NASP Endorses RTI in Position Statement on Specific Learning Disabilities

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) has released its Position Statement on the identification of students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD). The 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) defines a Specific Learning Disability as:

"....a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. Such term includes such conditions as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. Such term does not include a learning problem that is primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage."

The NASP Positions on Specific Learning Disabilities

NASP has identified the following five statements as their official positions on Specific Learning Disabilities, and topics impacting those who have been identified as having Specific Learning Disabilities.

1. Relying primarily upon an ability-achievement discrepancy as the means of identifying children with specific learning disabilities is at odds with scientific research and with best practice.

2. Identification of and intervention for children with learning disabilities is most effectively implemented within the context of a multi-tiered service delivery system that provides quality instruction and timely additional strategies and supports within general education for children with learning problems.

3. When a learning disability is suspected, and instruction and intervention within general education fail to meet a child’s educational needs, a comprehensive assessment by qualified professionals is an essential step in the identification of a Specific Learning Disability.

4. School psychologists play a key role in making appropriate decisions about individual children and advocating for effective policies at a systems level (federal, state, district, and school). They have unique and valuable expertise in the area of learning disabilities.

5. As best practice in the field of learning disabilities continues to be shaped by evidence-based scientific research, it is critical for school psychologists to continually upgrade their knowledge and skills.

Traditionally, school psychologists have played a prominent and often primary role in identifying children as having specific learning disabilities within the school setting. NASP asserts that to ensure the appropriate and timely identification of children with Specific Learning Disabilities, it is paramount that school psychologists be fluent in:

• Federal and state education laws and regulations, as well as special education procedures at both the local and state level;
• Accepted assessment measures and procedures;
• The most current research on learning disabilities, and
• Effective instructional practices (including general education research-based practices; how assessments and recommendations can help strengthen classroom instruction; issues facing culturally and linguistically diverse populations as they relate to research-based instruction and Response to Intervention implementation).

The NASP SLD Position Statement notes that in keeping with recommendations made by the organization, as well as those asserted collectively by organizations participating in the 2002 LD Roundtable, the language of IDEA 2004 has supported many improvements to SLD identification. Among these improvements, NASP highlights:

• The federal special education law no longer requires ability achievement discrepancy as an SLD determinant;
• The use of a "systematic process" to determine if a student is responding to an evidence-based intervention while remaining in the general education classroom environment;
• The provision for standardized testing to assess "basic psychological processes," and
• "The use of alternative research-based procedures for determining whether a child has a Specific Learning Disability."

SLD and Response to Intervention

NASP's positions clearly state the organization's endorsement of Response to Intervention as the instruction model that best relates to its mission of "promoting policies and practices that are consistent with scientific research and that yield optimal student outcomes.'

NASP asserts that the tiered Response to Intervention model effectively addresses the learning needs of all children (including those with SLD), by providing for quality instruction in the general education classroom while allowing for efficient and appropriate instructional interventions prior to special education instruction referral. NASP provides several examples of how school psychologists can, and should, play an integral role in SLD identification within this tiered instruction model in its position paper and they are as follows:

Tier I School Psychologist Role:

• As part of the evaluation team, the school psychologist will consult with teachers on evidence-based instruction, universal screening and academic progress evaluation criteria.

Tier II School Psychologist Role:

• Collaborate with the general and special education teachers and other support personnel on the evaluation team to develop and implement effective, research-based strategies and support programs for students whose progress rate and performance is below grade expectation.
• Assist the evaluation team in determining if the suggested services and accommodations are so intense and specialized that SLD eligibility should be considered.

Tier III School Psychologist Role:

• Participate in the administration of multi-disciplinary evaluations of the student to determine eligibility for special education encompassing all areas of the suspected disability(s).
• Ensure that any evaluation includes: Academic skill assessment; academic and oral language assessment; measures cognitive abilities and process; available classroom observations, as well as mental health status.

The endorsement of the Response to Intervention model of instruction by NASP, and the clear and organic role of the school psychologist as set forth by the organization, can be seen as a marker of the positive and progressive impact of RTI (on both the general and special education systems) and yet another step toward widespread RTI implementation enabling every student to receive the high quality, research-based instruction that they deserve.

Additional Resources:

National Association of School Psychologists

NASP Position Statement on Identification of Students with Specific Learning Disabilities (PDF)

New Roles in Response to Intervention: Creating Success for Schools and Children 
In February of 2006, NASP joined other education associations, convened by the International Reading Association (IRA),  to discuss how best to communicate collectively the RTI process.  Download the list of fact sheets created by this group, as well as the PDF of the PowerPoint document, "New Roles in Response to Intervention."

LD News Response to Intervention Archive
Every month in LD News, NCLD highlights the latest news, research and practices in Response to Intervention.

Response to Intervention Section in NCLD's InfoZone
NCLD has compiled a robust listing of RTI information and support materials, as well as other leading organizations, housed on the NCLD Web site.

A Parent's Guide to Response to Intervention (PDF) 
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) includes a new provision that allows states and school districts to use high quality, research-based instruction in general and special education to provide services and interventions to students who struggle with learning and may be at risk, or suspected of having, learning disabilities. This NCLD guide offers an overview of the RTI process, describes how it is implemented in schools, and offer questions that parents can ask their children's schools.

LD Talk Transcript: Reading and Response to Intervention (RTI): How Students Benefit from Multi-Tiered Instruction and Intervention 
In this April 2007 LD Talk, experts Drs. Sharon Vaughn and Jeanne Wanzek answered questions about features of evidence-based reading instruction, the delivery of effective supplemental services and the importance of collecting and using data to inform instruction, and offered valuable information about the implementation of Response to Intervention (RTI).