RTI
RTI is a systematic approach to service delivery for inclusive education that involves three levels, or "tiers" of instructional supports:
- All students should receive education in Tier one, that is, all students receive the bulk of their education in the general education classroom, as delivered by a general education teacher or co-teaching team.
- Tier two interventions are of limited duration, and are targeted to specific skills, concepts, or behaviors in the regular classroom.
- Tier three interventions are intensive, multi-disciplinary supports for students with significant needs, and should be implemented only after tier one and two resources have been attempted.
RTI & UDL
Tier 1
The first tier requires that students receive core classroom instruction that is differentiated, universally designed, and provided to all. This is critical – all students should receive the same instruction, before specialized instruction is given! That means we don’t decide before a student has even tried that they can’t do it, and lower the expectations or segregate them. Thus, UDL focuses first on inclusive instructional practice, not because it denies the existence of students who may require intensive supports, but because it seeks to reduce the numbers of students requiring tier two and tier three supports due to non-inclusive classroom instruction.
Tier 2
In UDL,iIf we become concerned about a student’s learning, behavior, or social and emotional well-being, we conduct ecobehavioral assessment, in which we investigate aspects of the instructional environment and design and their optimal match with the student’s learning profile. This is not about judging teachers, it is about recognizing that no teacher is the perfect teacher for every child. We must be willing to step out of ego, explore what about the program may not be working for this particular student or group of students (even though it may be excellent for many others), and then explore structures that can be introduced at the whole class level that will support struggling students (e.g. building in movement, providing visuals, or a technological innovation such as using a SMART board for the whole class). Thus, in UDL, we recognize that environments can be disabling, rather than immediately seeking to label the child as being "dis" abled. Take for example a person who wears glasses. Do they have a disability? Technically, they have a retina that is slightly convex or concave. But because we have the "prescription" for this impairment, we don't consider most people who wear glasses to have a visual impairment. Yet, the truth is, if they were in a country where glasses were not offered to them, they might not be able to function in school. So what is the "prescription" for a student who can't sit still, or who struggles with expressing themselves in writing? Is the disability within them? Technically, they have a brain that does not process dopamine, or manage the neurocognitive demands of writing. Yet, if they are provided with chunked activities, opportunities for movement and hands on learning, technology for written expression, and so on, they can function in our school system. Thus, it is the environment that is, or is not, willing or able to provide the "glasses" a student needs, that decides whether a student can be successful or not. Interventions in UDL therefore look for what the environment can provide, rather than immediately locating the difficulty within the child.
Tier 3
Tier three interventions are designed to intensify and individualize programs, strategies, and procedures to supplement, enhance, and support Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports with the goal of supporting the student to be successful within their classroom. This may include significant adaptations (such as using assistive technology unique to the individual), counseling supports, speech and language programming, and so on. If Tier 3 is not successful, a child is considered for the first time as potentially having a learning disability.
Initial goals are then established through an individualized education program (IEP), which is guided by the results of a comprehensive evaluation, and ongoing progress monitoring helps to direct the teaching process.
Diagnosis or not, the aim of UDL remains the same through all three tiers of intervention - to help the student be successfully socially and academically included in their classroom, with their peers. Just as assessing someones visual acuity is needed to provide them with the correct prescription for their glasses, diagnostic and intensive assessment may be necessary to select appropriate supports for students with exceptionalities, but it is with the aim of designing supports so that they can be contributing members of their community that we do so, not to label or fix/remediate the child.
The first tier requires that students receive core classroom instruction that is differentiated, universally designed, and provided to all. This is critical – all students should receive the same instruction, before specialized instruction is given! That means we don’t decide before a student has even tried that they can’t do it, and lower the expectations or segregate them. Thus, UDL focuses first on inclusive instructional practice, not because it denies the existence of students who may require intensive supports, but because it seeks to reduce the numbers of students requiring tier two and tier three supports due to non-inclusive classroom instruction.
Tier 2
In UDL,iIf we become concerned about a student’s learning, behavior, or social and emotional well-being, we conduct ecobehavioral assessment, in which we investigate aspects of the instructional environment and design and their optimal match with the student’s learning profile. This is not about judging teachers, it is about recognizing that no teacher is the perfect teacher for every child. We must be willing to step out of ego, explore what about the program may not be working for this particular student or group of students (even though it may be excellent for many others), and then explore structures that can be introduced at the whole class level that will support struggling students (e.g. building in movement, providing visuals, or a technological innovation such as using a SMART board for the whole class). Thus, in UDL, we recognize that environments can be disabling, rather than immediately seeking to label the child as being "dis" abled. Take for example a person who wears glasses. Do they have a disability? Technically, they have a retina that is slightly convex or concave. But because we have the "prescription" for this impairment, we don't consider most people who wear glasses to have a visual impairment. Yet, the truth is, if they were in a country where glasses were not offered to them, they might not be able to function in school. So what is the "prescription" for a student who can't sit still, or who struggles with expressing themselves in writing? Is the disability within them? Technically, they have a brain that does not process dopamine, or manage the neurocognitive demands of writing. Yet, if they are provided with chunked activities, opportunities for movement and hands on learning, technology for written expression, and so on, they can function in our school system. Thus, it is the environment that is, or is not, willing or able to provide the "glasses" a student needs, that decides whether a student can be successful or not. Interventions in UDL therefore look for what the environment can provide, rather than immediately locating the difficulty within the child.
Tier 3
Tier three interventions are designed to intensify and individualize programs, strategies, and procedures to supplement, enhance, and support Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports with the goal of supporting the student to be successful within their classroom. This may include significant adaptations (such as using assistive technology unique to the individual), counseling supports, speech and language programming, and so on. If Tier 3 is not successful, a child is considered for the first time as potentially having a learning disability.
Initial goals are then established through an individualized education program (IEP), which is guided by the results of a comprehensive evaluation, and ongoing progress monitoring helps to direct the teaching process.
Diagnosis or not, the aim of UDL remains the same through all three tiers of intervention - to help the student be successfully socially and academically included in their classroom, with their peers. Just as assessing someones visual acuity is needed to provide them with the correct prescription for their glasses, diagnostic and intensive assessment may be necessary to select appropriate supports for students with exceptionalities, but it is with the aim of designing supports so that they can be contributing members of their community that we do so, not to label or fix/remediate the child.
