Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Response to Intervention (RtI) for Elementary and Middle Schools This Practice Guide was developed by an expert panel convened by the Institute of Education Sciences. It includes eight recommendations designed to help educators use response to intervention practices to identify students who need assistance in mathematics and address those needs through focused interventions. A summary of the research evidence and a level of evidence rating are provided for each recommendation. For presentation on Doing What Works, these eight recommendations have been merged into three practices. This Practice Guide is the foundation for the Doing What Works content on response to intervention in mathematics.
Multimedia Overview Response to Intervention
This multimedia overview explains why states and districts are turning to Response to Intervention (RtI) systems described, including the three instructional tiers and components that are common to most systems such as universal screening, progress monitoring, systematic instruction, and differentiation based on data. (4:33 min)Explore these recommended practices:
- <<Screening and Monitoring
Screen all students for potential math difficulties and monitor their progress. - <<Foundations of Arithmetic
Focus interventions on whole and rational numbers, word problems, and fact fluency. - <<Intentional Teaching
Provide explicit instruction and incorporate visual representations and motivational strategies. - <<RtI Implementation
Establish a systemwide framework for RtI to support the three recommended practices.
Visual Diagram Response to Intervention Framework in Mathematics
The visual diagram illustrates three essential practices (universal screening and progress monitoring, content focus, and explicit teaching instruction) based on the recommendations in the Practice Guide. Use this diagram to compare the recommended practices for implementing a Response to Intervention system for mathematics with the way your school or district provides services to students who are at risk for struggling with mathematics.Expert Interview
Evolution of Response to Intervention
Russell Gersten, Ph.D.Director, Instructional Research Group
Sharon Vaughn, Ph.D.
Executive Director, The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk and Regents Professor
The University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Gersten and Dr. Vaughn, who have long worked in research related to Response to Intervention (RtI), share their ideas about why RtI has spread rapidly as a solution to helping struggling students. They also describe some important components of RtI, including conducting universal screening, providing quality core instruction and intensive tiered interventions, and using progress monitoring data for instructional decisionmaking. (7:03 min)
Expert Interview
Issues, Challenges, Lessons
Russell Gersten, Ph.D.Director, Instructional Research Group
Sharon Vaughn, Ph.D.
Executive Director, The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk and Regents Professor
The University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Gersten and Dr. Vaughn discuss some issues and challenges that have arisen as states and districts implement Response to Intervention (RtI) systems, including changes in staff roles and responsibilities, the limited resources in mathematics for screening and intervention, and the differences in RtI implementation in middle and secondary school. They share lessons that have been learned, including the importance of setting priorities and staging RtI implementation. (7:12 min)