Special and Remedial Education

This article proposes a strategy to accelerate the learning of struggling learners that uses proven reading and mathematics programs to ensure student success. Based on Response to Intervention (RTI), the proposed policy, Response to Proven Intervention (RTPI), uses proven whole-school or whole-class programs as Tier 1, proven one-to-small group tutoring programs as Tier 2, and proven one-to-one tutoring as Tier 3. The criteria for “proven” are the “strong” and “moderate” evidence levels specified in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This article lists proven reading and mathematics programs for each tier, and explains how evidence of effectiveness within an RTI framework could become central to improving outcomes for struggling learners.

Technical Report