RTI and The Special Education Evaluation and Eligibility Process

RTI (Response to Intervention) plays a critical role in how students are identified as having a disability and needing special education services. For many years, putting struggling students into special education was the only option. Requirements for special education eligibility were outdated and left students to struggle for years before help was provided. Students fell further and further behind, making it more difficult to catch up once help was provided.

The RTI process gets help to struggling learners faster, making interventions more successful and keeping students from becoming frustrated. The information collected along the way — such as progress monitoring data — becomes an important part of determining if a student needs to be formally evaluated for special education.

Once a student is determined to be in need of special education, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is developed. The student's IEP lists the specific skill deficits that are interfering with his or her academic achievement and the progress needed to close that achievement gap. This involves the use of individualized instruction designed for the unique needs of the student. The use of a RTI process as part of a school's procedures for determining whether a student has a learning disability and needs special education services can potentially:

• Reduce the time a student waits before receiving additional instructional assistance, including special education if needed
• Reduce the overall number of students referred for special education services and increase the number of students who succeed within general education
• Provide critical information about the instructional needs of the student, which can be used to create effective educational interventions
• Limit the amount of unnecessary testing that has little or no instructional relevance
• Ensure that students receive appropriate instruction, particularly in reading, prior to placement in special education
• Increase collaboration among school staff and parents

However, it is important to keep in mind the following limitations:

• RTI alone is generally not sufficient to identify a learning disability. While the information collected during the RTI process will play an important role in making decisions about student need and creating effective instructional plans, additional information is needed to satisfy the evaluation requirements of IDEA and make a well-informed, individualized decision about each student.
• Since an RTI process identifies the lowest performing students within a group — such as a class or grade — within the school, students who are highly intelligent (frequently referred to as "gifted") yet are not performing up to their potential will most likely not be identified for intervention. While these students may have a learning disability, they typically would not be identified as needing special education through an RTI process.

Despite these limitations, a well-implemented, research-based RTI process promises to offer earlier, more relevant help for students at risk for learning disabilities and provide critical information about the instructional needs of the student, which can be used to create effective educational interventions.

Important! School personnel, such as your child's teacher, can also request an evaluation for special education. If your child's teacher thinks your child may have a disability and need special education services, you will be provided with the Notice of Procedural Safeguards and asked to provide your written consent for the evaluation. When the evaluation is complete you will be invited to attend a meeting to discuss the results and decide if your child is eligible for special education services. Be sure to attend the meeting and ask questions about the information presented.



Contact your Parent Training and Information Center for additional help in understanding your rights under IDEA.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the federal law that requires local school districts to identify and serve students with disabilities. IDEA provides important rights to parents. These rights do not change when a school decides to use an RTI process. Among important IDEA rights for parents are the following: Right to request an evaluation for special education. Parents can ask the school to evaluate their child at any time during the RTI process. Make your request in writing. The school, in turn, must respond to your request in one of two ways. They must either agree to conduct an evaluation (which requires your written consent) or tell you in writing the reason(s) why they don't feel an evaluation is needed at the time (called Prior Written Notice). Either way, you will receive a document called a Notice of Procedural Safeguards that contains information about all of your IDEA rights. Be sure to read and understand this notice. Ask questions if you don't understand. Right to consent to evaluation. The school must obtain your written consent to conduct an evaluation for special education. Your consent does not mean that you are agreeing to special education if your child is found to be in need. Right to consent to special education. The school must obtain your written consent to begin providing special education services to your child.

Excerpted from A Parent's Guide to Response-to-Intervention. 

Candace Cortiella is Director of The Advocacy Institute, a nonprofit focused on improving the lives of people with disabilities through public policy and other initiatives. The mother of a young adult with learning disabilities, she lives in the Washington, D.C., area.