Response to Intervention, Collaboration, and Co-Teaching: A Logical Combination for Successful Systemic Change

TLDR

Response to intervention (RTI) is a new method for identifying students with learning disabilities and its growing implementation impacts all teachers and students in both general and special education. The authors aim to give educators a practical understanding of classroom RTI and show how co‑teaching can make RTI more efficient, effective, and realistic. They introduce the RTI model as a paradigm shift for identifying learning‑disabled and at‑risk students, then outline collaboration components and key principles of effective co‑teaching. Examples illustrate that co‑teaching and collaboration are essential for the systemic change schools need to adopt an RTI model. Keywords: collaboration, co‑teaching, response to interventions, school reform.

Abstract

Abstract Response to intervention (RTI) is a new method of identifying students with learning disabilities. RTI's increasing implementation affects all teachers and students, in both general and special education. The authors provide educators with a practical understanding of what RTI may look like in the classroom and how co-teaching as an instructional service delivery model can make RTI more efficient, effective, and realistic. After introducing the RTI model and its role in supporting a paradigm shift for the identification of students with learning disabilities and the support of at-risk learners, the authors then highlight the important components of collaboration and review the key tenets of effective co-teaching. They provide specific examples to demonstrate how co-teaching and collaboration are critical to the systemic change required for schools interested in supporting an RTI model. Keywords: collaborationco-teachingresponse to interventionschool reform