RtI and Scheduling

There is an old Chinese Proverb, some call it a curse that goes like this, "May you live in interesting times." Well, we are definitely living in interesting times. The underfunding of state education has created some very interesting times for us. While there are many questions we are asking and difficult decisions being made, we move forward with helping our staff and students excel.

While others are taking off work or calling in sick to search for the last bit of snow on the slopes, this time of year brings the promise of massive scheduling challenges for the building Principal. Most likely, you have already cleared off that white board and started moving names, sections and courses around. When you walk out of your office you may find a sticky note stuck to the bottom of your shoe with the name of a course or teacher. You knew something was missing from the scheduling wall.

As you begin to make plans, please keep RtI in mind. Scheduling for a new year gives us an opportunity to review those students on Tier 2 and Tier 3. Pat Quinn recommends that when scheduling you take the time to review the number of students on Tier 2 or Tier 3 in a classroom. Overloading a single class with students needing intense interventions may not be possible, especially if you know you will not have the support staff to help. You may want to distribute the tiers throughout the grade level or content. Pat Quinn also states that many principals prefer to place students needing interventions with their best teachers. This may give one or two teachers students needing more than the typical interventions. If you select this method, you may want to make sure you can provide support for that teacher.

Do I Have a Part in the RtI Process?

Eating vegetables, wearing bicycle helmets, getting enough sleep and school are all good for kids. Right? What if you found out that the vegetables at your family dinner table were dangerously polluted with toxic chemicals, would you go ahead and serve them? That bicycle helmet your nine year old received for Christmas has a flaw in the design. Would you go ahead and allow that nine year old to wear it? Stupid questions, right?

Then why would we continue to use a system that is not best for kids? We would not! That goes against all that is valued by most in education. Response to Intervention, RtI, is not new. Idea 2004 and all the research that went into its compilation, ardantly reveal the potential dangers of the 30 year old discrepancy model.

RtI is a strange bird. It is not a federal mandate and does not carry with it the all too familiar tag of accountability. States cannot require school districts to follow the 30 year old discrepancy model of identifying students with special needs. The proposed regulation, suggested in IDEA 2004, does permit states to prohibit districts from using the discrepancy model. So, where do you stand?

First question - Is the principal on the campus an instructional leader? You must answer yes or no. If your answer is "no," then get in your travel machine and set the date to circa 1950. I'm not judging only reporting the obvious. If you answer "yes," then proceed.

Second question- To what extent does the instructional leader play a role in implementing RtI?
No going back to your time machine. Diagnosing learning concerns and prescribing solutions may require re allotment of staff, schedule changes, allocation of funds and support for proven- evidence based instructional models. Who is in charge of the decisions and resources needed to accomplish such lofty requirements? Hopefully, the principal has some influence over why and how the above should occur.

Third question- Is learning the direct result of instruction? John E. McCook contends that "Learning is the direct result of the intervention of three sets of variables- student skills, the curriculum and the instruction provided to the child" (The RtI Guide). The instructional leader must be at the helm overseeing the integrity of instruction and supporting changes that influence learning in a positive direction.

Life is a collaborative effort or we would all be hermits. Let me know what you think. What role does the principal play in the RtI process?