Section 6.1: Response to Intervention (RtI/MTSS) and PBIS Frameworks

Response to Intervention (RtI/MTSS) and PBIS Frameworks

Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)

Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a comprehensive, prevention-oriented framework that addresses students' academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs. Rather than waiting for students to fail before providing support, MTSS uses a proactive approach, implementing evidence-based practices at varying levels of intensity. MTSS integrates two primary components: Response to Intervention (RtI), which targets academic learning gaps, and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), which targets school-wide and individual student behavior. Under New York State Education Department (NYSED) guidance, MTSS is designed to cultivate inclusive, equitable learning environments where all students receive the necessary tiers of support to access grade-level standards in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).

Response to Intervention (RtI): Structure and NYSED Regulations

Response to Intervention (RtI) is a systematic process that uses progress-monitoring data to make instructional decisions. NYSED regulations (specifically 8 NYCRR § 100.2(ii)) mandate that school districts implement an RtI program for all students in grades K-4 in the area of reading. This regulation ensures that underachievement is not simply diagnosed as a disability without first confirming that the student received appropriate, research-based instruction.

A core tenet of RtI is the use of universal screenings—brief assessments administered to all students three times a year to identify those at risk of academic failure. Once identified, students receive interventions matched to their needs. Their response to these interventions is tracked using progress monitoring, which involves frequent, objective assessments (such as curriculum-based measurements, or CBMs) to evaluate growth rates.

The RtI process is structured into three tiers of increasing instructional intensity:

In NYSED's framework, RtI serves a dual purpose: it prevents academic failure through early intervention and provides the essential data required to identify a Specific Learning Disability (SLD). Under the dual-discrepancy model, a student may be identified with an SLD if they perform significantly below grade-level expectations (discrepancy in level) AND fail to show a typical rate of growth (discrepancy in slope) despite receiving high-quality Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

While RtI addresses academic deficits, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) establishes a positive, predictable, and safe school climate. PBIS is a proactive framework that replaces reactive, punitive disciplinary practices (such as suspensions and detentions) with the explicit teaching and reinforcement of positive behaviors.

PBIS is also structured into three tiers:

1. Tier 1: Universal Behavior Supports: Applies to the entire school. The school community establishes 3-5 positively stated behavioral expectations (e.g., "Be Respectful, Be Safe, Be Responsible"). Teachers explicitly teach these expectations through behavioral lessons, model them, and reinforce them using token economies or praise.
2. Tier 2: Targeted Behavior Interventions: Aimed at students who exhibit persistent minor behavioral challenges. A common Tier 2 intervention is Check-In/Check-Out (CICO). In CICO, a student checks in with a dedicated mentor every morning to review behavioral goals, receives feedback from classroom teachers throughout the day via a daily progress report, and checks out with their mentor at the end of the day.
3. Tier 3: Intensive Individual Behavior Plans: Designed for students with severe, chronic, or dangerous behavioral needs. Tier 3 behavioral intervention requires a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP).

Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP)

Under IDEA and NYS regulations, when a student's behavior impedes their learning or that of others, the school must conduct a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA). The purpose of an FBA is to determine why a behavior occurs—its functional purpose. Behaviors generally serve one of two functions: to obtain something (e.g., peer attention, teacher attention, sensory input) or to avoid/escape something (e.g., difficult academic tasks, social situations, sensory overload).

An FBA involves collecting data on the ABCs of behavior:

• Antecedent (A): The trigger or environmental event that occurs immediately before the behavior.
• Behavior (B): The observable and measurable action the student performs.
• Consequence (C): The event or response that immediately follows the behavior, which serves to reinforce or maintain it.

Once the function is identified, the team creates a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP). A BIP is a formal document that outlines:

1. Environmental Modifications: Changes to the classroom environment to prevent triggers (e.g., seating arrangements, breaking assignments into smaller chunks).
2. Replacement Behaviors: Positive, functional behaviors that are taught to the student to replace the problem behavior while serving the same function (e.g., teaching a student to use a "break card" rather than throwing a pencil to escape a math worksheet).
3. Reinforcement Strategies: Positive reinforcers for exhibiting the replacement behavior.
4. Crisis Protocol: Clear steps for staff to follow if a severe behavior occurs.

Realistic Educator Scenarios

• Academic Scenario: In a 3rd-grade classroom, universal screening reveals that Sophia reads at the 10th percentile. The teacher does not immediately refer Sophia for special education evaluation. Instead, she places Sophia in a Tier 2 reading group. The group meets for 30 minutes, four times a week, focusing on phonetic decoding. The teacher collects progress monitoring data every two weeks. After six weeks, Sophia's data points show significant progress toward her benchmark, indicating that Tier 2 intervention is successful and should continue.
• Behavioral Scenario: Liam, a 5th grader, frequently makes loud noises and falls out of his chair during science lectures, which results in the teacher sending him to the hallway. An FBA reveals that the antecedent is a lecture lasting longer than 10 minutes, and the consequence is escaping the classroom. The function is task avoidance. The team creates a BIP: the teacher modifies the lessons to include active learning intervals (environmental change) and teaches Liam to use a visual self-monitoring card to request a 2-minute stretch break (replacement behavior) instead of making noise.

Common Exam Traps

1. Reflecting Premature Special Education Referrals: The NYSTCE EAS exam values pre-referral intervention. Unless a parent explicitly requests an evaluation, general education teachers must implement, document, and monitor RtI/PBIS interventions before recommending a referral to the Committee on Special Education (CSE).
2. Supplanting Core Instruction: Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions must never replace Tier 1 core instruction. If a student is pulled out of science or social studies to receive reading intervention, they lose access to the general education curriculum, violating LRE. Interventions must be scheduled during dedicated, flexible intervention periods.
3. Confusing Interventions with Accommodations: An accommodation changes how a student accesses the curriculum (e.g., audiobooks or extra time), whereas an intervention is instructional and actively targets a skill deficit to close a gap (e.g., intensive phonology instruction).