A study of six states’ use of response to intervention found that the RTI strategies were initially driven by special education departments in those states, but are seen as a way to improve education for all students.
Response to intervention is an instructional approach that involves identifying students’ learning problems and applying a series of focused, gradually intensifying interventions to address them.
Of the six states studied—Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin—one, Illinois, requires the use of RTI in general education. Another, Iowa, requires its use to determine eligibility for special education.
The June study from the federally funded Regional Education Laboratory Midwest also found that all six states provide professional development on RTI to districts.
