Introduction to Response to Intervention/Instruction (RTI)


Response to Intervention (RTI) has been defined by the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) as "the practice of providing high-quality instruction and interventions matched to student need, monitoring progress frequently to make decisions about changes in instruction or goals and applying child response data to important educational decisions" (Batsche et al., 2005, p. 3). There are eight non-negotiable essential components of RTI:

  • Evidence-based Curriculum and Instruction  

  • Ongoing Assessment

  • Collaborative Teaming

  • Data-Based Decision Making

  • Fidelity of Implementation

  • Ongoing Training and Professional Development

  • Community and Family Involvement

  • Strong Leadership

Each element is part of an interrelated process which should be applied to every student. Essentially, instructional practices are evaluated and adjusted based on results of reliable, valid, and sensitive indicators of important student outcomes. If any component is missing, the process breaks down.

The RTI is an instructional, assessment, and intervention process for systematically delivering instruction, monitoring student progress, and making decisions about the need for intensifying instruction. The RTI is a proactive process that enables learning for all students by providing both prevention and intervention services. The fundamental question that RTI addresses is: "Under what conditions will a student successfully demonstrate a satisfactory response to the curriculum?"

The RTI creates an integrated and seamless continuum of service that encompasses all staff through a multi-tiered service delivery model. It requires effective building leadership and ongoing collaboration among educators with a motto of "all educators for all students."

RTI is the practice of: (a) providing high-quality instruction/intervention matched to all students' needs and (b) using assessment to determine a student's learning rate and level of performance to (c) make important educational decisions to guide instruction. The RTI practices incorporate both prevention and intervention activities and are effective at all levels.