CEC's RTI Blog

RTI & Identification of Learning Disabilities (Part III)

By Karen J. Rooney
Director, Educational Enterprises, Inc.
Richmond, Va.

Thanks to all for your comments. I think that the field of learning disabilities is evolving as we speak. Heather alluded to one of the biggest problems with identification in the past -- how do we identify young children who have (or are at risk for developing) learning disabilities? With the thought that early intervention is critical, how do we identify young children without missing some and incorrectly identifying others?

RTI & Identification of Learning Disabilities (Part II)

By Karen J. Rooney
Director, Educational Enterprises, Inc.
Richmond, Va.

There has been a great string of comments in response to my November 3rd post about RTI and the identification of learning disabilities. I thought I would bring some of my own insights to the forefront for all to read. I welcome additional comments on the specific topics of comprehensive Tier 3 assessments and identifying math disabilities.

I see a consensus around the idea of a comprehensive evaluation for Tier 3, which includes the data from RTI as part of the process. Some schools feel the need for more objective data to support their decisions at that level for identification, but most educators I talk with recognize the need for additional information to support planning for interventions at Tier 3. The assumption is that the child has already had appropriate instruction as well as more intense interventions, often using specialized programs, so the data needs to have more breadth and depth than typical RTI testing provides. At the Tier 3, the comprehensive assessment must provide additional information to guide intervention planning in the last tier of the RTI model in place.

RTI & Identification of Learning Disabilities

By Karen J. Rooney
Director, Educational Enterprises, Inc.
Richmond, Va.

Welcome to the November segment of the RTI Blog! This month we will be discussing RTI & Identification of Learning Disabilities, which has been a topic at the crux of the debate about RTI. CEC’s Division for Learning Disabilities has published a user-friendly booklet for teachers that may be helpful if you are just joining the blog and would like some background information (available through the CEC Store). The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities has also published a paper on the use of RTI, which may be helpful as a general guide.