2026-2027 Family Guide to Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI²)

June 3, 2026

A Family Guide to Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI²)

What is RTI²?

Response to instruction and intervention is the way CMCSS intervenes with students who are struggling academically by focusing on quality core instruction and intervention of specific skill deficits. The purpose of RTI² is to intervene with students quickly in the area of need so skill deficit gaps do not develop as they progress through school.

What does the RTI² Framework look like?

The RTI² Framework has three tiers; each tier provides intensifying levels of support.

• In Tier l, all students receive evidence-based, high-quality, general education standards-based instruction that incorporates ongoing universal screening and assessments to inform instruction. Tier I is another name for the core instruction all students receive every year. 
• In Tier ll, students identified with significant skill deficits receive intervention targeted to the specific area of need. Student progress is consistently monitored during intervention, and decisions about tier movement are based on progress monitoring data.
• In Tier III, more intensive interventions are provided to students who have yet to make significant progress in Tier II or demonstrate a deficit significant enough to warrant immediate Tier III intervention. Students are monitored closely to determine if the intervention is effective. Movement from Tier III is dependent upon intervention success.

Tier II and III intervention occur in addition to regular classroom instruction. Schools will communicate with parents in writing when students move into and out of intervention, and update progress during intervention.

What are the key components of RTI²?

RTI² has been around for many years and is proven to improve instruction for all students by identifying areas for improvement in core instruction.  

Schools assess all students in the fall, winter, and spring using a Universal Screener. This is a skills-based measure that students are given to quickly check how they perform compared to grade-level expectations. Screeners are brief measures of math and reading proficiency and social-emotional protective factors. School teams consider data from multiple sources, including the screener, to determine the level of intervention most appropriate and the specific skill deficit.  

Another key component of RTI² is progress monitoring. Progress monitoring is a way for teachers to measure how children perform on a specific skill. It includes formal and informal assessments. Progress monitoring helps determine whether an intervention is successful or needs to be intensified. Data from this type of monitoring is shared with parents regularly (every 5 weeks).

When progress monitoring indicates a student is not responding to the intervention at an acceptable rate (gap closure is not occurring within a reasonable time), another approach or intervention may be implemented. If a higher level of support is needed, students may receive more intensive intervention that closely aligns with the supporting skills required to be successful learners (Tier lll). Students who have yet to respond to Tier III interventions may be referred for a special education evaluation. 

What if I think my child needs special education?

Parents/guardians who suspect their child needs special education services may request an evaluation at any time (TN Dept. of Ed Memo, Sept 2023). To begin this process, please contact your child’s teacher or administrator. Information gathered through the RTI2 Framework is combined with other forms of evaluation to determine if a student is eligible for special education services. A parent’s written consent is required for these evaluations to be conducted.

Each school will provide additional information about RTI² implementation.

A SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING SCREENING AND CONTINUED INTERVENTION

If your student was recommended to continue participating in tiered intervention in the spring, that intervention will continue this fall. The district will begin administering fall universal screening measures to gauge student progress and make instructional plans to meet the needs of all students as soon as students return to school. Data from the fall universal screening will be used along with previous screening, progress monitoring, and curriculum-based data to determine the need for continued intervention and tier level, and pinpoint specific deficits. After universal screening measures are administered, parents/guardians will be provided information if the continued or initial placement of their student(s) in tiered intervention is recommended. All data will be treated as continuous (i.e., the summer break does not necessitate a ‘restart’ on data collection, nor will it delay progression toward referral), and teams will meet frequently and consistently to review student progress and make informed decisions.

TENNESSEE LITERACY SUCCESS ACT AND THE CMCSS FOUNDATIONAL LITERACY SKILLS PLAN

In compliance with the Tennessee Literacy Success Act, each district and public charter school must submit a Foundational Literacy Skills Plan. School districts and public charter schools must create a local Foundational Literacy Skills Plan for kindergarten through fifth grade and submit the final approved plan to the department for approval. The Tennessee Department of Education has approved the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System’s Foundational Literacy Skills Plan, which may be found here.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

For additional information on the RTI2 Framework, please visit the Family Guide for RTI2-A (TN Dept of Education, 2025). This helpful guide includes information on the purpose, goals, and components of the RTI2 Framework, as well as addresses frequently asked questions.

For additional information on the universal screening measure, FastBridge (Renaissance), including descriptions of measures, key terms, answers to frequently asked questions, and a resource to assist with understanding the FastBridge Family Report, please visit https://www.illuminateed.com/products/fastbridge/reports/family-report/. 

We wish you and your student(s) a healthy, productive school year! Should you have any questions, please contact your school’s RTI2 lead or the district RTI2 data team at [email protected].

Adapted from: A Parent Advocacy Brief written by the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD)