Response to Intervention (RTI) & Gifted Education?

For the past few years, the special education community has been buzzing about Response to Intervention (RTI). My layman’s explanation of RTI is “if it works, use it”. In other words, try different teaching approaches, strategies, environments, accommodations, etc. and use whatever helps that individual child learn, whatever gets the desired response or results. In doing so, bear in mind that different things will work for different students, or different groups of students.

Now the head of Montana’s GT organization challenges all of us to look at RTI as an approach for all students, not just special ed students. “We’re putting into place a great continuum of services for our struggling learners. How about we examine also putting into place a continuum of services for our advanced learners?”

Read the full article, “RTI for Gifted? Are You Sure?!?!?” at http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/unwrapping_the_gifted/2009/08/rti_and_the_gifted.html

And then, let us know what you think.  How do you think this would affect your children?