CEC Holds Briefing on RTI

CEC Holds Briefing on RTI: On Monday, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) held a briefing titled, "Understanding Response to Intervention (RTI)." Douglas Fuchs, Ph.D., professor of special education at Vanderbilt University, presented his views on RTI and explained why he believes RTI should be used to identify struggling students and diagnose learning disabilities. According to CEC, RTI is designed to identify struggling learners early in their education, to provide access to needed interventions and to help identify children with disabilities. Fuchs argued that there are two purposes of RTI: to provide an alternate method of learning disability identification and to re-orient general education toward early intervention and prevention. CEC believes RTI merges special education into the overall policies of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) by having clear standards, useful measurement and sound instructional practices. Dr. Susan Fowler, CEC president, said RTI "lays the groundwork for bringing a new focus on enhancing the performance of all students, including those with disabilities, through a common system in which classroom teachers and special education teachers can work together."

More info at http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home