Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Page 3: Benefits of RTI
  • IRIS Center
  • Resources
    • IRIS Resource Locator
      Modules, case studies, activities, & more
    • Evidence-Based Practice Summaries
      Research annotations
    • High-Leverage Practices
      IRIS resources on HLPs
    • Films
      Portrayals of people with disabilities
    • Children's Books
      Portrayals of people with disabilities
    • Glossary
      Disability related terms
    • For PD Providers
      Sample PD activities, planning forms, & more
    • For Faculty
      Top tips, coursework planning, & more
    • Website Navigation Videos
      Getting around our Website & modules
    • New & Coming Soon
      Latest modules & resources
    • IRIS Archived Resources
      Modules, alignment tools, & more
  • PD Options
    • PD Certificates for Educators
      Our certificate, your PD hours
    • Log in to Your IRIS PD
    • For PD Providers
      Sample PD activities, planning forms, & more
    • IRIS+ School & District Platform
      A powerful tool for school leaders
  • Articles & Reports
    • Articles
      Articles about IRIS use & efficacy
    • Internal IRIS Reports
      Reports on IRIS use & accomplishments
    • External Evaluation Reports
      Evaluations of the IRIS Center
    • IRIS Stories
      Our resources, your stories
    • News & Events
      What, when, & where it's happening
  • Help
    • Help & Support
      Get the full benefit from our resources
    • Website Navigation Videos
      Getting around our Website & modules
  • RTI: Considerations for School Leaders
Challenge
Initial Thoughts
Perspectives & Resources

What information does Mr. Irwin need to consider before proceeding?

  • 1: Stages of Implementing Change
  • 2: Overview of RTI
  • 3: Benefits of RTI

How can Mr. Irwin build support for adopting the RTI approach at Mayflower Elementary?

  • 4: Be an Effective Leader
  • 5: Identify Key Individuals
  • 6: Present a Case

What should schools consider when deciding whether or not to adopt the RTI approach?

  • 7: Evaluate School Readiness
  • 8: Secure Funds
  • 9: Gain a School-Wide Commitment

What are some factors that should be addressed when implementing the RTI approach?

  • 10: Implement the Action Plan
  • 11: Potential School Resources
  • 12: Implementation Guidelines
  • 13: Professional Development
  • 14: Scheduling Considerations
  • 15: Classroom Support for Teachers
  • 16: Parent-School Partnerships
  • 17: Data Management

How can schools assess whether or not the RTI approach is effective?

  • 18: Fidelity of Implementation
  • 19: Evaluation and Revision

Resources

  • 20: References, Additional Resources, and Credits
Wrap Up
Assessment
Provide Feedback

What information does Mr. Irwin need to consider before proceeding?

Page 3: Benefits of RTI

collage of the principalbecoming informed ovalAfter receiving a broad overview of RTI, Mr. Irwin wants to learn more in-depth information about the approach. He attends conferences, researches the approach online, and meets with the principal of Rosa Parks Elementary to discuss his success with the approach. As a result, Mr. Irwin learns about the many benefits of RTI (outlined in the table below) for students, teachers, and schools.

Benefits
checkmark Early intervening for students who are struggling with reading
checkmark Ambitious instructional pace for struggling students
checkmark Increasingly intense levels of instructional interventions
checkmark Tier decisions based on objective data (e.g., progress monitoring data)
checkmark Identification of students with learning disabilities in the early grades
checkmark Shared responsibility and increased accountability for student learning
checkmark Parental communication enhanced by the use of data
checkmark Instructional decisions guided by progress monitoring data
checkmark Collaboration among administrative staff, teachers, and parents regarding students’ learning
checkmark Potential reduction of behavior problems
checkmark Greater staff, parent, and student involvement in the educational process
checkmark Potential reduction of the over-identification of minority students in special education programs
checkmark Potential reduction in the number of students referred for special education services
checkmark Increased accuracy in the identification of students with a learning disability (i.e., fewer “false positives”)

The staff at Jefferson Elementary School in Pella, Iowa, has been implementing RTI for several years. Listen as Brian Miller shares their success with helping struggling students (time: 0:21).

brian miller

Brian Miller, Principal
Jefferson Elementary School
Pella, Iowa

/wp-content/uploads/module_media/rti_leaders_media/audio/rti_leaders_audio_03_miller.mp3

Transcript

Transcript: Brian Miller

We’re not seeing as many kids that we’re saying, “Once you’re put into an intervention, you’re going to be there for life.” Some students are, and they continue to get service. But we’re seeing more students that we’re able to move out of it and get back into the regular classroom and see success there. We certainly feel that it’s working for the students that have the needs.

