**7. Benefits of response to intervention**

The expected outcome of Tier 2 is for students to receive more targeted instruction after not meeting general class expectations and exhibiting the need for supplemental support. Targeted Tier 2 instruction can take place within the general education classroom or in other settings in the school, such as pullout situations. Students' instruction and interventions should be modified and differentiated while providing more specialized equipment and technology, as needed, to target each individual student's instructional needs. Students who make insufficient progress in Tier 2 then are considered for Tier 3, intensive intervention. There should be evidence-based documentation and evaluation to support evidence of insufficient progress [9].

If a student does not make acceptable progress within provided supplemental instruction and intervention within Tier 2, they can then be referred to Tier 3. Tier 3 includes more intense, specifically designed instruction and/or special education services [4]. Tier 3 is a high-quality, intensive intervention that includes interventions that are individualized to meet significant needs, including various disabilities. About 2–5% of the students who did not respond as expected to Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions are provided more intensive interventions within Tier 3. The length of time required to implement Tier 3 interventions will often replace some portion of the core curriculum, at least temporarily. Depending on the district or school policy and decision-making process, Tier 3 interventions may or may not include special education services (**Figure 1**). Through continued progress monitoring of the documentation of interventions and further evaluation, often students within Tier 3 will be referred to special education and may qualify for special education services [5]. However, to assume that Tier 3 is only for special education is a myth. In RTI, it is expected that students with learning disabilities of all kinds are represented in all tiers of intervention, including students who are not classified as special education students. This expectation depends on universal screening of the particular skill domain, behavior, and outcome of interest [3]. The expected outcome for Tier 3 is to provide students who have more significant needs with intensive, evidence-based

A key component to successful RTI implementation is a formal and organized assessment system. This component is crucial in the decision-making process when determining what tier to place students. Assessment, progress monitoring, and instruction are intricately tied together within the RTI model. Students are usually placed into their initial tier through the results of benchmark assessments, though teacher observations can be considered as well. Once students are placed in their appropriate tiers, they are progress monitored to track how well they are responding to their current instruction. If the student is not progressing at the expected rate, a change in instruction, interventions, or possibly their tier needs to be considered [11]. Ongoing progress monitoring serves two purposes: (a) the data collected is used to make decisions about instruction, interventions, and placement within tiers by evaluating the students' strengths and needs, and (b) continual progress monitoring determines whether the student is

interventions within a range of educational settings [9].

**6. Progress monitoring**

**5.3. Tier 3**

106 Learning Disabilities - An International Perspective

The RTI framework as a whole is beneficial in that it evaluates the external factors that may be impacting a student's progress before determining if the struggling student has an intrinsic learning deficit or disability. Further, the RTI framework evaluates instruction and interventions, discourages giving up or labeling a child after just one intervention, and encourages schools and educators to use creative strategies to meet individual student needs while moving toward more intense interventions, as needed [4]. Though there are many benefits of RTI, this chapter will focus on three primary benefits of the framework: (a) reduction of inappropriate special education referrals, (b) student benefits, and (c) benefits to schools and teachers.

#### **7.1. Reduction of inappropriate special education referrals**

The number of students who are referred and who qualify for special education services is reduced when RTI is implemented effectively, as found in several studies [5]. If effective interventions are implemented within Tier 1 and Tier 2, inappropriate special education referrals and the need for extensive Tier 3 instruction are reduced [6]. Numerous studies have shown the utility of RTI programs. One study showed consistent decreases in special education placements. In particular, that study showed a 39% decrease in special education placements in kindergarten, a 32% decrease in special education placements in the first grade, a 21% decrease in special education placements in the second grade, and a 19% decrease in special education placements in the third grade. Another study reported that engagement in Tier 1 interventions reduced the percentage of students going to special education by 12%. Participation in all three tiers reduced the rate of students placed in special education by 8% [12]. Because RTI helps ensure that all students receive quality instruction and proper supports, it lessens the likelihood that a student will be misdiagnosed with a disability and placed in special education [4].

#### **7.2. Student benefits**

One study on the barriers and benefits of RTI sought feedback from special education teachers about the benefits that students experience from RTI [13]. A majority of responses from the surveyed teachers showed that students were receiving better instruction that more quickly identified and addressed problems so that students did not fall further behind waiting for necessary assistance. Other responses indicated that teachers found the RTI process to help correctly identify students with learning disabilities during the special education referral process so that students without special needs are not improperly shuffled into special education programs. However, the study noted that many teachers found the benefits of RTI to extend beyond special education programming, for teachers noted that the one-to-one intervention strategies of RTI assisted students across the learning spectrum [13].

#### **7.3. Benefits to schools and teachers**

RTI has also been found to lead to other benefits for schools and teachers, including better data collection on student growth and achievement [13]. Furthermore, teachers have disclosed that the individualized nature of RTI has helped general education teachers and educational teams more precisely and accurately identify individual skill areas or behaviors in which a student is struggling. Finally, many educators have noted that RTI has increased collaboration between teachers and parents [13].
