of the student, from 40-60 min. per day (+ Tier 1)
When instruction is provided	During core reading time	Scheduling options for Tier 2 could include: • Taking time from two consecutive classes (e.g., 15 minutes from social studies and 15 minutes from science) • Taking time from "specials" (e.g., music, library, art) If a large percentage of students require Tier 2, the teacher may need to schedule more than one Tier 2 intervention period per day.	Scheduling options for Tier 3 could include: • Providing Tier 3 intervention twice a day (e.g., 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon) • Providing Tier 3 intervention at the same time as another teacher provides the Tier 2 intervention to other students
Duration of instruction	Entire school year	10 weeks - 20 weeks: • The number of weeks may vary, but a minimum of 10-12 weeks is recommended. • Students may need an additional round of Tier 2 intervention.	Varies by individual—may be several semesters or even years
How instruction is implemented	Flexible grouping, which includes: • Whole-class instruction • Small-group instruction • Paired instruction • Independent work • One-on-one instruction (when possible)	Instruction should be implemented with teacher/student ratios of 1:3 - 1:5.	Instruction should be implemented with teacher/student ratios of no more than 1:3.
Frequency of progress monitoring	At least one time every 1-2 weeks	At least one time every 1-2 weeks	At least one time every 1-2 weeks
Who provides instruction	• General education teacher	• Trained personnel • General education teacher • Reading specialist • Paraprofessionals • Other personnel • Special education teacher	• Reading specialist • Special education teacher
Where students are served	General education classroom	Within or outside the general education classroom	Generally, outside of the general education classroom This can but does not always include special education.

Think back to your initial responses to the following questions. After working through the resources in this module, do you agree with your Initial Thoughts? If not, what aspects of your answers would you change? What is RTI? How can teachers increase student reading success in early grades? What components comprise high-quality reading instruction? How is high-quality instruction integrated into the RTI approach?