Stephanie Downey Toledo is a bilingual speech language pathologist in New York City as well as a professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has collaborated with the LEADERS project on this module series and others.
Category: Response to Intervention (RTI)
Response to Intervention (RTI) is a 3 tiered intervention model that consists of tier 1- general education, tier 2- a specified number of weeks with support services, and tier 3- special education. Children who need extra support in school receive services for a specified number of weeks (tier 2) and are either placed back in general education (tier 1) or moved into special education (tier 3) depending on their progress during the time spent in tier 2.
Contemporary Approaches to Intervention: Wilson Fundations
Wilson Fundations is based on the Orton-Gillingham Principles of reading instruction and the Wilson Reading Program which both focus on multi-sensory instruction to increase literacy.
Research Text: Minority Students in Special and Gifted Education
Source URL: View this document on the National Academies Press website
This article highlighted the role that evaluators play in perpetuating the achievement gap between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. When an evaluator uses assessment procedures, such as standardized tests, that are biased against students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, it results in typically developing students being placed in special education where they are much less likely to graduate from high school and college.
Relevant Research: Cultural Considerations with Response to Intervention Models
Source URL: View this document at the National Education Policy Center
This article describes a framework for schools and other educational institutions to follow in order to begin to implement RTI with their own students.
Research Text: Why Are So Many Minority Students in Special Education? Understanding Race and Disability in Schools
Source URL: View this book on the Teacher’s College Press website
This book addresses the constellation of factors that have contributed to the misidentification of minority/culturally and linguistically diverse children as needing special education services. It also provides suggestions for improving the special education referral process.
