Taking Action 

Learn the RTI process of tiered interventions for academic success

Response to intervention or RTI (also known as multitiered system of supports or MTSS) is the most effective process for ensuring student success, using differentiated instruction to provide the time and support necessary. This comprehensive implementation guide covers every element required to build a successful RTI at Work™ system of support in schools. The authors share step-by-step actions for implementing the essential elements, instructional strategies, and tools needed to support implementation, as well as tips for engaging and supporting educators. Readers who valued the practical knowledge in Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work™ (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, Many, and Mattos) will appreciate a similar style and practicality in Taking Action.

This guide will help you incorporate the response to intervention process by allowing you to:

• Understand how RTI at Work™ builds on the PLC at Work™ process.
• Review the revised RTI at Work™ pyramid and its three RTI tiers.
• Learn what roles teacher teams, leadership teams, and schoolwide teams play in a multi-tiered intervention structure.
• Understand the differences among intervention, extension, prevention, and enrichment.
• Avoid common missteps when implementing RTI (or MTSS).
• Consider why an achievement gap remains in 21st century education and how the RTI process can close that gap.

Related Topics

Professional Learning Communities at Work® RTI at Work™

“In Taking Action, Buffum, Mattos, and Malone take readers on a deep dive into critical questions 3 and 4 of the PLC at Work™ process: How will we respond when some students do not learn? How will we extend the learning for students who are already proficient? Filled with new RTI research, insights, strategies, tips, and templates to assist educators who are at work responding to the learning needs of each student, this handbook is a must-have resource for schools committed to the mission of ensuring high levels of learning for all.”

“The RTI at Work™ framework is the perfect bridge for a school that truly wants to cross over the threshold of learning by chance to learning by design. Buffum, Mattos, and Malone demystify the connection between the PLC and RTI process and make an argument for a systemic approach to student support. This book cuts to the chase and provides a logical, well-researched, step-by-step guide. As a former principal, I wish I had a tool like this to guide me through the process of creating systems to support student learning.”

“In Taking Action, the authors distill the RTI at Work™ process into clear, essential actions, including the why and how needed to bring the framework to life. This handbook can be used at every level of educational organizations, from a grade-level team to a full school or district system working to ensure all students are achieving at high levels. The practical tools and resources are immediately actionable in building systems of support for students, leading to learning gains for our most at-risk learners.”

“Taking Action: A Handbook for RTI at Work™ establishes the why behind the work of intervention before expertly moving to the how. The why compels people to act, but the how provided in this essential handbook removes barriers to these actions. The artifacts, protocols, and reproducibles provided to support and guide the work make this a must-have for schools and teams, whether just getting started or recommitting to 'all really means all' in a continuous cycle of improvement.”

“In this book, Buffum, Mattos, and Malone offer an essential resource for schools committed to closing the knowing-doing gap in their RTI journey. They know that RTI isn’t simply a bell schedule, a teacher, a program, documentation forms, or (please, no) a new way of determining eligibility for special education. They present both a clear direction and ready-to-use resources for schools and teacher teams that are ready to 'do' RTI in the way it was originally intended—as a natural extension of PLCs. RTI provides schools with the very best chance of delivering on the moral imperative of every single student learning at high levels. No one knows how to deliver on this promise more than the authors of this resource.”

  Click here for reproducibles

  Click here for study guide

1. 

   Simplifying Response to Intervention

2. 

   Targeting Behavior and Academic Interventions [DVD/CD/Facilitator’s Guide]

3. 

   Pyramid Response to Intervention

4. 

   RTI at Work™ Plan Book

5. 

   Pyramid Response to Intervention