Teaching students with varying strengths and abilities can be a rewarding experience. By tailoring instruction to meet their needs and providing structured, evidence-based interventions when necessary, you can create an environment where every learner can succeed. This proactive approach is known as Response to Intervention (RTI), and it helps ensure that all students have the support they need to succeed.
What is RTI?
Response to Intervention (RTI) is a proactive educational intervention framework designed to support student academic success. When applied in the classroom, RTI gives teachers a structured approach to assess achievement and identify students who may benefit from additional strategies. Consistent use of RTI helps educators provide timely interventions that keep learning on track.
These intervention strategies can be delivered through specialized intervention programs or administered by the classroom teacher or other specialists based on ongoing assessments of individual progress. Because RTI is designed to support all students, it acts as a bridge between Tier 1 and special education classrooms, providing a framework for individualizing instruction without disrupting learning.
The actual practice of RTI may look different from school to school, but most effective RTI implementation relies on four key components:
1. Instruction must be rooted in high-quality, pedagogically sound teaching practices, including access to evidence-based intervention materials for students who require additional support.
2. Student performance should be monitored continuously to inform instructional decisions. Many intervention programs provide built-in progress monitoring.
3. Programs should include at least three tiers of intervention, with Tier 2 and Tier 3 offering structured, evidence-based solutions. Each tier should have clear criteria for measuring success and opportunities to improve.
4. Family engagement is essential. Frequent and open communication with parents and caregivers ensures everyone is working together to support student growth.
Let’s look at each tier and discuss strategies you can use in your classroom to support students within each one.
The three RTI tiers
Tier 1: High-quality instruction and proactive assessment
Tier 1 instruction forms the foundation of effective teaching practice. It represents the well-planned, differentiated instruction that is pedagogically sound and delivered every day to meet a wide range of learning needs.
This high-quality instruction meets the needs of most learners and makes use of best practices in teaching and learning. RTI Tier 1 strategies include a variety of common instructional approaches, such as:
- Experiential learning
- Inquiry-based learning
- Cooperative learning
- Active learning
- Problem-based learning
If a student is not showing signs of improvement after continual Tier 1 instruction, they may benefit from targeted intervention supports at Tier 2.
Tier 2: Targeted intervention
Building on the teaching practices in Tier 1, Tier 2 instruction targets specific learning needs with aligned intervention lessons. Through supplementary activities and remedial education, teachers can help students address gaps in their learning and develop the skills they need to succeed.
Interventions can be adjusted in the following ways to meet the unique needs of all students:
- Consistency: Interventions should occur on a predictable schedule to build trust and reinforce learning. Whether daily, several times a week, or at set intervals, a consistent plan helps students know what to expect and ensures they receive the support needed to make progress.
- Groups: Strategic, flexible grouping can maximize the impact of interventions. Teachers can group students who need similar support or pair students for peer tutoring. Grouping can also be interest-based, such as pairing students who enjoy basketball for an activity that uses a basketball-themed reading passage.
- Activity type: By paying close attention to how students respond to different types of activities, such as group projects or fluency practice, you can better understand your students' learning preferences. This insight can help you choose Tier 2 supports that best promote achievement for your students.
The student may remain at a Tier 2 level for some time and return to a Tier 1 level once they have met their objectives. However, if the student still appears to need additional support after repeated Tier 2 interventions, it is time to consider a move to Tier 3 interventions.
Tier 3: Intensive intervention and evaluation
While most students can succeed with Tier 1 or Tier 2 support, in most schools, a small percentage of students require Tier 3 interventions, which is a fundamentally deeper and more targeted instructional approach. Tier 3 requires explicit, systematic, and often specialized intervention delivered through a structured program. Trained specialists handle Tier 3 interventions to provide the intensive support that is required to address more challenging needs.
It is essential to collect as much data as possible during Tier 3 interventions. This allows you to measure their effectiveness and will provide insights that can inform future approaches. RTI specialists collect this data by engaging with the student one-on-one; providing constructive, corrective feedback where needed; and evaluating the student’s response to the interventions.
