RTI Data Decision Checklist: How to Identify Students for Intervention

Response to Intervention (RTI) goes by many confusing names.

Tier 1 instruction. Tier 2 intervention. Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). “Core” vs. “intervention.”

If you’re a classroom teacher, you might reasonably ask: What does all of this actually mean in practice?

Here’s the quick checklist most RTI frameworks rely on:

• Specify your Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 supports

• Collect student data regularly

• Review and tier students based on that data

• Implement Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions for identified students

• Strengthen Tier 1 instruction to ensure 80%+ student mastery

Clear as mud? Let’s dig in.

Why do we need RTI?

At the heart of learning (we see this in Bloom’s taxonomy most clearly) is the belief students should not just hear information. They should be able to understand it, apply it, and demonstrate their learning in new situations. A kid shouldn’t just know the letter B goes “buh”, he should also be able to recognize it in a “bus” as well as a “bug.” But, as much as we want every student to achieve these standards, we also have to realize we are teaching children, not making widgets. Every child has a different background, a different brain, and a different approach to learning. Given the differences in our kids, we need to construct a teaching method that reaches them where they are, not where we wish they are.

How does RTI work?

Honestly? I prefer the term multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) to RTI, but I truly don’t care what you call it as long as you use it! The simplest way I’ve heard MTSS or RTI described (thanks to my 2nd year master teacher) is that there are three tiers from big to small arranged like a big pyramid. Tier 1 (at the bottom of the pyramid) is the foundation and the stronger it is, the better your classroom runs. The three individual tiers are as follows:

• Tier 1 is the “seatbelt” tier; everybody gets it and it’s gonna help everybody! Your tier 1 teaching, or your “core” instructional practices should be solid enough that 80% of your students will reach mastery. Tier 1 instruction is evidence-based instruction. Think science of reading aligned phonics, high quality curriculum to teach math, and science lessons aligned to standards. Tier 1 has to be strong and comprehensive, otherwise you’re going to have a lot of students not reaching mastery.

• Tier 2 (or intervention tier) are interventions that support kids who need a little extra help. About 20% of your students will receive targeted support in smaller groups. These interventions will ensure that about 95% of your students receive mastery. 

• Tier 3 is the smallest group of students. These students receive intensive interventions, one-on-one, in order to reach mastery. These students may struggle with learning disabilities or have other complicating factors.

What RTI Looks Like in a Real Classroom

If it’s helpful, imagine a classroom of 30 kids. All kids in your classroom are going to receive high-quality support via your in-class activities, homework, teaching, etc. But, when you administer your end of unit assessment, about 6 of your 30 kids won’t yet be at mastery. You’ll provide that small group of 6 with some support via remediation, small group tutoring, maybe even differentiated homework. Of that group of 6, maybe 1-2 of them still won’t meet mastery and you’ll work with your instructional lead to implement intensive tutoring, customized to where your student struggles.

Implementing multiple tiers of support was a game-changer in my classroom. I had a group that in prior years struggled to attain 50-60% mastery. At the school year’s start, I sat down with my instructional team to re-map our tier 1, 2, and 3 practices. As a result, we saw 90% mastery on weekly assessments, and at the end of course assessment we had 100% mastery. This wasn’t because we were killing ourselves with interventions and support. It was because we prioritized strong core instructional practice. We reviewed  data every week to tier students. We were proactive about tier 2 and tier 3 support. But, anytime we saw an assessment with less than 80% mastery, we took a beat and reviewed. We decided that any lessons or practices that weren’t resulting in 80%+ mastery were ineffective, and these things got pruned. We retaught anything that didn’t get to 80% mastery, and because we were reviewing data regularly, we had a great sense of where students were struggling well before any formative assessments.

Data is Non-negotiable

I want this to be crystal clear: this process doesn’t work without data. If you lack student data, your  system falls apart. You can’t assign students to Tier 2 because they seem like they need it. That approach quickly overwhelms teachers and intervention teams.

Effective RTI requires:

• Strong teaching with aligned assessments

• Regular data collection and review

• Clear decision rules for student placement

Without data, RTI is very labor-intensive guesswork.

Final Thoughts and How to Take Action

The Cohort Achievement Tracker (CAT) can significantly streamline your RTI implementation. The CAT uses your existing student data to create intervention groups based on your selected criteria. Both the criteria and student data points are fully customizable to match your school or district specifications. For example, if you want to focus on DIBELS data for 2nd graders, you can customize your RTI dashboard to highlight specific DIBELS benchmarks and progress monitoring data.  Once you set your criteria, the CAT analyzes the student data and spits out a list of students for each tier AND suggests appropriate resources. Check out a video of the Cohort Achievement Tracker here or view a sample copy of it online here.

How does your team think about Response to Intervention? We’re all ears and invite you to join in the conversation on social media. And if you are ready to use RTI to support student learning, we invite you to grab time with us to talk more!

About Instructional Data Solutions: Our mission is to remove barriers to enable education organizations to focus on what matters most. We assist school systems and education organizations of all sizes by collecting, analyzing, and clearly communicating data. We are committed to empowering educators through comprehensive data analytics and tailored support. Additionally, we provide dedicated support for operational needs, process improvement, and special projects, offering customized solutions to enhance effectiveness and success. Our solutions bridge the gap between data collection and instructional improvement in PK-12 settings.