Response to Intervention KnowledgeBase

This KnowledgeBase archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.

The Response to Intervention KnowledgeBase is an online resource supporting educators in understanding and implementing the response to intervention (RTI) model. The National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) has identified four stages in the implementation of evidence-based strategies such as RTI. The first stage is Exploration, and it involves consideration of the essential components of RTI models and the district or school's readiness to implement an RTI model with fidelity. During the second stage, Installation, a district or school selects an RTI model and works actively to put in place all of the supports necessary for implementing the essential components. These supports can include staff member training, policies, implementation guides, forms, assessments, instructional programs, and software. The third stage is Initial Implementation, and it involves implementing the essential components. Initial Implementation can involve just a few components or teachers, and then implementation expands over time. When the majority of teachers are implementing all components of RTI with fidelity, the district or school is in the fourth stage, called Full Implementation. This KnowledgeBase is geared primarily toward those in the Exploration and Installation stages, with some resources for those in the Initial Implementation stage.

Task 1: Learn About Research on Secondary Level RTI

Guideline: Though there is very little research on Response to Intervention (RTI) frameworks at the middle school level and no research yet supporting the use of tiered interventions in high schools, "professional wisdom" is emerging to guide practitioners wishing to move forward with such implementation at the secondary level. Understanding this limited research base will provide practitioners with a foundation upon which to make future decisions regarding implementation of RTI in their schools.

resources

Guidelines

The Secondary Literacy and Intervention Guide

This 2007 Stupski Foundation developed guide provides an overview of the University of Kansas' Content Literacy Continuum (CLC), a replicable district-level model of instruction to meet the differentiated needs of struggling adolescents.

References

ED Week: Spotlight on Response to Intervention

This 2011 Education Week 'Spotlight on Response to Intervention' Journal examines the roles RTI plays in boosting student achievement, guiding implementation of common core standards, and the related challenges of allocating funding to support district-wide implementation.

Meeting the Needs of Significantly Struggling Learners in High School: A Look at Approaches to Tiered Intervention

This brief from the former National High School Center describes the RTI model and outlines a three-tiered approach. It includes implications for RTI at the high school level and resources for implementation.

Teacher Preparation for Response to Intervention in Middle and High Schools

This policy brief from the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders provides an overview of the preparation of middle and high school teachers to use RTI applications.

Texas Center for Learning Disabilities: Research on Remediation

This link to the Texas Center for Learning Disabilities website provides information on a research project on remediation (Project III). As noted at its website, "Project III involves a study of multi-tiered instruction and intensive intervention with students in Austin-area and Houston middle schools who do not respond to enhanced reading instruction (moderate intervention)." Presentations and articles reporting the research results can be accessed from this website.

Tiered Interventions in High Schools

As noted at the former Center on Instruction website, "This collaborative report from the Center on Instruction, the National High School Center, and the National Center on Response to Intervention, summarizes what the High School Tiered Interventions Initiative (HSTII) has learned about effective implementation of RTI in high schools."