What is RTI?

The “No Child Left Behind” legislation requires schools to provide educational review and assistance for students in general education classes who may struggle or have needs in a particular area. RTI stands for Response to Intervention, a process whereby schools provide assistance to students to enhance and enrich their learning or success in school. RTI generally uses a three tier model like a pyramid. At the bottom of the pyramid is Tier 1. Tier 1 identification and interventions occur in the classroom and may be school wide including differentiated instruction to teach to the strengths of each child including classroom reward systems or incentives to encourage participation or reward skills or behavior that are essential to student growth. Tier 2 interventions are comprised of assistance that may occur outside of the classroom or inside the classroom. These may be group or individually focused based on what may be needed including math or reading pull out groups to assist students in learning skills that will enhance and improve their skills. For students with behavioral or emotional difficulties, this may include participation in a group or individual counseling services at school. Tier 3 or the top of the pyramid usually consists of interventions provided in another context, individual, group, or pull out services or consultation with specialized education personnel to collect data and tailor individualized interventions. The goal of the educational team at each level is to provide assistance to general education students that will address their identified needs. In addition, collection of data occurs at all levels to assist teachers, staff, and administrators in determining the success of interventions. As a child responds to interventions and strengthens the skills they need to strengthen, they will, over time, have less need for the intervention. Progress is continually monitored by the educational team to ensure that students receive the support they need when they need it and only for as long as it is needed.

Hands On Homework

Hands On Homework Help for Parents Homework is often a source of anxiety and struggle for parents, particularly if your child resists homework. Providing a structure to the homework process can be very helpful. Here are some helpful tips: 1. Create a routine – There are many opinions about what works best, but know your child and develop a homework routine that works for you. If you are able, encourage your child to get homework done right away after school so they have as much play and relaxation time as possible. If your child needs to blow off steam after school or you pick him or her up from daycare, have them do homework after some play time. Limit the time and give your child an opportunity to transition when he or she has to stop playing. 2. Have a specific location for completing homework - with all of the supplies your child will need to complete their work. 3. Do a backpack check for any important papers or to check for assignments. Ask questions about what you find. This information will help you understand how your child is feeling about school and the work that must be done. 4. Break it down – If your child has a lot of homework, help him or her break it down into smaller, more manageable bits. It may be helpful to offer a five-minute movement break between tasks if your child has difficulty keeping focused. 5. What worked for you may not work for your child – Understand that you and your child may be wired differently. You will have to tweak the routine based on your child’s individual needs. If you were a “get your work done right after school” type of kid and your child is a “blow off steam” kind of kid, allow that adjustment. You’ll find that if you consider your child’s temperament, the homework process will be less painless. 6. Minimize distractions – Keep the television and video games off during homework time. It splits focus and makes homework take longer. This can lead to stress and frustration. 7. Save the reading for right before bedtime – Use reading as one to one wind down time with you. As your child becomes more independent in their reading, grab a book and read alongside your child. Adults need a little wind down time too. 8. Finally, avoid the power struggle, not the homework – Encourage your child and celebrate when they get their homework done. Try to focus on what they have accomplished and not what they are not doing right. If he or she needs to redo or add to their work, off the feedback as constructively as possible. If you find yourself getting frustrated, step away for a minute. Manage your emotions before returning to help your child.

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Students Taking Stimulants Not For High, But For a Higher SAT Score

He steered into the high school parking lot, clicked off the ignition and scanned the scraps of his recent weeks. Crinkled chip bags on the dashboard. Soda cups at his feet. And on the passenger seat, a rumpled SAT practice book whose owner had been told since fourth grade he was headed to the Ivy League. Pencils up in 20 minutes. The boy exhaled. Before opening the car door, he recalled recently, he twisted open a capsule of orange powder and arranged it in a neat line on the armrest. He leaned over, closed one nostril and snorted it. Throughout the parking lot, he said, eight of his friends did the same thing. The drug was not cocaine or heroin, but Adderall ......more

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