Implications


 * __What Does This Mean for Teachers?__**

Teachers are required to document all interventions used for students as they progress through the tiers, and describe the outcome of each- what was done, and what impact did it make on the student? Teachers need to show that they are doing everything possible to assist the students that are capable of learning the curriculum before special services are called upon for that individual student. There are some concerns that arise as teachers and struggling students go up against AYP results after high stakes testing. One of these is over the demand that 100% proficiency is required for all students, including special education students and individuals whose primary language is not English (Safer & Gray, 2008). Each student learns in different ways and at different paces, all of which are difficult to meet on a daily basis by the teacher. It should be the primary concern of the teacher that each child gets to where they need to be, on a path that suits their specific needs through high-quality learning experiences. Many teachers use differentiated instruction within the classroom to meet the widely varied needs of students within their classroom. In her blog, Integrating Technology to Support Differentiated Instruction, Mary Marotta talks about the benefits that technology brings to the integration of differentiated instruction in the classroom. She focuses on the skills found in Bloom's Taxonomy, and gives teachers various online resources for teachers to help students get to where they need to be (Marotta, 2011). You can find links to some of these resources in the Delicious bookmark list on the @resources page.

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Teachers also need to be aware of the use of RtI in terms of students that aren't necessarily struggling in the classroom. At times, certain interventions need to be in place to prevent students from struggling, and meeting all students where they are currently at. In many ways, RtI meets the needs to students, and customizes a learning plan for each individual so that they continue to grow and develop on their own terms and pace. Bena Kallick comments on this idea in her video blog seen here (Kallick, 2010).

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