Over the past decade, Response to Intervention (RtI) has seen widespread use in schools as an effective tool to promote student learning. Originally developed to help students with learning disabilities, RtI’s success has led to its use for all students at school, not just for those with specialized needs. The approach has several key components:

• Multi-tiered instruction: All students receive Tier 1 support. Students that need additional help (typically about 15 percent of students) also receive Tier 2 support in small groups. About five percent of students receive intensive, one-on-one, Tier 3 support.
  
  
• Ongoing assessment: All students undergo regular monitoring to determine whether they need Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3 support.
  
  
• Collaborative decision-making: Schools often use a team of educators (such as general education teachers, learning specialists, and school counselors) to make decisions about what supports a student may need. Parents are also heavily involved.