What is speech RtI?
Response to Intervention (RtI) is a way to see if your student responds to additional help in the form of speech-language therapy. This program will last 8-12 weeks, then you will receive an update/progress report. Your student will be in the regular classroom the majority of the week. They may be pulled out at certain times of a day (ranging from 10-30 minutes, 1-2 days/week, depending on their needs) to see the speech therapist and work on the specific area of concern.
What will happen next?
If your student makes significant progress, RtI will be continued until your student reaches the expectations of a student his/her age. If your student does not make significant progress or it appears s/he needs more support than RtI offers, a team meeting will be held (teacher, parent, speech-language pathologist) to consider special education testing. If the team decides to move in that direction, the speech-language pathologist, and others as decided by the team, will evaluate your student's skills in a particular area (e.g., articulation) to see if special education is warranted.
What is a Special Education Evaluation?
A Special Education evaluation will assess your student in the areas of concern. Assessment areas may include: cognition, academics, communication, motor, health, and/or social emotional. The evaluation will consider student records, observations, work samples, state and district tests, psychometric tests, RtI data, and interviews. After the assessment is complete, an Eligibility meeting is held. At this meeting, the team discusses the results of the evaluation and determines if your student has met the criteria for special education.
If your student meets the state criteria, s/he will be eligible to receive special education services and the team—including you—will meet to create an Individual Education Plan (IEP), in which goals and services for your child are specified.