Response to Intervention (RTI) was introduced in 2004 to improve both learning and behavior issues in schools through the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). RTI was created to help educators identify struggling students early on and get them the assistance they need through a multi-tiered system.
RTI is only for general education students and is not part of a special education program. However, with that in mind, RTI can identify students who may perform better in a special education atmosphere. But first, the three intervention tiers should be fully utilized, and the data should be gathered on each student struggling that is being considered for such a change in atmosphere.
No two RTI programs are the same
Just like with snowflakes, no two RTI programs are exactly alike. If you did a study of two school districts, even if they were only separated by ten miles, and looked into their RTI programs, you may find something very different but similar in that each one has three tiers of support.
As a certified Reading Specialist, RTI Specialist, and former RTI coordinator for three districts, I have spoken at several professional development programs in the last ten years on the RTI process. After analyzing dozens of school districts’ RTI programs, I believe I can share quite a bit of helpful knowledge about the three tiers of RTI for academics.
Tier 1
Tier 1 is the very beginning of the RTI process. It includes all the general education students in the classroom. Tier 1 support essentially means that the students in the classroom are receiving highly qualified instruction from the teacher.
The instruction, just like with all three tiers, is supposed to be research-based strategies and activities that have been proven to work with students.
In addition, a universal screener, or screeners, is used to monitor all the general education students and the progress they make throughout the year. Generally speaking, the students that are only in Tier 1 are monitored three times a year, usually September, January, and May, for documentation purposes.
The screener is used to assess the students and place them in one of three categories for the subject area. They are either academically gifted, average, or struggling. The universal screener will provide the data to allow the educators to determine the students’ ranking.
For instance, if the screener has been used with one million students across the country, the data will show what numbers are average or not, based on all the information they have attained.
However, with all that said, if a student, according to a universal screener, places well below average, but they are scoring well in the classroom, and their classroom teacher believes they are fine, the student may have just had a rough day. Still, it allows the educator to keep a closer eye on the student than they previously would have, just in case they need a bit of academic assistance.
Tier 2
Students placed in the below-average range, either through the universal screener or teacher recommendation, are inserted into Tier 2 interventions.
Tier 2 does not replace Tier 1 whole-classroom instruction. Tier 2 is in addition to the learning they are doing in the classroom. It is generally completed in small group interventions with an intervention specialist or another highly qualified classroom teacher. Depending upon the student’s case and how much help they currently need, they may just require one or two Tier 2 interventions a week or a complete five Tier 2 interventions a week (daily).
On average, most interventions last anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes.
Once again, all instruction should be research-based strategies and activities that have been proven to work with students. With primary students, the main areas students tend to struggle with are math and reading. A couple of research-based strategies for reading fluency are repeated readings, working with systematic and sequential phonics and decoding program, technology-assisted reading, and reviewing the famous Fry’s Instant Sight Words list.
While the student receives the extra support through Tier 2 interventions, they must monitor progress to determine how much the additional assistance is helping. Depending upon the school district, the progress monitoring may take place once a week, once every two weeks, or once a month. It usually takes four to six weeks of interventions before a student makes noticeable improvement, so do not give up on an intervention strategy after only one or two weeks.
Tier 3
A student may be referred to Tier 3 interventions if they are not showing adequate progress with the Tier 2 interventions. Keep in mind, Tier 3 interventions are in addition to both Tier 1 and Tier 2, so they will keep on receiving the support at these levels as well.
Tier 3 interventions are usually completed in a one-on-one setting so that the specialist can focus specifically on the student’s issues at hand with their learning difficulties. Tier 3 interventions should be performed daily with the student in ideal circumstances. Once again, only research-based strategies and activities should be implemented. Plus, progress monitoring is usually completed every week, as students receiving Tier 3 interventions are in grim circumstances.
Since the instructor is working solely with one student, they can adapt their teaching strategies to meet their needs. This can allow them to use technology more often if the child is more adaptable to learning through EdTech. They can do drills and repeat activities if wanted as well since research has shown that such an approach can work. It may not be exciting, but if progress is made, then it should be considered successful.
If progress is not shown in Tier 3, a comprehensive evaluation is completed, as these students may be eligible for special education services.
Keep the parents involved
Throughout the whole process, the school district keeps the parents informed of the learning instruction and the data acquired with the universal screener and progress monitoring. Often, the parents will assist the child at home more if they realize that they are being labeled as below average on the assessments given. The parents need to be thought of as part of the solution to helping the student perform better.
Different approaches to RTI in education
As stated above, there are different approaches to RTI, but these three tiers operate in a very similar way. The teaching strategies of small group instruction and one-on-one instruction for Tiers 2 and 3 are generally universal. In addition, the use of research-based strategies and activities is also important at every tier.
The school may also have an RTI Coordinator or a whole RTI team to help make these decisions along with the classroom teacher. An RTI program can be flexible from district to district, as there are no set guidelines in place that require step-by-step conformity.
With help from administrators and staff, a district can create a very successful RTI program that catches the students before they fall too far behind. Moreover, using a universal screener, teachers can challenge the gifted students with special projects that will get them to perform even better.
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