RTI2

Basic reading skills include the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds in language; to identify printed letters and their associated sounds; to decode written language. Phonics is a set of rules that specify the relationship between letters in the spelling of words and the sounds of spoken language. Phonics refers to a systematic approach of teaching letters (and combinations of letters) and their corresponding speech sounds. Phonics begins with the alphabetic principle: language is comprised of words made up of letters that represent sounds. Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF) is a standardized measure of a student’s ability to segment three and four phoneme words into individual phonemes fluently, for example the examiner says “bat” and the student says /b/ /a/ /t/. PSF is usually measured mid- kindergarten through the spring of first grade. Phonological Awareness is a broad skill that includes identifying and manipulating units of oral language – parts such as words, syllables, and onsets and rimes. Children who have phonological awareness are able to identify and make oral rhymes, can clap out the number of syllables in a word, and can recognize words with the same initial sounds like “money” and “mother.” Phonemic awareness is commonly defined as the understanding that spoken words are made up of separate units of sound that are blended together when words are pronounced. The ability to hear, think about, identify and manipulate the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. 

• Phonemic Awareness
  • Involves isolating sounds, segmenting, and blending sounds in words and non-words, ability to notice, think about, or manipulate the individual sounds in words.
  • Difficulty with the following: Letter Sounds, Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Segmentation, Rhyming, Syllable Segmenting, Phoneme Deletion
  • Intervention Characteristics - focus on systematic development of letter sound correspondence, word analysis skills, and sight word recognition.

• Phonics Word Recognition
  • Involves matching sounds to symbols, reading words by sight or by applying phonics to decode; focus is on word production, not meaning.
  • Difficulty with the following: Letter-sound associations, Sound blending, Segmenting, Manipulating letter-sound, correspondences, reading nonsense words, Word identification
  • Intervention Characteristics - focus on systematic development of letter sound correspondence, word analysis skills, sight word recognition, consonant blends/diagraphs, syllable division/types, affixes, word attack skills. etc.

Basic Reading Interventions:

• Letter Knowledge
• Phoneme Segmentation
• Concepts of Print
• Using Picture Clues
• Phonics Interventions
• Phonological Awareness
• Sight Word Interventions

Reading fluency is recognizing the words in a text rapidly and accurately and using phrasing and emphasis in a way that makes what is read sound like spoken language. A standardized reading measure of accuracy and fluency with connected text or passages, usually measured beginning mid-first grade through sixth grade. 

Difficulty with: Accuracy of Fluency, Reading Rate, Word reading Efficiency, Sentence fluency

Intervention Characteristics- Intervention focus on guided oral reading, repeated readings, echo read, shadow read, paired reading, and direct explicit instruction in chunking and phrasing.

Fluency Interventions:

• Fluency, Phrasing and Expression  

Reading comprehension involves constructing meaning that is reasonable and accurate by connecting what has been read to what the reader already knows and thinking about all of this information until it is understood.

Difficulty with: Passage Reading, Sentence Comprehension, Oral Reading, Silent reading, Words in isolation or in Context, Matching Vocabulary

Intervention Characteristics -Intervention focus on specific skill instruction for vocabulary, fact finding, and making inferences as well as explicit strategies in comprehension monitoring and reading for different purposes.

Reading Compression Interventions:

• Comprehension-Sequencing Events
• Comprehension-Summarizing Events
• Comprehension-Details
• Comprehension-Prediction
• Comprehension-Interpretation
• Comprehension-Reflection

In Tennessee, an area of deficit in writing for RTI2 is defined as written expression. Written Expression involves basic writing skills (transcription) and generational skills (composition). Transcription involves difficulty producing letters, words, and spelling. Composition is difficulty with word and text fluency, sentence construction, genre- specific discourse structures, planning processes, and reviewing and revising processes. 

Difficulty with: Hold/Use Pencil, Trace/ Copy, Letters Written, Words Written, Word Sequence, Spelling, Planning processes, Composition/reviewing and revising

Written Expression Interventions:

After looking at a student's writing sample, choose an area below to begin writing interventions. In general, it's best to start in one area with interventions, and when those are successful, slowly add other intervention areas as needed.

Composition/Organization of Writing

Before deciding on any interventions below, first compare the student's writing to his/her oral language. If they match (i.e. the student is writing the same way he talks) then consult your Speech/Language Pathologist for possible language interventions. It is very rare for a student to be able to write better than he speaks. If, however, his ability to compose thoughts, sentences, and stories orally is much better than his ability to write these thoughts and stories, then try one of the following interventions:

• Interactive Writing
• Graphic-Organizers
• Color-Coding Strategy
• Paragraph Frames
• Sentence Expansion
• Sentence Combining

Encoding/Spelling

• Copy-Cover-Compare
• Take a Good Look
• Web the Word
• Elkonin Boxes
• Alphaboxes
• Building Words
• Compare and Contrast

Progress Monitoring Writing/Spelling

Progress monitoring for writing will be very specific to the intervention you've chosen. It's best to progress monitor the student's ability to apply the skill within the context of an actual writing task. Refer to Intervention Central for curriculum based measures for progress monitoring written expression.  Progress monitor every other week. 

Fine Motor

Often a student who has difficulty with writing composition also may have difficulties with forming letters. If you feel this is the case, consult your OT for possible interventions.

Math calculation is the knowledge and retrieval of facts and the application of procedural knowledge in calculation.

Math application refers to math flexibility for applications. Students should have the opportunity to apply math in context. Math problem solving involves using mathematical computation skills, language, reasoning, reading, and visual-spatial skills to solve problems and applying mathematical knowledge at the conceptual level.

Conceptual understanding refers to the conceptual understanding of key concepts, such as place value and ratios. Students should learn concepts from a number of perspectives so that they are able to see math as more than a set of mnemonics or discrete procedures.

Procedural skill and fluency refers to the speed and accuracy in calculation. Students need time to practice core functions such as single-digit multiplication so that they gain access to more complex concepts and procedures. Math early numeracy includes counting and cardinality, ability to identify numbers, discriminate between quantities, patterns and relationship, formulate mental number lines, number concepts, geometry, and spatial sense.

Cardinality is understanding the one to one correspondence between counting numbers and the number of objects in a set.