Responsiveness to Intervention is a system for monitoring student progress within the general education curriculum. It is characterized by the early identification and provision of support to students who are not achieving within the general education curriculum. The model requires high quality classroom instruction. (Vermont Department of Education)

The Vermont Department of Education has indicated that it will take about six years to develop the expertise to effectively implement the RTI approach. At present, the proposed state rules leave the decision as to what methodology to use to the school districts.

Should parents have a choice as to which method should be used?

Yes:

40

No:

7

Don't Know:

12

Comments:

The obvious fear is that the flexibility given to school districts could lead to decisions based on factors not in the best interest of the child, but rather in the best interest of the school district.

I have a child that has a high IQ and achieves his goals academically if you can get beyond the behavior. The school let him ride out 2 years without the correct services because they knew he could do the grade level work.

This is where "Scientifically proven, research based" criteria become key.

Parents should be educated to these so they can make informed decisions about their children. Schools should be ready to implement either method -and- should have a response that elicits a collaborative process if the school disagrees.

Again, there would not be so many children failing if there were alternatives for the children who do not qualify but are not meeting the state standards. We may even have a decline in drop-outs if the students were given an opportunity to express themselves successfully.

Seems appropriate. In my work I have seen kids fall through the cracks because they don't meet the discrepancy

As long as the parents understand which method is which!

I think parents need to be part of the decision process. They need to have access to the information about different methods to the extent that they want and then decide as a team what method will be used.

Parents are members of the team. They would have a voice when discussing which method should be used. They also have a process to follow if they disagree with the team... direction of an IEP...

Parents would naturally be included as a member of the child's team and therefore would participate in any meetings concerning the best interest of this child.

Parents know our children best! Parents are far more likely to be able to choose an effective method for their child than the school system is.

In one way RTI sounds like a way schools get around taking responsibility for a student's weak learning ability. It sounds like another band-aid to the problem.

Yes, with the following caveats...If it will take 6 years to develop effective RTI than what would parents be opting before prior to that time...ineffective RTI? I think that districts should stick with the old method until they can demonstrate (to the states and parents) that they can do RTI effectively (maybe the state could certify schools in some way). Once a school demonstrates this then RTI should be the default unless a parent or other team member specifically requests that the discrepancy method be used due to the particular issues facing a specific child. Also, I hope that in the focus on RTI we don't overlook that "alternative methods" are also okay...I think the state should clarify what these are and my hope is that they would include actual diagnostic categories of learning disorders (such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, disorders of executive function, etc.)

Parents should be able to make a recommendation, if desired, but the school should make the final decision.

The severe discrepancy model puts too much power in the hands of standardized test which while they are very useful can miss important needs and deficits that students have.

To me, the only way to diagnose a learning disorder is through IQ and achievement testing. I would rather use this method which is standardized in its testing than a method that will depend on the skills of multiple educational professionals.

Choice is always good, I can't imagine why a parent would not want to go with the RTI

Again, you need to listen to the parents and people that care about the child.

My nephew is ADHD, he is also a Genius. He's failing in his school in Virginia and finally this year he has his first IEP. We do not want to lose these gifted children! They will have much to contribute if they are NOT lost in the system. It took my sister 4 years to finally get them to listen. This time they were prepared to take them to court.

Yes! There is no agreeing on what qualifies as "high quality classroom instruction." Another potential loop-hole.

This would be akin to parents being in total control of which medical treatment to provide their child. This should be a TEAM approach. Doing otherwise would undermine past efforts to ensure students are treated by a team. TEAMS should have the right to choose. In addition, EEE assessments should have a choice use standard deviations and percentiles to make disability determinations. Any evaluator will confirm that age scores are the LEAST accurate of test interpretations. They DO NOT say that the child is indeed functioning at a particular age. They merely say that the age score is the age at which the obtained raw score was the most frequent raw score for the test standardization population. This is very different than saying the score was significantly below the test mean.

A parent knows their child best and should have a choice as to what is best for THEIR child!

I would want to read and understand the different methods available.

In a perfect world yes. With today’s special education costs I think that it would have to be decided within the parameters of what the school district can offer.

Parents know their children better than anyone else.

Wait to fail model identifies a lot of children too late. 10 years seems like a better number. teachers will all have to be retrained to live in a different type of classroom and teach in very different ways than they are now. 6 years seems like a good goal but not very.

Parents are often the best researchers!

Parents know their child best and intuitively can determine what method they may respond to. I suggest that the parent be allowed, either through observation or videotape, to participate in the decision-making process. It may be that in a school setting the new intervention is helpful. Parents need to have the same information that school have when participating in the decision.

There are some parents who would rather not look than get the help their child needs.