The Response to Intervention Instructional Model: Some Outcomes From a Large-Scale Implementation in Reading First Schools

The Reading First program in Florida has attempted to implement the response to intervention instructional model in a large number of schools. This has involved (a) increasing the quality of classroom instruction, (b) monitoring student response to instruction with frequently administered progress monitoring measures, and (c) providing tailored interventions to students who are not making adequate progress. Over 3 years of implementation in 318 schools, rates of identification of students with learning disabilities (LDs) have dropped dramatically. Percentages of students who actually have serious reading difficulties have also dropped during this period, although not as dramatically as for rates of LD identification. It is possible that LD identification rates in Grades K-3 are lower because teachers and schools are exploring other intervention options before referring for special education. Implications of this possibility for timeliness of LD diagnosis are discussed.