Impacts of State Response to Intervention (RTI) on Students’ Specific Learning Disabilities and Placement in Special Education (Poster 10)

• In Event: Promising Scholarship in Education Research: Dissertation Fellows and Their Research

Abstract

This study examines the effects of state Response to Intervention (RTI) requirements on children’s specific learning disabilities (SLD) and placement in educational settings between 2004 and 2018. We found an increase in the proportion of students with SLD in states that adopt RTI. We also found that RTI increased the likelihood of having an identified learning disability for Hispanic children and children of non-White, non-Hispanic, and non-Black racial identities compared to White children. Knowing the national trend of students' disability status, and how they are served and placed in current education settings is critical to design or modify policies that assist these children. The heterogeneous finding is important to bring attention to how special education services disproportionally affect which groups of children are educated.

Author

• Zhiling M. Shea, The Ohio State University