What Really Matters in

Response to Intervention
By: Richard L. Allington

Presented by: Laura Anderson,

David Cousins, & Laquita Covington
Chapters 1 & 2 Key Points: What is RTI & Why does
it really matter?
★ Teachers need to use multi-leveled texts when using interventions
★ Most of intervention is geared towards middle range students leaving behind
to struggling readers.
★ The government has been demanded a greater growth in reading each year.
★ A one size fits all approach is obsolete
★ Students are being cyled through programs that are not responsive to their
needs
Chapter 3: Text Level
★ Research found that struggling readers who experienced classroom lessons
where reading activities were “high-success”made greater gains.

★ Classroom teachers can make harder texts easier for with lots of practice
rereading.
★ High success reading is defined as accurate, fluent, and comprehensive reading
(meaning students remember what we they read).
★ Engaged reading is motivated reading.
★ Purposeful reading is intrinsically motivated, and socially interactive.
★ It is good, balanced, reading lessons that produce good, balanced readers.
Chapter 4 Dramatically Expanding Reading Activity
★ The design of reading interventions determines the success students have with
reading growth.
★ Research has proven that interventions have struggling readers engaged in high-
success texts for ⅔ of the intervention period.
★ When working with students we should view reading like riding a bike.
★ As student’s excitement about reading will determine how successful they are
with reading interventions.
★ Problems teachers face include Reading standards are set by others and
motivation for reading could be affected by initial failure.
★ Reading volume is critical to student success.
Chapter 5: Using Very Small Groups or Tutoring
★ Groups of 5-9 students is common among school intervention groups.
○ Title I programing provides enough services for only some of the eligible students.
★ Very small groups of students are necessary
★ Intervention lessons must be planned outside of classroom reading time
★ Important to ask: “What will struggling readers be learning while they are
learning to read?” (84)
Chapter 6: Classroom Coordination
★ Communication and collaboration between the general education classroom and
intervention is key!

★ Curricular coordination occurs when two curricula appear to support similar philosophies
of reading.
★ Curricular coordination is important for good, balanced, intervention practice, but is often
overlooked and not used in schools.
★ Curriculum Design:
○ Standard versus responsive intervention designs
○ Program based v. Teacher based.
★ It is important to use the same jargon or language between the classroom and intervention
settings.
★ The more communication-collaboration, the more likely students are to grow - I can speak
from personal experience!
Chapter 7 Delivering Intervention by Expert Teacher
★ Interventions must be planned and delivered by expert teachers.
★ Research has shown mixed results for student achievement when intervention is
done by para professionals.
★ The current design of instructional support programs reflect minimal
compliance with federal and state program regulations.
★ Author challenges the effects of NCLB Act requirements for teacher aides.
★ As of 2009 ⅔ of Reading Specialist do not have a graduate degree with a
concentration in reading.
★ Teachers are the single most powerful variable in the success of student reading.
★ How can we ensure the most effective teachers are being hired?
Chapter 8: Focusing Instruction on Meta-Cognition and Meaning

“Interventions focused on developing meta-cognition and comprehension skills

have repeatedly shown to be more likely to accelerate reading development than
decoding emphasis interventions” (214)

★ Offer meaning-emphasized instruction over skill-emphasized instruction

★ Students reading more and for longer periods of time
★ Discussion shown to improve student understanding
★ “Training students to use personal questioning strategies while reading
yielded a larger effect size” (134).
Chapter 9: Using Interesting Texts for Motivation
★ When classrooms provide students with easy access to a wide range of interesting texts,
the effects on comprehension and motivation to read were enormous.
★ There are classroom practices that motivate and/or undermine struggling readers -
teachers can relate materials to student lives, teachers that listened to all opinions,
teachers that encouraged students to choose what they read/learn, teachers that allow
students to finish if they are reading or writing something of interest to them, and teachers
that helped students find their own ways of learning to read.
★ Extrinsic motivation does not work, but “blessing books” is a fun way to motivate students.

★ Allington used this particular section of the book to speak to teacher quality - the way each
individual teacher teaches and inspires their students is what really works.
Chapter 10 Questions and Answers about Interventions
★ Commercial intervention programs have almost no evidence to support their
use.
★ Positive effects on reading achievement occurs when teachers are trained in the
use of interventions.
★ The most effective assessment to monitor student progress are running records.
Author suggests purchasing the books Running Records and Curriculum- Based
Assessment: Assessing Special Children
★ Oral reading samples provide false estimates of silent reading performance.
★ Research suggests most computer based intervention programs are not
successful.
Reflections and Takeaways
David:
★
★

Laura:
★ Classroom coordination is key!
★ Purposeful reading is intrinsically motivated and socially interactive.
★ We need to create classrooms that foster intrinsically motivated students.

Laquita:
★ More intentional with planning interventions.
★ Advocate during planning for interventions.