What Are The Two Options For Identifying Students With Learning Disabilities?

Wilson, Faggella-Luby, & Wei (2013) present a cogent plan for Tier 3 Response to Intervention (RTI) for secondary students with reading disabilities, content, and pedagogy planning tools, content instruction, and instructional method implementation. Both research application lacks concerning Tier 3 RTI in high schools (Wilson et. al). RTI is curriculum that addresses the learning needs of all students that also includes screening and monitoring progress. Continuing, Wilson et. al define Tier 1 RTI, core curriculum for all students serving the needs of 80% of students, Tier 2 RTI, small group instructional intervention, serving the needs of 15% of students, and Tier 3 RTI, an intense one to one intervention for students who continue to struggle beyond Tiers 1 and 2, serving 5% of students. Wilson et al. provides information the reader needs to understand in the article without clutter, expressing their writing with economy (Zinsser, 2013). The article is unified in theme, gives enough information without giving too much, and follows a clear progression (Zinsser). “More simple, than complex” (Henson, 1999, p. 58), Wilson et. al’s article is an example of good writing.

This three-tier RTI system is wonderful at the early stages of education because it allows teachers to identify at-risk students and move them through the intervention process. However, in the later stages, it is often too late to evaluate students for learning disabilities as these should have been recognized early on in a child’s education. It should be noted that students at this stage do still need interventions, but in a different format.

In the 3rd step plan the implementation is when educators will monitor and provide feedback to ensure the intervention is delivers properly. And step 4 is to evaluate the problem, consultant and teacher will evaluate the responsiveness to the intervention and modify if needed. These steps result in a great intervention program that is precise to see desired results in the RTI. With intervention trial and error is how real results are achieved. In previous years before interventions and RTI’s were placed in schools, too many children were sent for learning disabilities or special education showing teachers inability or unwillingness to teach sand accommodate academic diversity ( Reynolds, 1987). The article states how teachers can generally implement learning strategies until the student gets it and if after interventions and RTi’s measure the responsiveness as not responsive the child can be placed in special education to receive IEP’s to adjust to their learning disability.

Classification of ID students was the next topic of the interview. Classifying ID students can be difficult agreed both the regular and special education teachers. Classifying intellectual disabilities can be categorized into these several groups, borderline, mild, moderate, severe, and profound (Kerr, 2008). Mrs. Hoffman discussed how categorizes vary and allow teachers to classify students with different severities of intellectual disability. Ms. Kelly recommended students with moderate, severe, and profound levels of intellectual disabilities are placed in special education classes full time with some interaction with regular education students. Mrs. Hoffman explained how borderline levels of ID are classified as functioning but slower learners than normal students.

With the renewal with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004, the RTI concept is found. The RTI model is grounded in the ability to use interventions to support students, without referring them to special education services and placement. Outlined within IDEA local school districts are allowed to designate up to 15% for students for learners with disabilities. Within the methodology of the RTI model is that the regular education teachers will facilitate learning for students, with less of the demand being placed on the special education teachers. Outlined within this article are the two models of RTI, with both having a heavy focus on Reading Recovery. Highlighted within the article is emphasized that a 66% decrease in learning

The RTI process begins with certified instruction and screening of all children in the general education classroom. Struggling learners are provided with interventions at increasing tiers (I, II, III) of intensity to accelerate their rate of learning before any detrimental failure has been experienced. These services may be provided by a variety of personnel, including speech language pathologists, general education teachers, special educators, and reading/writing specialists. Progress of students is closely monitored to assess both the rate of learning and the level of performance of individual students. Educational decisions about the intensity (tier level) and duration of interventions are based on individual student response to instruction and the teams overall assessment of that student. RTI is designed to help make decisions in both general and special education, creating a well-integrated system of instruction and intervention guided by child outcome

Testing, of any kind, should not be the only or even the most predominately used factor when determine special education placement. A struggling and low-performing student does not equal a student that should be placed in special education. Often, a child only needs scaffolding and differentiated instruction techniques put in place by the general education teacher, in addition to cultural responsiveness, to