Due to research findings and the positive results demonstrated in schools that have implemented one or more of the components of RTI—early intervening, high-quality instruction, and progress monitoring—RTI provisions have been included in IDEA ’04.

Click here to read about four schools that have benefited from implementing components of RTI.

The schools below have implemented one or more of the components of RTI: early intervening, high-quality instruction, and progress monitoring.

schoolhouseOgden Elementary, Kansas
Background: 1996–1997 school year: 25% special education referral rate
Implementation: 1997–1998 school year: Began early intervention approach utilizing RTI concepts: improved reading instruction by incorporating scientifically based reading principles and grouping practices, early intervening, frequent reading assessments, a long-term professional development plan emphasizing reading instruction, increased parent involvement in the RTI process, and collaborative teacher planning time
Benefits:
  • 2000–2001 school year: 9% special education referral rate
  • Reduction in discipline problems
  • Significant reading improvement

schoolhouseRancho Unified School District, California
Background: 2001 school year: 123 fourth- and fifth-grade students were two to three years below grade level in reading
Implementation: 2002 school year: Implemented some RTI components (intense, systematic, scientifically based instruction in small groups for one hour per day) for 9 weeks with the 123 students who were about to be referred for special education assessments
Benefits:
  • After 9 weeks, the students showed statistically significant improvement in reading: more than a year’s reading-level growth
  • After 2 years, only 8 of the 123 students (about 6%) had qualified for special education services

schoolhouseGlenn County, California
Background: Nine school districts; a rural area
Implementation: 2000–2001 school year: RTI implementation began in one school in the rural district; 2005–2006 school year: Six schools were implementing RTI
Benefits:
  • 85–90% reduction in special education referrals
  • 65–70% fewer students in special education

schoolhouseM. Hall Stanton Elementary, Pennsylvania
Background: 2002–2003 school year: Urban school district, only 13% of students met state reading standards
Implementation: 2003–2004 school years: Employed elements often associated with RTI: comprehensive professional development, high-quality literacy instruction, frequent brief assessments, varied instructional practices (whole-group, small-group, and centers), literacy specialists, collaborative team meetings among school staff to discuss instructional planning and to review student data, collaboration among school professionals and parents
Benefits:
  • 2003–2004 school year: 71% of students met state reading standards
  • 2004–2005 school year: 73% of students met state reading standards
  • Fewer discipline problems

Research Shows

  • Up to 40% of students receiving special education services receive these services because of reading difficulties.
    (President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education, 2002)
  • During the fall of 2004, 46.4% of all school children (ages 6-21) receiving special education services were being served under the learning disabilities category. These students represented 5.45% of the overall school population.
    (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, 2007)
  • Some researchers have suggested that the discrepancy between the number of students who actually have learning disabilities (LD) and the number of students who receive services for LD may be the result of schools’ lacking the available resources to provide remedial services to struggling students.
    (McMillan, Gresham, & Bocian, 1998)

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Back Next
12345678...20
Join Our E-Newsletter Sign Up
  • Home
  • About IRIS
  • Sitemap
  • Web Accessibility
  • Glossary
  • Terms of Use
  • Careers at IRIS
  • Contact Us
Join Our E-Newsletter Sign Up

The IRIS Center Peabody College Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 37203 [email protected]. The IRIS Center is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Grant #H325E220001. The contents of this website do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Anna Macedonia.

Copyright 2025 Vanderbilt University. All rights reserved.

* For refund and privacy policy information visit our Help & Support page.

Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

  • Vanderbilt Peabody College
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok