| The number of students who are being identified as having a learning disability is rising at an alarming rate, creating concerns regarding misdiagnoses and overrepresentation of minority groups in special education. Response to Intervention (RtI) has emerged as a scientifically validated approach to delivering quality interventions early in a child's academic career and as a new method for identifying students who are at risk for academic failure. RtI has also been developed to reduce the number of students who are unnecessarily referred for special education services. RtI challenges traditional roles held by school staff and promotes effective quality instruction for all students. As many states are only in the beginning stages of implementing RtI, school staff are in need of quality professional growth and training regarding RtI's methods and philosophies. General education teachers play a critical role in the success of their students, as well as the success of implementing a school-wide RtI model; however, most training regarding RtI is given to support staff and not enough time is spent in educating classroom teachers on the process. This doctoral project describes a process for developing a clear and helpful online resource for supporting teachers in using RtI for struggling readers in the general education environment. |
