The Tiers of Intervention
Studies show that 80% of students or more are able to learn with high quality general classroom instruction. Students may come across a tricky concept, but they work through it to master understanding with little impact on their overall academic success.
But what happens to the approximately 20% of students who need something different?
Response to Intervention, or RTI, refers to the framework many schools implement in order to support and best meet the needs of diverse learners. In the RTI format, there are 3 tiers, or levels, of academic or behavioral support.
Tier 1: The Whole Class
When a student is not making adequate progress in the classroom, typically the classroom teacher begins to more closely monitor learning through assessments and anecdotal observations. After a window of time of progress monitoring, usually 6-8 weeks, if the student is not making progress, that child would then move to a Tier 2 category.
Examples of Tier 1 intervention: Re-teaching a lesson, using a graphic organizer for writing, highlighting important parts of text
Tier 2: Small Group Intervention
(approximately 15%)
In Tier 2, students may be referred to the school’s reading specialist or interventionist. Typically, the student is pulled from the regular classroom to receive small group support for a small part of their day. During Tier 2 instruction, the student continues to be closely monitored. Are they responding well to the intensive and targeted instruction? Is the student able to apply the skills and strategies they have learned in the regular classroom setting? Often, Tier 2 support is just the gentle nudge students need to make consistent growth, find confidence, and feel capable in their abilities. When, after typically 6-8 weeks of Tier 2 support, a student is not progressing, teachers begin to wonder if something is standing in their way.
Examples of Tier 2 intervention: Student visits school interventionist for a small group lesson 20 minutes a day- often in math or reading for elementary students.
Tier 3: Intensive Intervention
(approximately 5%)
When a student is showing little progress from Tiers 1 and 2, a child is typically referred to Tier 3. Tier 3 intervention is individualized and intensive targeted instruction to meet the needs of a student. Instruction is perfectly tailored to meet the needs of the learner. Tier 3 support is one-on-one between teacher and student; progress monitoring reports are shared weekly with teachers and parents. Often at the Tier 3 level, students are referred to a psychologist for a comprehensive or full-scale evaluation to get a full picture of the child as a learner.
Example of Tier 3 Intervention: Waypoint! Systematic, research-based, daily one-on-one targeted intervention
