RTI² is a process used to determine if a student is responding to classroom instruction and progressing as expected.

The RTI² process has three tiers, or levels, that build upon one another. Each tier provides more intensive layers of support. A child's progress is monitored and results are used to make decisions about additional instruction and intervention.

An RTI² process begins with providing appropriate instruction to all students by the classroom teacher in the general education class (Tier I). Appropriate instruction means the methods and materials a teacher uses are based on research showing that most students will be successful if taught in this manner. Within the RTI² model, targeted intervention is provided with increasingly intense levels or tiers of support. Increased intensity can mean more time, smaller groups, and/or more instruction focused on the specific areas in which the student is having difficulty.

Tier I - High Quality Instruction
The school provides all students with high quality and culturally responsive instruction in the areas of academics, attendance, and behavior.

Tier II - Targeted, Extra Instruction and Interventions
The school provides interventions to small groups of students who need more support than they are receiving through Tier I.

Tier III - Intensive Interventions
The school implements and monitors interventions to meet the individual needs of students.

What is screening?
Screening is a quick assessment that measures a student's skills which are expected for his or her grade level. Screenings are conducted three times per year.

How are results of screening used?
Results from screenings help school personnel identify students who are considered at-risk of not learning the necessary skills expected for the student's age or grade level. Depending upon the results of initial screening, personnel may recommend that a student be provided additional instructional support to address the student's areas of need.

If a student is identified as needing additional instructional support, a team will review information from the student's classroom work and screenings, as well as state and district-wide assessments.

The team will recommend the type of instructional support the student needs, how often they need it, and for how long the instructional support will be provided.

Progress monitoring involves frequent assessment of a student's performance in specific skill areas. Progress monitoring is used to determine whether the specific instructional support is working, and it also provides information to the student's teachers so that instruction can be adjusted.

All parents should receive screening results from the school, as well as regular updates on his/her child's progress in the classroom. Parents of students requiring Tier II or Tier III support must be provided with information as noted below:

• Amount and type of student performance data that will be collected, and the general education services that will be provided;
• Strategies for increasing the students' rate of learning;
• Parents' right to request an evaluation for special education programs and/or services.