RTI and Reading

905: Module 3- Natasha Dash

The North Vancouver School District has two models that are used to support students. One model is
for supporting students with diverse learning needs and the other model is used for supporting students with
behaviour/mental health needs (North Vancouver School District, 2020, pp. 19–20).

According to Read Naturally, “RTI and Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) are sometimes used
interchangeably among educators”, however this is not correct as an RTI framework addresses student’s
academic needs, whereas a MTSS also addresses other factors such as social, emotional, and behavioural
needs of students (2022).
I used the North Vancouver School District model for Supporting Students with Diverse Learning Needs
to create a Response to Intervention for Supporting Student with Reading. Through conversations with my
admin team, LST team, and my experiences as a Kindergarten teacher and a member of the SBRT, I was able to
better understand what RTI and reading look like in my district and at my school.

(Dash, 2022a)
 According to Dr. Stephanie Al Otaiba, RTI is a prevention framework in which the goal is to implement
“strong instruction to reduce the number of children that have reading difficulties and reading disabilities”
(Dillian, 2014). In order to support educators in the classroom with reading instruction, the North Vancouver
School District has implemented locally developed literacy programs, literacy assessments, as well as an array
of commercial intervention programs, strategies, initiatives, and software (North Vancouver School District,
2014). I created the image below to outline at which level the various programs, assessments, interventions
and strategies could be used.

(Dash, 2022b)
 The information I gathered about RTI and reading in the North Vancouver School District parallels to
the information I read on the Read Naturally website in some of the following ways:
• Tier 1 involves regular instruction and assessments in the classroom for all students
• Tier 2 involves learning in small groups for students with some risk
• Tier 3 involves intensive support for students at risk.
Overall “students receive increasingly more intensive instruction” as they move up the tiers and their level of
risk increases as well. (2022).

(Read Naturally, 2022b) (Read Naturally, 2022a)

 References

Dash, N. (2022a, May). Supporting Students in Reading Part 1 [Illustration]. In Canva.

Dash, N. (2022b, May). Supporting Students with Reading Part 2 [Illustration]. In Canva.

Dillian, M. (Host). (2014, August). Special Series: Reading Part One of Two. [Audio Podcast]. In Learning
Disabilities Quarterly Podcast by Hammill Institute on Disabilities with Dr. Stephanie Al Otaiba. Sage
Publications Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/page/ldq/podcasts/index

Read Naturally. (2022a). Tiers of the RTI Pyramid. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from
https://www.readnaturally.com/rti/description-of-tiers

Read Naturally. (2022b). What Is RTI (Response to Intervention)? Read Naturally, Inc. Retrieved May 27, 2022,
from https://www.readnaturally.com/rti

North Vancouver School District. (2020). Inclusive Education 44 Learning Services Handbook. North Vancouver
School District.
https://www.sd44.ca/ProgramsServices/InclusiveEducation/Documents/NVSD%20Inclusive%20Educati
on%20Handbook%202020.pdf

North Vancouver School District. (2014). District Literacy Plan. NVSD.

https://www.sd44.ca/Board/Literacy/Documents/DistrictLiteracyPlan2014_15.pdf