Adapting response-to-intervention model for identifying pupils with special educational needs in ordinary schools

Abstract

This article presents part of the outputs of an ongoing longitudinal study, which aim is to devise, assess and validate an instrument based on the RTI (Response-to-Intervention) model, suitable for the identification and intervention on pupils with Special Educational Needs in Ordinary Primary School in Mozambique. The study was built under the Participatory Action-Research theoretical and methodological framework, with technical approach of collaborative consultancy, through induction sessions, workshops, focus groups, and interviews. The participants have been a headmaster, pedagogical deputy, eleven Standard 2 Class teachers, all working at an Ordinary Primary School located on the outskirts of Maputo, the capital city. Data yielded a model consisting of three levels of intervention. The 1^st level, labelled as Level of Structural Intervention, encompasses decisions that have to be taken regarding: (i) The reorganization of the school, so that it can meet the necessary conditions for the running of the process of identification; (ii) The establishment of a collaborative environment with pupils' parents or tutors, and (iii) The identification of resources outside the school. The second level of intervention, termed Level of Universal Screening, involves selecting students at risk of having special educational needs through a combination of an academic test and the monitoring of response to general education. The third level, labelled Group Intervention, entails the handling, in small groups, of those pupils. Participants hailed the model as an easily reached and practical tool, viable for the Mozambican context.