Involves a systematic
Allows students to move process where students
freely among tiers of
must go through
instruction/intervention successive steps to get
to the next step
Involves a multistep and
multifaceted process to Uses a “one-size-fitsimprove student
all” approach
learning
Provides assistance to
students once they are
identified for special
education
Aims to prevent failure
and intervention when
students need it for all
students struggling with
learning
Provides services only
in one educational
setting
Provides intervention in
general education,
special education,
compensatory
education, or all of the
above
For students who
Is only for students with
struggle with learning in identified learning
all educational settings disabilities
Provides a fixed level
of intensity for all
students requiring
intervention
Provides increasing
levels of intensity
depending on student
response
Focuses only on whole
Provides different tiers group learning
of instruction depending opportunities that are
on student need
not individualized or
based on student need
Involves end-of-year
Involves continuous
assessment alone to
progress monitoring
gauge student progress
Utilizes state
expectations and the
Utilizes progress
curricular scope and
monitoring data to
sequence to guide
shape future instruction
instructional
approaches