Response to intervention (RTI) is a data-driven systematic method for identifying and responding to the needs of students who demonstrate academic and/or behavioral difficulties (Brown-Chidsey & Steege, 2005). At its core, RTI is a set of schoolwide procedures intended to promote successful school outcomes for all students. When implemented with fidelity, RTI is a program where school personnel apply a twofold system of reliable high-quality instruction and frequent formative assessment of student progress (Mellard, Byrd, Johnson, Tollefson, & Boesche, 2004). Decisions in RTI are anchored within a multi-tier system of options that correspond to student need. Decision makers in RTI include teachers across general and special education as well as other key stakeholders including paraprofessionals, school psychologists, administrators, parents, and other related services personnel. Decision making in RTI underscores the prevention of problems, including learning disabilities, and timely interventions at the first sign of risk.
Despite abundant evidence that most students can attain basic academic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics, too many students fail to master fundamental academic skills. Although schools and school districts are held accountable for ensuring that all student attain fundamental academic skills, especially in reading (e.g., No Child Left Behind Act[NCLB] of 2001), only 31% of 4th graders are proficient readers and only 36% of 4th graders perform at a proficient level in mathematics (National Center for Education Statistics, 2005).
The far-reaching implications of low levels of educational attainment on students’ lifelong personal wellness are unmistakable (Brown-Chidsey, 2005) and staggering statistics highlight numerous crises threatening students’ psychosocial and academic wellness (Crockett, 2004). While a causal link between chronic school failure and poor psychosocial functioning has yet to be made (Chapman, 1988) chronic academic failure is related to loneliness (Margalit, 1998), depression (Bender, Rosenkrans, & Crane, 1999) and school maladjustment (Martínez & Semrud-Clikeman, 2004). Further, the comorbidity between chronic school failure and risky behaviors in adolescence such as underage drinking (Crosnoe, 2006) and delinquency (Center on Crime, Communities, and Culture, 1997) have been demonstrated. Moreover, students who fail to master basic academic skills are frequently retained at grade level, a practice that is highly predictive that a student will drop out of high school (Jimerson, 1999). By acting early to prevent more pervasive academic (and psychosocial) problems from developing, reform efforts such as RTI strive to rapidly and systematically decrease the skill gap between students who are experiencing school success and students who are at-risk for school failure (Lyon, Fletcher, Shaywitz, Shaywitz, Torgesen, Wood, Schulte, & Olson 2001).
From: Martinez, R. S. & Nellis, L. (In press.) Response to Intervention: A School-Wide Approach for Promoting Academic Wellness for All Students. In B. Doll and J. Cummings (Eds.), Transforming school mental health services: Population-based approaches to promoting the competency and wellness of children. Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.
