Diagnosis: The Missing Ingredient in RTI Assessment

     The conventional approach to identifying students with reading difficulties was to use universal test data.
Students were placed on a list, assigned to a teacher,  put on a schedule and pulled from the regular classroom  for instruction.  Instructional methods were not consistent or well-documented.  Students receiving the instruction did not seem to make adequate progress and continued to qualify for services year after year. This has been the typical scenario in many schools for many years.
     The purpose of the RTI is to identify students with learning difficulties and to reduce the number of students being identified as learning disabled by preventing reading difficulties through proper, differentiated instruction.  According to Lipson, improper instruction does not benefit a student and can even do harm.
     The one size fits all approach will not benefit students. In order for students to make gains, proper diagnostic information is needed to guide instructional programs. One screening instrument alone does not provide enough information to make sound decisions.  Teachers should look at the students overall reading ability and what kind of difficulties he is having.  Additional assessments may be required in order to make a diagnosis.  The student's needs should be matched with the proper instruction. Interventions should be more individualized in order for the student to achieve success. 
     I think the "Template for Analyzing Student Data and Creating Profiles" is a good example for documentation of an intervention plan. It includes the plan, areas of concern, data, goals and progress of the student.