Response to Intervention (RTI) is a comprehensive reading reinforcement program for children with reading difficulties between elementary and secondary school. The initiative was developed by “Achievement for All” and implemented in 2013 by the Centre for Use of Research Evidence in Education (CUREE). To achieve impact on target groups, the two organizations work closely with the educational community and state bodies in England.

Since the RTI program is based on a personalized intervention, the first stage consists of identifying the needs of the students through a “Close-case Analysis Tool” in key axes such as comprehension of a text, vocabulary management, reading fluency, etc. From the results of the diagnosis, a profile of the student is carried out that determines the degree of intensity of the intervention. In this respect, RTI contains 3 modalities: The first one is a group intervention that includes all members of the class, while the second one is a small group work, and the third one is an individual tutorial.

Small group reinforcement sessions are based on a teacher encouraging peer-assisted learning. In this way, different techniques for the comprehension of a content (identification of words, self-questioning, repetitive reading, etc.) are reviewed and additional courses are given in grammar and vocabulary.

The individual sessions are aimed at those who present the greatest difficulties. This is an intensive tutorial that reviews the same contents mentioned above, but with a close monitoring of the student’s progress through a standardized tool (“Progress Tracking Tools”). For the purpose of the program, teachers are trained for 3 days in the basic concepts of the RTI methodology.