RTI in Literacy—Responsive and Comprehensive —
Abstract of

Introduction
A Framework for Response to Intervention in Literacy

Peter H. Johnston

Considerable evidence shows that we can substantially reduce the number of children classified as learning disabled in literacy. Capitalizing on this evidence, the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act opens opportunities to do so through what has come to be called Response to Intervention (RTI). Following a brief, selective review of the historical context, this chapter identifies two different ways of thinking about RTI: as a means of identifying children with learning disabilities and as a means of preventing learning disabilities. The chapter explores the nature, assumptions, and consequences of these two frames of reference. Although the two frames are two sides of the same coin, organizing for one is very different from organizing for the other. The chapter argues for adopting a prevention frame, focusing on instruction and the development of the necessary expertise, the frame that is taken up in the rest of the book.

Johnston, P.H. (2010). A Framework for Response to Intervention in Literacy. In P.H. Johnston (Ed.), RTI in Literacy—Responsive and Comprehensive (pp. 1-9). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.