November 14, 2008.
Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:
RESPONSE TO INSTRUCTION AND INTERVENTION
Response to Intervention (RtI) is emerging nationally as an effective strategy to support every student. The California Department of Education (CDE) is squaring the term RtI to Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtI²) to define a general education approach of high quality instruction, early intervention, and prevention and behavioral strategies. Attached are the CDE’s definition, philosophy, and core components of RtI². RtI² offers a way to eliminate achievement gaps through a school-wide process that provides assistance to every student, both high achieving and struggling learners. It is a process that utilizes all resources within a school and district in a collaborative manner to create a single, well-integrated system of instruction and interventions informed by student outcome data. RtI² is fully aligned with the research on the effectiveness of early intervention and the recommendations of the California P-16 Council’s themes of access, culture and climate, expectations, and strategies.
RtI is cited in the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 related to the determination of Specific Learning Disability (SLD) and 34 Code of Federal Regulations sections 300.307, 300.309, and 300.311. The IDEA regulations allow for the use of a process, based on a child’s response to scientific, research-based intervention, as a component to determine if a child has a specific learning disability. Thus, the data gained during the implementation of an effective RtI² system can be part of the process to identify students with learning disabilities. Research shows that implementation of RtI² in general education reduces the disproportionate representation of certain groups of students identified as needing special education services.
Together, we can close the achievement gap and open the door to a better future for every student, without exception. I look forward to continuing our work together.
If you have any questions regarding RtI², please contact Anthony Monreal, Deputy Superintendent, Curriculum and Instruction Branch, at 916-319-0806 or by e-mail at amonreal@cde.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
JACK O’CONNELL
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1430 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814