Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTl2)

Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI2) is a general education approach to closing the achievement gap. RTI2 methods build on the successful Response to Intervention (RTI) model that was offered as an option for schools under the Building the Legacy: Idea 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Outside Source). RTI and the now-expanded RTI2 are based on over 17 years of practice that has refined continuous progress monitoring as a strategy for keeping students on a path toward success.

By focusing on culturally relevant, research-based instruction, continuous assessments of student learning, and increased parental involvement, RTI2 aims to catch students before their educational problems grow and they need more intensive instruction.

A successful RTI2 program integrates resources from general education, categorical programs, and special education into a comprehensive system of instruction and intervention that suits the needs of the students. Thus, the focus is on the individual student and what will best help him or her learn. Strong leadership and resources from the school, district, and community must be harnessed to make this an effective instructional method.

RTI is the practice of providing high-quality instruction and intervention matched to student needs by analyzing the learning rate over time to make important educational decisions. High-quality instruction is based on scientific research to produce high learning rates for most students. Learning rate refers to a student's growth in achievement or behavior competencies over time compared to peer growth.1

In its simplest form, RTI is a strategy for moving all students from one step in learning the standards to the next. The RTI approach looks at both academic and behavioral achievement.

Tier 1: Universal interventions. RTI begins with preventive, proactive universal interventions in all subjects and for all students (80-90 percent of students). These interventions are all differentiated instructional strategies and supports that help students learn the material. The universal interventions tie closely to regular assessments that alert the teacher to problems in student learning. (These interventions would generally take place every four to six weeks.) Universal interventions correspond with California’s benchmark interventions.

Tier 2: Targeted group interventions. In the next phase, RTI proposes targeted group interventions (for example, a specific mathematics or reading intervention class) for some students who are at risk based on assessment data. The interventions are designed to be rapid and highly efficient. Targeted interventions correspond to California’s strategic interventions.

Tier 3: Intensive individual interventions. Anywhere from 1-5 percent of students will continue to experience learning difficulties even after the targeted group interventions. These students receive academic or behavioral intensive interventions that make use of high-intensity procedures.2

In the Spotlight

John Glenn Middle School of International Studies, Desert Sands Unified School District, a 2004 Schools to Watch™-Taking Center Stage Model School
The school uses an RSP (resource specialist program) co-teaching model at all three grade levels.

John Glenn DataQuest School Profile
John Glenn Middle School (Outside Source)
Schools to Watch™-Taking Center Stage—Model School Visitor's Guide: John Glenn Middle School (PDF; Outside Source)
Schools to Watch™-Taking Center Stage

Response to Intervention: Possibilities for Service Delivery at the Secondary School Level (Outside Source), from The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement (June 2008), takes a look at the challenges and possibilities of implementing the Response to Intervention (RTI) model at the secondary level.

Taking Center Stage – Act II (TCSII)

A Portal for Middle Grades Educators

Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTl2)

In the Spotlight

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