RTI and Reading Recovery: An Article Review

Dunn, M. (2010). Response to Intervention and Reading Difficulties: A Conceptual Model That Includes Reading Recovery. Learning Disabilities -- A Contemporary Journal, 8(1), 21-40. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

This article explains what Reading Recovering and Response to Intervention are and how they are so closely related. The RR program could fit the definition of a Tier 3 problem solving intervention to help dually-discrepant students improve. The 6 criteria for being classified into special education are defined in the article. There is a chart of a RTI model based on Fuchs & Fuchs. The standard protocol approach, the problem solving model, and the standard-protocol/problem solving hybrid model are all explained in the article. This article explains how RR works in connection to RTI and why both are important. The article discusses criticism of Reading Recovery. There is an example of a RR/RTI logic map.

·         The alternative assessment model included in the United States Congress’ reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is RTI

·         All 50 states have implemented RTI

·         Each student’s rate of growth is evaluated about 3 times per year

·         Scores are put into an online database and then attain a classification of each child’s ability levels as being either at grade level, some risk, or at risk.

·         Dual discrepancy: a student’s demonstrating low academic ability and little or no progress over time

·         Each school team would define their own number of intervention phases before initiating consideration for long-term special education services.

·         Reading Recovery provides a guide for an intervention’s length, RTI has no universally-accepted timeline.

·         Reading Recovery contains a series of 30-minute lessons and strategies for a student to complete with a trained teacher; each intervention phase is referred to as a “round.” Each round has a duration of 12-20 weeks depending on the chosen format of a school district

·         RR complements the RTI model by having a means to define students who have succeeded versus those who have not.

·         The 5 big ideas of literacy:

1.     Phonemic awareness

2.     Alphabetic principle

3.     Fluency with text

4.     Vocabulary

5.     Comprehension

The article helped me understand what Reading Recovery is and how it relates to RTI. It was very informative for me to learn about the history behind RTI and the reason is exists. I found it interesting that all of the US states have implemented RTI. Also, so many other places such as Vancouver, British Columbia, and Canada have implemented RTI. I wasn’t aware that RR had such as set time frame and RTI did not before reading this article.