Committee:

Deb Hays, Chair
Jeanine Crockett, Naperville District 203
Katie DuBois, Pekin Public School District 108
Samantha Morley, IPSD District 204

Purpose: 

To promote understanding, develop a common language, and advocate for effective literacy instruction and assessment practices to realize the potential of Response to Intervention for Illinois students, educators, and families. 

Mary Howard's words in RTI from All Sides:  What Every Teacher Needs to Know, reflect the promise, possibility, and the pitfalls many of us encounter as we implement Response to Intervention in Illinois classrooms.  IRC leadership, seeking to meet the needs and interests of our membership, is pleased to announce the formation of a new committee to support the successful implementation of Response to Intervention.

The purpose of the committee is to promote understanding, develop a common language, and advocate for effective literacy instruction and assessment practices to realize the potential of Response to Intervention for Illinois students, educators, and families. 

The Guiding Principles for RTI, drafted by the IRA Commission on RTI, along with the Illinois RtI Plan are the foundation of the committee's work.  The resources shared by the committee will reflect our commitment to those principles:  Instruction, Responsive Teaching and Differentiation, Assessment, Collaboration, Systemic and Comprehensive (Implementation), and (Teacher) Expertise.

The founding committee members represent a small group of experienced practitioners working in systems with different approaches to RtI.  The committee is dedicated to supporting our colleagues as we work to foster literacy development and enjoyment for all students through RtI.  

This year the committee will draft and begin to implement an action plan after undertaking a series of investigations regarding collaboration and communication.  The committee will investigate ways in which the IRC and ISBE can work cooperatively, as well as promote the work of the IRA Commission on RtI. 

As we begin our work, the committee encourages you to attend the RtI sessions at our annual conference in Springfield this March, as well as read Mary Howard's book, RTI from All Sides:  What Every Teacher Needs to Know. 

"The response in response to intervention is both our students' and our own.  It's up to us to respond wisely with the very best resources, instructional strategies, and professional development to close the achievement gap." (Howard, 2009, p. 33)

Resources:

• Howard, Mary. (2009).  RTI from all sides:  What every teacher needs to know. New Hampshire:  Heinemann.

• Illinois State Board of Education. (2008). Illinois Response to Intervention Plan.  Retrieved from http://www.isbe.state.il.us/RtI_plan/default.htm

• International Reading Association. (2009). IRA Commission on RTI:  Working Draft of Guiding Principles. Retrieved from http://www.reading.org/General/Publications/ReadingToday/RTY-0902-rti.aspx