Response to Intervention

Source: University of North Carolina School of Education

One of the most important procedures used in the in the classroom is the Response to Intervention framework. While the RTI, as it is known, framework does not specifically target students with disabilities, these students are included in the mechanics of the system. As shown in the image above, the system works in a pyramid shape, with the majority of students, around 80%, being in the bottom tier, Tier 1. In this tier, there is universal monitoring of the students, where data-based decisions are made to monitor progress. If students are struggling while at Tier 1, they are recommended for a move to Tier 2, or the middle tier.  Tier 2 is more intensive with smaller group sizes, more monitoring, data collection, and different strategies in instruction are attempted to see if students respond more positively to different kinds of instruction. Tier 2 makes up around 15% of students.  Finally, if students continue to struggle at Tier 2, they are referred to the top tier, Tier 3. Here, students have more one on one interaction with teachers and specialists with the most intensive instruction and data collection. This is the rarest of the three tiers, with around 5% of students in this tier. At this tier, instruction is the most specialized to each individual student, as teachers attempt to find methods and accommodations that work for each student.

Students are moved around these tiers based on data collected in assessments and the consensus of their teachers, aides, and specialists. These tiers can be fluid and students can be moved both up from tier 2 and 3 as well as down if improvement is shown with the frequent progress monitoring at the lower two tiers.