IEA - Response to Intervention (RtI)

Information Guide

What is RtI?

Response to Intervention (RtI) is an "every ed" initiative that brings regular and special educators together to meet the common challenge of providing quality education to all students. According to education researcher George Batsche, RtI is defined as "the practice of providing high-quality instruction and interventions matched to student need, monitoring progress frequently to make decisions about changes in instruction or goals, and applying child response data to important education decisions." It reflects a proactive approach to serving all students and their families by matching the intensity of education resources to the level of students’ education needs and rates of progress.

Why RtI?

Response to Intervention (RtI) comes out of the 2004 reauthorization of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004). In June 2007, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) adopted use of research-based intervention and set out the following timelines for its implementation:

No later than January 1, 2009, each district shall develop a plan to transition to the use of a process that determines how a student responds to scientific, research-based interventions (RtI) as part of the student evaluation procedure.
No later than the 2010-11 school year, each district shall implement the use of RtI.

What are the components of RtI?

There are three main components of RtI, as follows:

Schools will implement a three-tier model of school supports. Resources are allocated in direct proportion to student needs. The three-tier model utilizes increasingly more intense instruction and interventions to respond to the academic and behavioral needs of students.
Schools will utilize a problem-solving method for decision-making. Problem solving is a decision-making process around which the development and evaluation of tiers and interventions, as well as the student’s response to intervention, occurs. This includes problem identification, analysis, plan development, and plan evaluation.
Schools will implement an integrated data system that informs instruction. Universal screening of students will take place three times each school year. Data will be collected and analyzed to provide a continuum of instructional options for students to utilize resources in an optimal manner. At-risk students will receive interventions and their progress will be monitored frequently

Questions

If you do not find an answer to your RtI questions, please contact the IEA Education Policy and Agency Relations Director, Daryl Morrison with the form below.