Response to Intervention (RTI) in Early Childhood topic editor: Sue Goode
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Response to Intervention (RTI) refers to a process of intervening with children who are at-risk for learning disabilities to:
While the RTI model has typically been used with school-aged children, RTI resources are being developed to meet the unique needs of very young children.
Clarifies that states and local education agencies (LEAs) have an obligation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to ensure that evaluations of all children suspected of having a disability, including evaluations of 3-, 4-, or 5-year-old children enrolled in preschool programs, are not delayed or denied because of implementation of a Response to Intervention (RTI) strategy.
Clarifies that a Response to Intervention (RTI) process cannot be used to delay/deny an evaluation for eligibility under the IDEA.
Clarifies the applicability of the Response to Intervention (RTI) requirements in Section 614(b)6(B) of Part B of the IDEA to children ages 3 through 5 enrolled in Head Start Programs.
This paper was developed collaboratively by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood (DEC), and the National Head Start Association (NHSA). The joint paper was developed to: (1) provide clarification and guidance on the relationship of RTI frameworks to the unique context of early childhood programs serving children from birth until school entry; (2) help to dispel misunderstandings and misconceptions related to RTI in early childhood; and (3) promote a broader understanding and discussion of the topic.
CRTIEC was funded in 2008 by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) to conduct research and provide resources that support the use of RTI to increase the number of young children who enter school with knowledge and skills in early literacy and language. CRTIEC has hosted RTI in Early Childhood Summits and posted presentations and materials from the summits online.
The RTI Action Network is a program of the National Center for Learning Disabilities, funded by the Cisco Foundation and in partnership with the nation's leading education associations and top RTI experts. It is dedicated to the effective implementation of RTI in school districts nationwide.
Recognition and Response (R&R) is a tiered model for pre-k based on RTI that provides quality instruction for all children, as well as targeted interventions matched to individual children's learning needs. The R&R project at the FPG Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina, is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) to study the effectiveness of this model for preschool children.
The ECTA Center maintains a searchable collection of presentations from OSEP's Annual National Conferences, the Annual Early Childhood Outcomes Conferences, and the Annual Early Childhood Inclusion Institutes. See presentations related to RTI in early childhood from 2007 to the present.