Looking for an intervention for your students? The Intervention Tools Chart is designed to be used by educators as a resource to locate interventions, instructional practices, and learning strategies that can be used within an RtI process. Please note: the listing of specific tools is not meant as an endorsement by the NYS RtI MS DP or the NYSED. Rather, it is up to the consumer to research selected tools for evidence of effectiveness. The chart contains three types of tools that are either free or available for purchase: commercial programs, instructional practices, and learning strategies.
According to What Works Clearinghouse, ClassWide Peer Tutoring (CWPT) is a peer-assisted instructional strategy designed to be integrated into any existing reading curriculum. CWPT provides students with increased opportunities to practice reading skills by asking questions and receiving immediate feedback from a peer tutor. Pairs of students take turns tutoring each other to reinforce concepts and skills initially taught by the teacher. Thus, students will fulfill both the role of the tutor and tutee. The teacher creates age-appropriate materials, taking into account the students’ language skills and disabilities.
This is an instructional practice. An instruction practice is a teaching method that guides interactions in the classroom and supports student learning. Instructional practices involve an educator using particular method, practice, or protocol during instruction.
Close Thinking is a strategy for complex texts that develops the students’ understanding through multiple opportunities to hear the same text. It is based on the thinking that each time the student hears the text, something new is discovered. Each time a student hears a short, complex text read aloud to them, the level of thinking becomes more in depth allowing the student to grasp the reading better and better each time. Teachers must scaffold this strategy to engage the students in a deep dive of the text and influential discussion.
The Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) strategy incorporates cooperative learning, vocabulary development, questioning techniques, opportunities to practice, and students’ use of prior knowledge. As a multi-component reading strategy, its success is based on use of all four of the following components each time students read Preview, Get the Gist, Click or Clunk?, and Wrap Up. CSR was designed to be used with expository text, but can be adapted for other text.
Preview is one fourth of CSR, a learning strategy shown to improve students’ reading comprehension when all four parts of CSR are used by students. The role of Preview within CSR is for students to think about what they already know about the topic of the text and to make predictions about the text using features such as titles, subtitles, graphs, illustrations , and other text cues.
Earobics® is an adaptive, computer-based reading intervention program with supplemental materials. This program focuses on building foundational skills using multimedia materials. Supplemental materials include classroom activities, letter-sound cards, and leveled readers. Earobics® can be used to supplement any core reading program.
Fundations® is multisensory and focuses on hands-on learning with active participation by students, including the use of puppets. Instructional materials include a CD-ROM for teacher training, a manual describing activities, and a specific daily curriculum. Materials such as manipulatives, student notebooks, word, sound, and syllable cards, and even owl puppets are all used to help teach the curriculum. A Home Support Pack, available in both English and Spanish, is also a key component of the curriculum.
Headsprout is an adaptive, individualized online reading program for K-5 students. The program is designed to tailor its instruction to the needs and learning pace of every student. This program is designed to be used by students with a variety of reading skills at various reading levels: from non-readers and early readers to established readers already reading above their grade level.
iSPIRE is an intensive reading program for non-readers and struggling readers. The program uses new technology to blend digital and teacher led instruction. The program uses continual practice and review to aid students in mastering concepts.
Keys to Literacy is a professional development program designed to train teachers to provide content literacy instruction embedded in classroom instruction using existing reading and curriculum materials. This professional development program is designed for all teachers grades K-3 and educators who provide support to struggling readers.
Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) is a peer-tutoring program. According to the developer's website, it is designed to be incorporated into the existing curriculum with the goal of improving the academic performance of children with diverse academic needs. Students partner with peers, alternating the role of tutor while reading aloud, listening, and providing feedback in various structured activities.