What is RTI?
Response to Intervention, or RTI, is the practice of providing high quality instruction and interventions matched to student need, monitoring progress frequently to make changes in instruction or goals, and applying child response data to important educational decisions.
How does RTI work?
The overall RTI approach is intended to insure effective instruction and other educational services for all children.
- Systematically teach all children with effective instruction provided by qualified personnel.
- Emphasizes prevention and early intervention.
- Uses a multi-tiered model to offer a continuum of services, thereby introducing more supports and strategies in general education.
- Ensures that important education decisions are based on data.
RTI also plays a role in special education eligibility determinations, as data obtained through the RTI process can be valuable for making identification decisions and for developing an Individual Education Program (IEP).
The essential elements of an RTI approach are:
- The provision of scientific, research-based instruction and interventions in general education.
- Monitoring and measurement of student progress in response to the instruction and interventions.
- Use of these measures of student progress to shape instruction and make educational decisions.
Although the RTI process has been adopted in the state of Florida, the level of implementation varies from district to district. Additional information on RTI can be found at:
Florida RTI implementation plan
RTI online introduction training course
RTI Blueprints for Implementation-District Level
RTI Blueprints for Implementation-School Level
RTI Newsletter
Podcasts and Webinars
Behavioral Supports
