Over the past few years, schools in the United States as well as the United Kingdom, have developed and researched an approach to improving the quality of education, which is based on using evidenced based classroom teaching practices and programs that are directed by ongoing assessment to address children’s needs. This approach in the US, called “Response to Intervention”, is a three tiered approach and originally emerged as a regular education initiative (referred to in Britain as “Waves”).
The model works at three levels: first the base of effective classroom instruction and monitoring, second on small group and individual interventions within the classroom, and, finally, with individual interventions. Therefore, the approach is school and teacher based and offers a way to improve instruction for all students within the school, prevent academic failures and allow for support both within the school when possible and, when documented, more intensive help from other resources. RTI has been found to improve the performance of all students, provide early intervention and prevention of failure for many children.