Impacts of the Response-to-Intervention Approach on German Elementary Students

Abstract

Since the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Germany has been forced to restructure the school system towards an inclusive education. This is a challenge for Germany as there is a high rate of students with special educational needs and a highly selective school system. In the following report, the Rügen Inclusion Model (RIM) will be described as an alternative inclusive schooling concept. RIM is conceptually based on the US Response-toIntervention (RTI) approach. Being the first largescale implementation of RTI structures in Germany, the study will focus on how RTI can be successfully implemented and if it is viable for successful prevention of special educational needs and an appropriate inclusive schooling model. Starting from a brief introduction to RTI, the RIM concept is outlined by taking into account individual core elements. Subsequently, we give an overview of the results of the comprehensive evaluation study. Within a control group study (treatment group N = 441, control group N = 385) the effectiveness of RIM was compared with traditional schooling structures. Systemic variables and students-related data were evaluated at the end of elementary school. All in all, the RTI approach seems to be a promising framework model for an inclusive school system in Germany.