Parent Involvement

Parent involvement in a Tiered Service-Delivery Model, or any service-delivery system, should be characterized by consistent, organized, and meaningful two-way communication between school staff and parents with regard to student progress and related school activities. Through this communication, parents are enabled to play an important role in their child's education by assisting in the learning and by being involved in decision making as it affects tier-level instruction to increase their child's achievement.

Parents should receive information that discusses provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, noting that IDEA 2004 does not specify that their state or local school must implement an RTI model. What the law does say is that districts "may use a process that determines if the child responds to scientific, research-based intervention as part of the evaluation process."

In an RTI setting, parents should expect to receive information about their children's needs, the interventions that are being used, who is delivering the instruction, and the academic progress expected for their child. Frequent communication with the school, receipt of regular progress (or lack of progress) information, and participation in decision making should provide parents the information needed to determine whether their child should be referred for a special education evaluation (Learning Disabilities Association of America: Information on responsiveness to intervention.).

In schools that are preparing to implement an RTI model, parents may find it useful to pose the following questions to administrators and teachers:

What are the provisions for including parents in the school planning process?
What are the provisions for ensuring that parents are involved in all phases of planning the RTI interventions for their child?
How much time must be spent in each tier to determine whether the intervention is working?
What kinds of written materials will parents receive informing them they have the right to ask for a special education evaluation at any time?

Standards for judging parent involvement

Standards for parent involvement are aligned with IDEA 2004 statutes (and regulations when available) (e.g., due process, hearing, and placement decisions).
Parental notification includes a description of the problem; clear, unambiguous documentation that shows the specific difficulties the child is experiencing; a written description of the specific intervention and who is delivering instruction; a clearly stated intervention goal; and a long-range timeline for the plan and its implementation.
Parents and staff reach mutual agreement on the implementation, plan, and timeline.
Parents frequently receive progress data.
Parents are actively supported to participate at school and at home.
Parent questionnaires and surveys assure parents that the school values their opinions.
Parent questionnaires and surveys assure school staff that parents find school staff and school programs (e.g., interventions and instruction) to be of high quality.
Parents view the implementation of due process procedures and protections as timely, adequate, and fair.
School staff members strive to help parents feel welcome, important, and comfortable in the school setting.