It can be agonizing for parents, and a major concern for teachers, when a young child is struggling to learn at school. Everyone wants to see their child excel, and it can be very frustrating when a child falls behind in learning to read, do math, or achieve in other subjects. There can be many causes, including whether a child may have a learning disability.

In today’s classrooms we are focusing more on addressing problems earlier, before a child falls far behind. It may surprise parents and others to know that Congress is partly responsible for this effort. In two laws, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the No Child Left Behind Act, federal lawmakers encouraged schools to provide earlier support for struggling students.

In Fairfield, one way we are doing this is using what’s called Response to Intervention. It’s a process that emphasizes how well a student responds to changes in instruction. The essential elements of this approach are: providing scientific, research-based instruction and interventions in general education; measuring a student’s progress in response to the instruction and interventions; and using these measures of student progress to shape instruction and make educational decisions.

How a student responds to these interventions determines the further course of action. Students who are responsive continue with the intervention until any achievement gap no longer exists. Students who don’t respond are shifted to the next “tier” of intervention, which is different in content and rigor, and their progress is again monitored.

The most significant benefit of the Response to Intervention approach is that it eliminates the  “waiting to fail” situation. Students get help promptly within the general education setting. It can reduce the number of students who are incorrectly identified as having learning disabilities. And it can help us identify children earlier who have true learning disabilities and would benefit by receiving special education services.

How can parents be involved in this process? When a child continues to struggle in school, one step we can take is to form a team to monitor and assess the child’s progress and consider the best way to help the child. Parents are, of course, always asked to be part of that team. They know their child better than anyone, and these teams work best when parents are closely involved. Learning about the school’s Response to Intervention program is another important step.

The premise of Response to Intervention is a good one. If we provide high quality instruction and regularly keep track of how children are doing in the classroom, all children will succeed and achieve high standards. This supports our district vision statement: Excellence, preparation for life, opportunities for all.

Leslie Laney is the principal of Fairfield South Elementary School. She can be reached at laney_l@fairfieldcityschools.com.

Published in the Fairfield Echo, Apr. 24, 2008.