ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to explain what author knows about response to intervention (RTI) at the middle and high school levels and defines the complexities surrounding implementation. The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act incorporates a revised framework to address more efficiently individual learning needs and contribute to identifying students with learning disabilities. This revised framework is referred to as RTI. RTI is a multi-tiered system aimed at identifying students with learning and behavior difficulties early on and then assuring that they are provided with appropriate interventions to meet their learning needs. The purpose of RTI at the elementary level is to prevent reading difficulties through screening, provide early interventions, and use response to intervention as a disability determinant. However, this purpose shifts as students enter secondary schools. RTI at the secondary level emphasizes remediation of pre-existing difficulties and ensures all students receive adequate, research-based instruction and interventions to increase academic achievement and meet graduation requirements.
