Response to Intervention (RTI) is a system of supports that schools put in place to provide high-quality education to students who need extra academic or behavioral help to succeed in school. It is a tiered approach because there are various “levels” of support that students move through depending on how much support they need. The goal of RTI is to identify struggling students early on and give them the support they need to thrive in school. RTI is not a specific program or type of teaching, but rather a proactive approach that measures students’ skills and uses this data to decide which interventions to use.

RTI can be considered an early intervention tool that is designed to quickly identify students who need extra help, thereby preventing long-term failure. The monitoring of students allows teaching professionals to identify the exact skill areas where pupils need additional instruction that is targeted to a student’s individual needs. RTI is designed to aid in the identification of learning disabilities and other learning and behavior problems, improve instructional quality, and provide students with academic opportunities.

RTI is related to special education, but it is not special education itself. It is part of the process for determining if a student has a learning disability and needs special education services. The interventions in RTI should be evidence-based and provide more efficient instruction and more practice at the skills the student is struggling with.

In summary, RTI is a system of supports that schools put in place to provide high-quality education to students who need extra academic or behavioral help to succeed in school. It is a proactive approach that measures students’ skills and uses this data to decide which interventions to use. RTI is designed to aid in the identification of learning disabilities and other learning and behavior problems, improve instructional quality, and provide students with academic opportunities.