Model 1 Blog "Challenging Behaviors using the SPRINT/RtI2 Implementation Guidebook"

After reading the article on the SPRINT/RtI² model, I found it easy to reflect on my own school's RtI process. Reading about the framework was especially helpful because I approach it from the perspective of a special education teacher. I am much more familiar with the RtI process after students have qualified for an IEP, when the focus shifts to monitoring progress toward individual goals. As a result, I have not spent as much of my professional career actively participating in the general education RtI process.

In fact, this has been an ongoing discussion in my building regarding whether self-contained special education teachers should participate in our school's "Data Days." During these meetings, classroom teachers receive substitute coverage so they can meet with a multidisciplinary team to review student data, identify students in need of additional support, and determine appropriate intervention groups. This is one of those situations where it is easy to identify best practice—bringing together a diverse team of professionals and keeping all teachers informed—but more challenging to implement given staffing and scheduling realities.

I also appreciated the article's emphasis on the two "I's" in RtI²: instruction and intervention. This perspective reinforces that effective intervention begins with high-quality Tier 1 instruction and reminds educators that strong core instruction is the foundation of the entire RtI² process (Knoff, n.d.).

References:

Knoff, H. M. (n.d.). Integrating the school prevention review and intervention team (SPRINT) into a response to instruction and intervention (RtI²) service delivery system. Project ACHIEVE.