Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-tiered approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behavior needs. It is a proactive approach that aims to identify struggling students early on and provide them with the support they need to thrive in school. RTI is not a specific program or type of teaching, but rather a framework that schools use to provide high-quality education to all students, including those with disabilities.

The key components of RTI include high-quality instruction, universal screening, progress monitoring, and evidence-based interventions. The RTI process begins with high-quality instruction and differentiated curriculum with different instructional methods and tiers of increasingly intensive, scientific, research-based interventions. Teachers can provide targeted teaching, called interventions, to help struggling students catch up. The goal is to provide students with academic opportunities and improve instructional quality.

RTI is designed to aid in the identification of learning disabilities and other learning and behavior problems, and to provide students with academic opportunities. It is a tiered approach because there are various levels of support that students move through depending on how much support they need. The tiers are typically shown in a triangle, with Tier 1 being for all students, Tier 2 for students who need additional support, and Tier 3 for students who need intensive support.

RTI is related to special education, and schools may choose to use an RTI process as one of a variety of measures for evaluating students for learning disability eligibility. The use of RTI in determining learning disability eligibility was included in the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004.

Overall, RTI is a proactive approach that aims to identify struggling students early on and provide them with the support they need to thrive in school. It is a multi-tiered approach that uses targeted teaching to help students catch up and improve their academic performance.