Response to Intervention.

Area of Science:

• Education
• Psychology
• Linguistics

Background:

• Early literacy is crucial for academic success.
• Reading disabilities affect a significant number of students.
• Multi-tier systems of support offer a framework for intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe Response to Intervention (RTI) for early literacy.
• To improve reading outcomes for students at risk for reading disability.
• To review US policy and international efforts in early literacy intervention.

Main Methods:

• Review of current US policy on RTI for early literacy.
• Analysis of international efforts (World Bank, Early Grade Reading Assessments).
• Presentation of findings from a large experimental study with first graders and a third-grade follow-up.

Main Results:

• RTI implementation in early literacy shows promise for improving reading skills.
• The study provides empirical evidence on the effectiveness of RTI.
• Follow-up data indicates sustained reading gains.

Conclusions:

• RTI is a viable framework for early literacy intervention and identification of reading disabilities.
• Findings have implications for educational research, practice, and policy development.
• The model can be adapted for use in developing countries.