What is Response to Intervention (RtI)?

Response to Intervention is a process which includes the provisiion of systematic, research-based instruction and interventions to struggling learners.  It assumes that the instruction/intervention are matched to student needs and that the monitoring of progress is continuous.  Futhermore, RTI is designed as an early intervention to prevent long-term academic failure.  As such, RTI can replace and/or augment the IQ discrepancy model in the identification of learning disabilities.  RTI is considered general education service, but can be implemented in various educational settings.

Key Features of RTI

• RTI is primariliy a general education initiative designed to address the needs of struggling learners early in their educational experience
• RTI is based on a problem-solving model (hence, a process) that uses data to inform (then change) instructional decision-making
• RTI interventions are systematically applied and derived from research-based practices
• RTI is highly dependent on progress monitoring and data collection
• RTI intervention plans are designed, implemented, and monitored by a multi-disciplinary team of professionals
• RTI replaces the IQ discrepancy model for determining the presence of a specific learning disability and for identifying eligibility for special educaiton services as a Other Health Impaired student

Source:  National Professional Resources, Inc.