Back at the Galt House today! Very excited about the sessions today--RTI, iPods in the Classroom, ThinkMedia, Preview the new Longitudinal Data System for KY--plus networking and making memories with a few of my teachers. Great day!!
So, now I am sitting in the RTI/Read Naturally session. Yes, this is a vendor session, but the speaker has begun by sharing how this "program" along with a strong instructional leader made an impact on his school--over a period of 10 years.
Core assumptions regarding RTI--School wide screening three times a year, research based interventions should be implemented, progress monitoring to inform instruction, and data to DRIVE decision making. Hmm...sound familar? The biggest leap of faith we have made at HCMS, in my opinion, is the progress monitoring. Teachers have really had to dig deep and intentionally focus their efforts on the data that each child brings. I applaud their efforts and willingness to take that leap.
Something that the presenter brought up that strikes me as interesting is the fact that parent support and involvement is critical to the success of RTI (or anything). Sitting beside one of my teachers, she brought up a Brutal Fact about our school--a huge missing piece of our puzzle is the parent support. Yes, we have a parent support group and they work extremely hard to support our school and our students. Yet, there is still a gap between what is happening in the classroom and what is happening at home. What to do? It takes a village, right? Students, teachers, administration, and home...hmmm...
