One reason RTI is gaining approval is that the discrepancy model, where students’ reading or math skills had to be seriously weaker than their IQ, meant that intervention could not be provided until students’ skills were seriously behind their peers. Given that prevention is more effective than remediation, early identifica
tion instead of “waiting for students to fail” makes a lot of sense. However, even with RTI, some students are watched for a period of time in Tier 1 before they are moved to Tier 2, and they wait again before they are moved to Tier 3. With dynamic RTI, students move immediately to either Tier 2 or Tier 3 depending on their assessed constellation of skills and weaknesses. In our study,
To wait in Tier 1 or intervene immediately, we randomly assigned first graders (n = 562) within classrooms (n = 22) to receive traditional RTI or dynamic RTI. The RTI interventions were exactly the same except for the timing of when students were moved to Tier 2 or 3. Tier 1 instruction followed the Open Court curriculum and was conducted for 90 minutes per day. Tier 2 followed a standard protocol, and Tier 3 was individualized.
Results showed that students who received Dynamic RTI made significantly greater gains in reading during first grade than their matched peers who received traditional RTI, with an effect size of 0.36, which is educationally meaningful and represents a 2- to 3-month advantage. Plus, students in Tier 2 and Tier 3 Dynamic RTI made greater gains than did their peers in Traditional RTI Tier 2 and Tier 3. Practical considerations for implementation and the importance of valid and reliable screening of vocabulary and reading will be discussed.
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