RTI strategies by intervention tier
RTI interventions are an important element of ensuring that all students have the chance to succeed. Let’s look at some examples of RTI strategies to use in the classroom.
Tier 1 RTI strategies
Confirm understanding
You can check students for understanding by asking them to recall what they learned in their own words. When you ask students to do this, you are asking them not to repeat back what they have heard, but instead to talk about that subject in a way that shows their level of understanding. As a result, the learning that occurs is deeper and better retained.
Exit tickets at the end of class can also reveal insights into student learning. For example, ask students to write about what they learned that day. Reviewing these short summaries will show you which students seem to have mastered the material and which students may need more help.
Use an expectation-based grading scheme
Not every assignment or activity needs a letter or numerical grade. For striving students, the pressure of achieving a perfect score can impede learning and cause considerable stress. Using formative assessments that focus on meeting vs. not meeting expectations can reframe these activities as low-stakes opportunities to learn and grow.
Differentiate approaches
Students benefit from the use of a variety of instructional approaches and will appreciate the use of individual, small-group, and classroom-wide activities.
Since RTI requires ongoing individual assessment, working one-on-one with students is an important instructional technique. Remember that all students have their own strengths and challenges. It’s important to take time to periodically check in with individual students to assess their levels of confidence and understanding.
Offer options for projects
It’s not always possible to design assessments that are perfectly suited for all learners. That’s why letting students choose how they show mastery can be so powerful.
Include projects and activities in your curriculum that offer students flexibility. By letting students have options, you empower them to take ownership of their learning. Then by using those projects to assess student proficiency, they can also give you deeper insight into each student.
Tier 2 RTI strategies
RTI Tier 2 strategies are designed to close learning gaps and mitigate barriers to learning.
Define learning goals
Since Tier 2 interventions are intended to guide students back to Tier 1, the instruction should be based on well-defined learning goals that are measured. You should begin with the end in mind and develop an intervention plan that serves as a roadmap to get the student caught up. This plan should ultimately empower them with the skills and strategies they need to succeed in the classroom.
Be a model teacher
It’s not enough to simply tell students how to perform a task. To fully engage students and reinforce positive behaviors, you should be a positive role model. This modeling should teach not just positive behaviors, but also healthy approaches to challenges and strategies for solving problems.
Tier 3 RTI strategies
RTI Tier 3 strategies are designed to address learning needs through intensive, specialized support.
Motivate students using gamification strategies
Gamification of education, such as embedded storytelling, avatars, or badges, can help to motivate learners and track progress toward learning goals. Look for ways to leverage what makes gaming so engaging for students in the lessons and activities your students do. Intensive intervention solutions can offer explicit skill-building and one-on-one instructional pathways. For example, Waggle can turn learning into an interactive, game-like experience that motivates students through personalized practice and real-time feedback.
Use spaced, interleaved practice
Spaced, interleaved practice can be a powerful strategy to strength retention and deepen understanding. Sometimes known as spiral review, this approach spaces practice sessions over time and mixes different types of math problems or concepts. Research shows that revisiting previously learned concepts in varied contexts helps students retain knowledge longer and make meaningful connections across topics.
Incorporate schema-based instruction
Schema-based instruction helps students make sense of complex math concepts by providing clear templates for problem-solving. This approach teaches students to translate related word problems into consistent mathematical representations, such as “total ÷ groups = number of groups.” By organizing new information within familiar structures, students strengthen connections to prior knowledge, leading to deeper understanding and improved retention.
Remember that implementing an RTI program requires a systemic approach, so don’t try to go it alone. Instead, when you cultivate a culture of collaboration and teamwork among students, teachers, administrators, and caregivers, you can create a community that inspires and empowers all learners.
This article was adapted from a blog post initially developed by the education technology company Classcraft, which was acquired by HMH in 2023. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of HMH.
***
Find more lesson plans and classroom resources on Shaped.
This blog, originally published in 2022, has been updated for 2026.
Be the first to read the latest from Shaped.
