Response to Intervention (RTI): A Teacher Guide

Early Intervention, Better Outcomes

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-tiered framework for identifying and supporting students who are struggling academically or behaviorally. The core idea: intervene early, monitor progress, and increase support intensity only when needed.

The Three Tiers

Tier 1: Universal Instruction (All Students) -- High-quality, research-based instruction in the general classroom. This is where you teach. If 80% or more of students are meeting benchmarks, Tier 1 instruction is working.

Tier 2: Targeted Intervention (Some Students) -- Small-group supplemental instruction for students who are not responding to Tier 1. Typically 15-20% of students. Interventions are more focused, more frequent, and progress is monitored weekly or biweekly.

Tier 3: Intensive Intervention (Few Students) -- Individualized, intensive intervention for students who are not responding to Tier 2. Typically 5% of students. This may lead to special education evaluation.

Your Role at Each Tier

Tier 1 -- Deliver effective instruction, use formative assessment to identify struggling students, differentiate within the classroom, and document concerns.

Tier 2 -- Implement targeted interventions (you may provide these or a specialist may), collect progress monitoring data, communicate with intervention team, and adjust instruction based on data.

Tier 3 -- Participate in problem-solving meetings, provide classroom data, implement recommended strategies, and support the evaluation process if special education referral is made.

Progress Monitoring

Progress monitoring is the engine of RTI. You need data to know if interventions are working.

• Use brief, frequent assessments (curriculum-based measures)
• Graph data so trends are visible
• Set goals and compare actual progress to expected progress
• Use data to decide: continue intervention, modify intervention, or increase intensity

Common Misconceptions

RTI is not just a special education pathway -- It is a general education framework that benefits all students.

RTI does not replace special education -- Students can be referred for evaluation at any point if a disability is suspected.

Use the differentiation tool for Tier 1 instruction and the IEP goal generator when students move toward special education evaluation.