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BEST PRACTICES AT TIER 3, ELEMENTARY
The Relationship Between Tier 3 Interventions and Special Education
Unfortunately, many schools have not put the necessary structures in place that allow teachers the time or opportunity for this level of communication. As we work in schools and share information about the importance of collaborative practices, special education teachers frequently approach us and ask, “Special education teachers do not participate in common planning or data meetings. What should we be doing?” If a school is committed to high levels of learning for all students, it requires a belief system and practices that access the expertise of all staff. It is the responsibility of the leadership team to ensure this level of communication. We find schools that do this through traditional face-to-face conferencing as well as electronic data walls that all teachers and interventionists can access to see a student’s current performance in essential standards and assessments. Electronic data walls are efficient and provide immediate information to all stakeholders, but collaboration between the interventionist and teachers is still critical for aligning interventions, monitoring progress, and sharing best practices. Buffum et al. (2018) explain the rationale for teachers working together for the benefit of all students: The premise of RTI is that schools should not delay providing help for struggling students until they fall far enough behind to qualify for special education. Instead we should provide timely, targeted, systematic interventions to all students in need. Because RTI is a multitiered system of supports, students who are years behind in foundational skills can receive intensive remediation while still learning essential grade-level curriculum. Regardless if a student qualifies for special education, the RTI process should collaboratively build on the collective training and skills of all site educators to meet that student’s unique needs. (p. 270)
By putting purposeful structures in place that promote collaboration between general education and special education, all learners benefit.
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Tier 3 is intended to provide intensive interventions based on targeted needs, not labels. Special education should be considered as a critical partner as you work to implement Tier 3, but it must not be designated as the sole owner and provider of Tier 3 interventions. An aligned system of interventions from Tiers 1, 2, and 3 requires ongoing collaboration among educators at all tiers. It is important for general education and special education teachers to analyze essential standards and have a common understanding of what students must know and do to demonstrate mastery. All teachers who serve individual students must participate in monitoring progress and contributing data to the intervention team. All interventionists must stay in constant communication in order to know if students are making progress and filling gaps necessary for success on grade-level standards.
