SRBI: SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH-BASED INTERVENTIONS

Tier 1: All children receive high-quality curriculum and instruction in the general education classroom or program. The majority of students are expected to achieve within the range of grade-level expectations without additional tiers of support.

Tier 2: Students may need extra help in addition to the high quality instruction they receive in Tier I. Students receive additional teaching in large or small groups, in or outside the classroom. 

Tier 3: When a high level of support is needed, children are given individualized or small group instruction with more frequency. Up to five percent of students in a school may need this level of support.

SRBI Components

• High quality curriculum and instruction in the general education setting. 
• Universal assessments used to assess students' grade level progress.
• Scientific research-based interventions for students who require additional academic support in order to make educational progress.
• Progress monitoring to assess the effectiveness of interventions. 

Intervention: A method, program, or instructional condition that provides additional learning support.  Interventions must be research-based as much as possible, be reasonably feasible for educators to use, and accurately target the student's area(s) of difficulty.

Progress Monitoring: The practice of frequently assessing a student's academic achievement. Assessment results provide information to help teachers evaluate student needs and to match instruction to meet those needs.

Universal Assessment: An academic test, administered to all students at a given grade level, at least three times during the school year. It is used to identify those students in need of additional interventions.

Response to Intervention (RTI): The practice of providing high quality instruction and interventions matched to students' needs, monitoring progress frequently to make changes in instruction or goals, and using child response data to make important educational decisions. (Referred to as SRBI in Connecticut.)

• Communicate with your child's teacher(s)
• Participate in conferences and other meetings about your child
• Monitor and assist with homework assignments
• Talk with your child about school progress on a regular basis
• Learn more about curriculum, assessments and interventions being used in your child's school
• Contact teachers if your child is having difficulty with academics

Q. How is it decided that a student needs SRBI support?
Students are assessed through district assessments and classroom performance. When a student is found to be performing below grade level expectations, a team of teachers and specialists review the student's current and past performance. If deemed necessary, an intervention plan is developed.

Q. Does SRBI look the same in every school in the Region 15 School District? Core curriculum and universal assessments are the same across schools and grade levels. Schools determine how to best use their internal resources to provide tiered instruction based on student needs at that school.

Q. Is there a specific time during the year when students are identified for support?
Teams of teachers and specialists meet frequently throughout the school year to review student progress.

Q. If my child needs support, what will he/she miss during the school day?
We try to schedule intervention time so students do not miss content area instruction. Sometimes the intervention is provided in the classroom setting, while at other times, it is offered in small group or individual sessions outside the classroom. 

Q. How many students will be involved in the intervention lessons?
If your child is receiving Tier 2 instruction, the support may be provided through small group instruction. If your child requires more intensive Tier 3 intervention, instruction may be individual or in very small groups.

Q. Who provides instruction at each tier?
Classroom teachers provide Tier 1 core curriculum instruction for all students. In addition to classroom teacher support, instruction may be given by the Interventionist,  a special education staff, a tutor, or another staff member based on the student need.

Q. When will my child be exited?
A student will be exited from intervention when they have met their individual learning goal(s).

Q. What assessments were used to determine that my child needs additional instruction?
We use universal common assessments and grade level expectations to identify children who may need additional instruction. Teachers assess or screen all students multiple times each year. Additional assessments may be used to further determine individual learning needs.

Q. How do you know my child is making progress through the intervention you are providing?
Progress monitoring shows how well the teaching strategy is working or if it needs to be changed. Progress monitoring includes observations and other types of assessment.  Students are assessed every 2 or 3 weeks. When progress monitoring shows that a student’s needs are not being met through the intervention, the intervention may be changed.

Q. Am I informed of progress if my child is receiving interventions?
The classroom teacher or the Interventionist will report progress and can discuss how the intervention is working to meet your child’s needs.

Q. What is my role as a parent?
Ask your child to tell you about what they are learning. Ask your child’s teacher how you can help at home. If your child is receiving intervention, find out specific ways you can lend support.