I am glad you asked! At Ki-Be Elementary, we have chosen to follow the Response to Intervention (RtI) model. 

One definition of RtI states that it is a "new movement that shifts the responsibility for helping all students become successful from the special education teachers and curriculum to the entire staff, including special and regular education teachers and curriculum.  This seismic shift in educational policy culminated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), which was signed into law by President George W. Bush in December 2004" (page 2, Pyramid Response to Intervention, Buffum, Mattos and Weber, 2009).

Basically, our staff has chosen to work TOGETHER to meet the academic needs of our students. In order to accomplish this, we have built in time to our Master Schedule called, "Communities". This is when the classroom teachers, along with our intervention teachers, EAs and other staff, work with students to fill in the skill gaps that students may have. We are coming together as one community for our students.  In our schedule, each grade level has a 45-minute block for Communities. 

In Communities, students are divided into groups based on their data. The smaller the group, the more intense the instruction is. Students who are above grade level use this time to extend their learning beyond the curriculum.

How does this work at Ki-Be Elementary?

1. We use the RtI Triangle when we think about students who need intervention:
   • Tier 1: Core Program | Where all students need to go
     • Open Court Reading instruction delivered with differentiated instruction (K-5)
     • This occurs during the Reading Block time (50-80 minutes)
     • At many grade levels, we “Walk to Read” 
   • Tier 2: Supplemental Interventions | What some students need to get there
     • The Reading Mastery program is used at this level (1-5th grade)
     • This occurs during the “Communities” time (45 minutes, 4 days a week)
     • Smaller groups (7-10 students per group)
     • Targeted skills to fill in gaps
     • MAP, DIBELS data used to find gaps and place students into groups 
   • Tier 3: Intensive Interventions | What this student needs to get there
     • The Reading Mastery program is used at this level (1-5)
     • This occurs during “Communities” time (45 minutes, 4 days per week)
     • Small groups (often 5 or less students per group)
     • Targeted skills, based on student data
     • Student may also receive time outside of Core Reading and Communities
2. We look at student data: MAP tests, DIBELS Tests and classroom assessment.
3. We meet as a team and discuss the skill(s) that students need to improve.
4. We create groups for our "communities" time.  The more intensive the academic need is, the smaller the group. 
5. Students who do not deficits in their skills are in larger groups working on extension activites in reading and writing.
6. Besides working through the Reading Mastery curriculum, we also work on fluency by practicing the Fry Word List and reading aloud from the Read Naturally program, collecting data.
7. Other resources we use include The Six Minute Solution and Curriculum ladders--which takes the skills of the MAP tests and arranges them by level, helping the teacher look at the needs of the students.
8. Student data and progress is closely monitored by the intervention and classroom teachers.  Placement in the different community groups will be adjusted as needed.