What is Response to Intervention?

Response to Intervervention (RTI) is a comprehensive assessment and intervention process that uses learning rate over time and level of performance to inform educational decisions while core instruction, with differentiation, is occurring. RTI provides a framework by which students are provided high-quality instruction and interventions matched to their individual instructional needs in order to ensure academic growth.

Through a team-based approach, multiple sources of data are used to develop prevention based efforts and respond to student needs using evidence-based interventions. Efforts are evaluated through progress monitoring and summative assessments.

History of RTI

RTI, which dates back to the early 1980s, was originally proposed as a method of identification of learning disabilities (see National Research Council report by Heller, Holtzman, & Messick, 1982). Extensive research during the 1990s supported the benefits of RTI and gave rise to a change in public policy regarding the assessment and classification of students with learning disabilities. In 2004, the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) required states to permit the use of an RTI framework based on the child’s response to scientific, research-based intervention.