Overview & Differences Between Tiers in Response to Intervention Model
The Response to Intervention (RTI) model is a proven framework that helps educators provide the right level of support to students based on their needs. Using a tiered approach, RTI ensures that all students—whether excelling, struggling slightly, or facing significant challenges—receive the appropriate level of instruction and intervention. In this blog, we’ll break down the three tiers of RTI and highlight their differences, using a real-world example of one student’s journey through the model to make these distinctions clear.
The Three Tiers of RTI: Quick Overview
Tier 1: Universal Instruction
- Core instruction provided to all students in the general education classroom.
- Focus on high-quality, research-based teaching that addresses the needs of most students.
Tier 2: Targeted Interventions
- For students not making adequate progress in Tier 1.
- Delivered in small groups to address specific skills and learning gaps.
Tier 3: Intensive Interventions
- For students with significant, ongoing challenges.
- Individualized, frequent, and focused instruction.
To better understand how these tiers work in practice, let’s follow Maya, a third-grade student, as she progresses through RTI.
Tier 1: Universal Instruction
What Happens in Tier 1?
In Tier 1, all students, including Maya, receive core instruction in the general classroom. Teachers use evidence-based practices to deliver lessons aligned with state standards. This includes strategies like explicit phonics instruction, vocabulary-building activities, and guided reading groups.
How Is Maya Supported?
- Maya’s teacher tracks her progress through regular classroom assessments and homework.
- Despite differentiated instruction, Maya’s reading fluency scores remain in the bottom 20%, indicating she is struggling to keep up with her peers.
Example in Action:
Maya’s teacher pairs her with a peer mentor during group activities and implements classroom scaffolding, such as highlighting key passages for her to practice. However, her challenges persist, and the data suggests that she would benefit from more focused support. Maya is then referred to Tier 2 interventions.
Tier 2: Targeted Interventions
What Happens in Tier 2?
Maya begins attending small group intervention sessions three times a week for 30 minutes each. These sessions focus on targeted strategies to build her fluency and decoding skills, such as repeated reading and phonemic drills.
How Is Maya Supported?
- Her teacher uses research-based tools designed for small groups to address specific skills.
- Maya continues to participate in regular classroom instruction while receiving these supplemental sessions.
- Progress is monitored bi-weekly to evaluate her improvement.
Example in Action:
Over six weeks, Maya shows some progress but continues to struggle with blending sounds and reading unfamiliar words. Despite the targeted intervention, her growth is limited. Based on the data, Maya’s teacher recommends moving her to Tier 3 for more intensive support.
Tier 3: Intensive Interventions
What Happens in Tier 3?
At Tier 3, Maya receives one-on-one instruction with a reading specialist five days a week for 40 minutes per session. The specialist conducts diagnostic assessments to pinpoint her specific challenges and designs an individualized plan to address her needs.
How Is Maya Supported?
- Interventions are tailored to Maya’s specific skill gaps, using strategies like multisensory phonics instruction and sight word recognition games.
- Progress is tracked weekly to adjust instruction in real time and ensure maximum impact.
Example in Action:
Maya’s consistent, personalized support helps her build confidence and improve her reading fluency significantly. After 10 weeks, her progress monitoring data shows that she is ready to transition back to Tier 2 interventions for continued practice. The ultimate goal is for Maya to rejoin Tier 1 instruction exclusively as her reading skills catch up to grade level.
Key Takeaways: Maya’s RTI Journey
Maya’s experience demonstrates how RTI ensures that every student gets the right level of support at the right time:
- Tier 1 provided a strong foundation of universal instruction but wasn’t enough to address Maya’s specific challenges.
- Tier 2 added small-group, targeted interventions to focus on her fluency gaps but didn’t fully close the gap.
- Tier 3 delivered intensive, individualized support that finally helped Maya make the necessary progress.
RTI is a flexible and dynamic model that evolves with a student’s needs. By moving through the tiers, students like Maya receive increasingly targeted support until they can succeed in the general classroom. The tiered approach ensures no student is left behind, providing every learner with the opportunity to meet grade-level expectations. With careful progress monitoring and appropriate interventions, educators can help every student thrive.
