As Lesson E1 explains, RTI is an instructional framework that integrates the systematic use of assessment data into a multitiered approach to help educators intervene early and prevent learning difficulties.
Tier I, the primary prevention level, is the core literacy instruction delivered to all students in general education classrooms. For this reason, Tier I serves as the foundation for student learning. When effectively delivered, it should meet the majority of your students’ needs (Vaughn, Wanzek, Woodruff, & Linan-Thompson, 2007).
Researchers Burns and Gibbons state that student success in Tiers II and III is predicated on high-quality Tier I instruction, and “without quality core instruction, nothing else matters!” (2012, p. 79).
To achieve the greatest success at the Tier I level, you will need to establish expectations for instructional practices that are high quality and evidence based. Many of the expectations for quality instruction are delineated in the teacher evaluation system used in your district, but your campus-based leadership team will need to ensure that expectations specific to literacy instruction are communicated, supported, and monitored across your campus.
One of the evidence-based practices that your campus-based leadership team may identify as an expectation is explicit instruction. Explicit instruction involves modeling and explaining concepts and skills in ways that are concrete and visible, using clear language and many examples. These explicit procedures need to be predictable, and they need to include clear and consistent instructions and clearly stated expectations. Explicit instruction “does not leave anything to chance and does not make assumptions about skills and knowledge that children will acquire on their own” (Torgesen, 2004, p. 363).
Explicit instruction incorporates the I Do, We Do, You Do cycle of instruction. The first stage, I Do, encompasses explicit teacher modeling and thinking aloud. This means teachers show students what they are expected to think about, say, and do (Archer & Hughes, 2011).
I Do: When teaching students to segment words into sounds, a first-grade teacher says, “Words are made up of individual sounds. Being able to hear and separate sounds will help us to read and spell words.” Then, rather than simply asking her students to segment the sounds in "cat," she tells her students to listen as she stretches the sounds so they can hear all the sounds that make up the word. She says, “My turn. Watch and listen to me.” She then stretches the word "c-a-t" for the students as she holds up one finger for each sound.
This type of explicit instruction also includes scaffolding. Scaffolding refers to instructional supports that help students learn with assistance what would otherwise be inaccessible without this support. Content, activities, materials, and delivery procedures or routines are all types of scaffolds that can be adjusted and extended to meet the diverse range of abilities in a Tier I classroom.
The I Do, We Do, You Do cycle is one form of procedural scaffolding. Support is gradually withdrawn as you move through the stages. During We Do, students immediately try the task or skill along with teacher support.
We Do: Now the first-grade teacher says, “Let’s practice stretching the individual sounds in these words together. Say each sound with me and hold up one finger for each sound as we pronounce it.”
During the You Do stage, students are given multiple opportunities for practice with corrective and positive feedback.
You Do: The first-grade teacher says, “Now it's your turn. With your partner, take turns stretching the individual sounds in these words. Remember to hold up one finger for each sound as you pronounce it.” The teacher monitors each pair as they practice and provides corrective feedback when necessary.
Keep in mind that the I Do, We Do, You Do cycle is similar to a feedback loop. If students are having difficulty during any of the stages, you can circle back to model another I Do, practice another We Do or You Do, or perform any combination or all three again (Archer & Hughes, 2011).
Quality Tier I instruction also maximizes student engagement. To accomplish this somewhat daunting task, teachers need to purposefully plan how students can be actively engaged during literacy lessons. This often requires an increase in the number of times students respond and practice skills and concepts. Every student should be spending each minute during instruction participating, whether it’s thinking, discussing, completing hands-on activities, reading, or writing. For example, you may need to help your teachers plan and implement interactive response routines, such as think-pair-share, that involve all students.
Always keep in mind that Tier I literacy instruction goes beyond the dedicated language arts and reading block and includes the building of content area literacy skills. To facilitate instructional literacy experiences across content areas, your team and your staff may need more information and opportunities to build capacity in this area. You can find additional information about content literacy in To Learn More at the end of this section.
Your campus-based leadership team may also need to identify strengths and specific areas or needs for growth in your current Tier I instructional practices. As discussed previously, analyzing student data from screening assessments and ongoing progress monitoring can help determine the effectiveness of Tier I and identify classroom or grade-level problems. More information on using data to determine Tier I effectiveness can be found in Part 2 of E1—Data to inform instruction, as well as in the Assessment component of the TSLP.
As you learn about the Effective Instructional Framework component, keep in mind that the Action Steps overlap. Although steps will be presented separately, it may not be possible to implement them one at a time. The Implementation Indicators for each Action Step will help you reflect on the professional development your staff may need to ensure successful RTI implementation.
Your campus-based leadership team may identify professional development that is needed for several aspects of this component. For example, as you reflect on Action Step E2, your team may decide to target the characteristics of high-quality Tier I instruction, differentiated instruction, and flexible grouping practices as a focus for professional development. Remember to provide opportunities for professional development in many formats, not just on traditional staff development days.
TO LEARN MORE: The resources below will help you gain a better understanding of Tier I literacy instruction.
The Building Capacity for Response to Intervention Implementation Project at the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk contains links to resources that pertain to all aspects of RTI.
“What’s Your Plan? Accurate Decision Making within a Multi-Tier System of Supports: Critical Areas in Tier I” published by the RTI Action Network elaborates on the decision-making process that occurs within a multitier system of supports and provides guidance on critical decisions made by teams at the Tier I level.
The Reading Rockets website article “Top 10 Resources on Literacy in the Content Areas” provides suggestions for promoting literacy skills, as well as links to more information on each strategy. (link unavailable)
