RESPONSE TO
INTERVENTION
Georgia’s Pyramid
Pyramid Vocabulary
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Formative Assessment
Universal Screening
Intervention
Progress Monitoring
TIER 1
STANDARDS BASED CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION/LEARNING
All students participate in instruction that is:
- In the general education classroom
- Standards-based
- Differentiated
- Evidenced-based
- Guided by progress monitoring & balanced
assessment
- Planned to address all developmental domains
(academic, communication/language, social etc.)
All Students
Tier 1
Using the national models, approximately
80% of students will learn sufficiently in Tier
1.
 This tier reflects effective instruction in every
classroom.
 Designed for 100% of students.
 Every student participates in Tier 1. Some
may also have other tiers layered for their
success.
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TIER 2
NEEDS BASED LEARNING: STANDARD INTERVENTION PROTOCOLS
Targeted students participate in additional instruction that:
• Is different from Tier 1
• Uses established intervention protocols
• Provides enhanced opportunities for extended learning
•Takes advantage of the flexibility of small groups
•Includes greater frequency in progress monitoring
•Addresses needs in all developmental domains
(academic, communication/language, social etc.)
Tier 2
Instruction that is:
 In addition to, not in place of, Tier 1
 Pre-planned
 Usually delivered in small groups
 Designed for flexible groupings
 Short-term in nature
 A component of general education
TIER 3
SST DRIVEN INSTRUCTION/LEARNING
Targeted students participate in:
-Individual assessment
-Tailored interventions to respond
to their needs
-Frequent formative assessments
-Consideration for specially designed
instruction only when data confirms a need
(e.g. gifted, special ed)
TIER 4
SPECIALLY DESIGNED INSTRUCTION/LEARNING
Targeted students participate in:
-Specialized programs
-Adapted content, methodology, or
instructional delivery
-GPS access/extension
What is RTI?
Response to Intervention

A process of providing effective instructional
practices that are matched to student need.
 Monitoring
progress frequently to make databased decisions about changes to instruction or
goals.
 Applying student response data to making
important educational decisions.
(National Association of State Directors of Special Education, 2005)
RTI assists in:
 Making
decisions about the effectiveness of
instruction/interventions.
 Making early identification of academic and
behavioral problems.
 Preventing unnecessary and excessive identification of
students with disabilities.
 Deciding eligibility for special education.
 Determining IEP content, and delivery and evaluation
of special education services.
(National Association of State Directors of Special Education, 2005).
Intervention Planning and
Progress Monitoring
Step 1:
Determine who
needs additional
support through
intervention and in
what area(s) the
students require
support.
Step 2:
Determine short
and long term
goals for students
that need
intervention. Set up
a schedule for
progress
monitoring.
Step 3:
Develop a plan for
each student who
requires
intervention. Group
students by the
specific skills in
which they require
intervention.
Step 4:
Determine who will
implement the
interventions and
when and where
the interventions
will occur.
Step 5:
As students master
skills , move
students to different
intervention groups
to begin work on
mastering other
necessary skills.
Georgia DOE Criteria for
Evaluating Possible Universal Screeners:
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Easily Administered
Research Based
Highly correlated to skills being assessed
Benchmark or predictor of future performance
Reliability and Validity
Sensitive to small increments of change
Expected identified rates of increase
Data analysis and reporting component
School Wide Screening Examples
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Texas Primary Reading Inventory (Foorman)
DIBELS- Oral Reading Fluency measure (Good)
AIMSweb
EdCheckup
Monitoring Basic Skills Progress
STAR
STEEP (Witt)
OAS
Gray Oral Reading Test
Testgate/Thinkgate
Appropriate Interventions
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It is crucial to determine the reason(s) for poor
performance in order to select an appropriate
intervention:
Skill Deficit: The student lacks the necessary skills to
perform the academic task.
‘Fragile’ Skills: The student possesses the necessary
skills but is not yet fluent and automatic in those
skills.
Performance (Motivation) Deficit: The student has
the necessary skills but lacks the motivation to
complete the academic task.
Supplementary Tier II Practices
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Best Practice: The Tier 1 non-responder participates
in small group instruction with students who share
similar instructional weaknesses. The group is taught
at least 3 times per week, 30 minutes per session,
by a certified teacher or aide who can accurately
implement an evidence-based protocol.
When to determine Tier II success?
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Best Practice: At-risk students are assessed every
week for 10 weeks in the area of risk using brief
monitoring tools. Adequate Tier 2 response is
operationalized using (a) local or national
normative estimates for weekly improvement.
Montgomery County Public School:
Example of Tier II Implementation (Kovaleski, 2004)
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Students at “risk” were referred for problem solving and progress
monitoring at each grade level. At risk students were those that scored
below 25th percentile on previous year’s state assessment.
Using the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy (DIBELS)
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All K- 4th grade at-risk students were screened
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(Nonsense word fluency, oral reading fluency) 10/2004
Students grouped in three groups
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LOW RISK
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SOME RISK
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AT RISK (10/2004)
Students in the some risk and at-risk groups were given 1 hour of
focused reading in combination with their regular reading block.
Progress monitoring during additional 1 hour instruction occurred every
2 weeks.
Examples of schools providing Tier II support
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Extended Learning Time
After school Programs
EIP program
Academic skills for Connection Class
High School Basic Reading or Math Class
Interventionist during uninterrupted 90 minute
academic block (small group instruction)
Results!
Results!
Results!