Of particular importance is the IQ-achievement deficit method of testing, which has not been empirically supported (Vaughn and Fuchs, 2003). There has been no evidence found that degree of discrepancy relates to learning disability in any way; that students with a discrepancy perform differently (academically) than those without; and that there is any reliable information to be obtained, or any way to tailor instruction, based upon a student’s discrepancy score (Vaughn and Fuchs, 2003). Thus, those classified as learning disabled may be falsely identified as such, or there may be additional factors at play that are not uncovered, such as educational inadequacy (Vaughn and Fuchs,

Being a very powerful and well-designed tool RTI enables using differentiated levels (also called Tiers), setting individualized goals and monitor explicit learning and behavioral difficulties. SEDL aided the school staff to use student assessment records to designate reading tier placement for all elementary school students. Using the assessment results of the last 2 years the staff set up RtI tier placements for the students. All students would receive Tier 1 instructions, which is the core level ,nevertheless students with “some risk” would receive additional instruction in Tier 2 while those who are “at risk” where placed in tier 3 .Tier 2 included additional directed instructions to complement the core instructions , while Tier 3 involved small-group or one-on-one intensive interventions in addition to core instruction

The contents of this article demonstrates that speech language pathologists have such a multifaceted role throughout their profession, specifically in the sector of school-based intervention. It is not more so “who” must receive special treatment in the system, but “how” treatments are carried out. Gelzheiser et al (1991) have reported that public school research studies on special education show an absence in quality treatment. Interestingly, intelligence is not actually deemed to be a key factor when it comes to improving readability, which is why RTI is making the endeavor to deliver a more sufficient way of identifying those with reading disabilities. We learn throughout this article that the second Tier in RTI is typically where the most improvements occur-in the temporary yet intense instruction. Nonetheless, the problem lies in both financial costs and the fact that there is a potential for showing

Currently the way disabilities are diagnosed has changed from the previous years. According to Colarusso et al., (2013) general education teachers play a large part in recognizing learning disabilities in the regular classroom. With the implementation of Response to Intervention (RTI) there are a more people involved in the decision making process. The team consist of a Data Team. This team analyzes data from benchmark tests given throughout the year. My school gives three benchmark tests a year, in math and reading. As soon as a student falls below a certain percentage they are tagged for intervention, more than the classroom teacher gives. There is a three tier system, tier one starts in the general education classroom and as more intervention

Discuss the critieria for diagnosing student with an intellectual disability and why it is so important that criteria is met.

It is important to remember that RTI is not only appropriate for students who have a learning disability but any student who is struggling. Students in need of RTI should be selected after observation and accurate testing only, never on a personal speculation. Educators must also remember to take progressive steps and take their time to see how much intervention is necessary to bring up a struggling student’s grades. RTI is a fundamental part for educators to ensure that all students are learning and preparing students for when they become

On the other study conducted by Waldron, the results show that children with learning disabilities did poor on math compared to children without learning disabilities. Programs to help children with learning disabilities improve in math should be enforce in every school to help these children succeed. The dropout rate on children with learning disabilities was 14.1 percent on a longitudinal study conducted by Doren. The reason for dropouts was that children with learning disabilities felt they were not compatible academically as children without learning disabilities. They felt disadvantaged compared to the other children. This shows that children with learning disabilities are in greater danger to dropping out of school. Programs designated for children with learning disabilities to help them on their reading, math, and writing would drop the rate and help those students graduate

The Discrepancy Model is an alternative was to diagnose students with a learning disability. Following the discrepancy analysis students are diagnosed with a disability based on the difference between their cognitive ability, how high their IQ is, and their academic ability, what they get on standardized assessment. When there is a significant discrepancy between a student’s potential and a student’s performance along with observations and reasons to believe the student might have a learning disability then further steps can be taken to make learning accommodations for the child. It is determined that a student may apply for addition support when the student falls between 1.5 to 2.0 standard on a standard deviation scale. In other words the