7.1 Planning Remediation and Tiered Support (MTSS/RTI)
Key Takeaways
Remediation is appropriate when evidence shows an unmet objective or missing prerequisite that would compound if instruction moved on.
Effective remediation is timely, targeted, taught differently than the first time, and checked with a quick reassessment.
MTSS provides universal Tier 1 instruction, targeted Tier 2 small-group support, and intensive Tier 3 intervention, always in addition to core instruction.
When a large share of a class misses a target, reteach the whole class differently; when a few students miss it, use targeted small-group support.
Resources include specialists, district intervention materials, evidence clearinghouses, vetted open resources, and community partners.
Why Remediation Planning Is a Competency
ETS asks candidates to be aware of the need for, and able to identify, resources for planning enrichment and remediation: to recognize when remediation is appropriate, when enrichment is appropriate, and where to locate, adapt, or create materials for both. Enrichment and acceleration for advanced learners are covered in Chapter 3; this section concentrates on remediation and the tiered systems that organize it.
When Remediation Is Appropriate
Remediation is appropriate when evidence shows that a student has not met an objective or lacks a prerequisite skill, and moving on would compound the gap. Before planning it, diagnose the kind of error:
| Evidence | Likely meaning | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Occasional careless errors on otherwise correct work | A slip | Brief feedback; no remediation needed |
| The same wrong answer across items (for example, adding denominators) | A misconception | Targeted reteaching that confronts the misconception with a new representation |
| Cannot begin the task at all | A missing prerequisite | Teach the prerequisite, then return to the grade-level task |
| Most of the class shows the same gap | An instructional problem | Whole-class reteaching with a different approach |
Good remediation is timely (soon after the evidence appears), targeted (aimed at the specific gap), different (a new explanation, model, or representation, not the same lecture repeated), and checked (a quick reassessment shows whether it worked).
When Enrichment Is Appropriate
Enrichment is appropriate when pre-assessment or formative evidence shows that a student has already mastered the objective. It should add depth, complexity, or application; it should never be extra problems of the same kind.
Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Response to Intervention (RTI)
Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a comprehensive, data-driven prevention framework addressing academic performance (Response to Intervention - RTI) and behavioral success (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports - PBIS).
MTSS organizes instruction and intervention into three tiers:
| Tier | Target Group | Core Instructional Focus | Assessment & Progress Monitoring |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1: Universal Core | 100% of students (commonly expected to meet the needs of about 80–85%) | High-quality, evidence-based core curriculum; universal differentiation; proactive classroom management | Universal screening conducted 3 times per year (fall, winter, spring) |
| Tier 2: Targeted Intervention | ~10–15% of students needing supplemental aid | Targeted, evidence-based small-group intervention (3–5 students) addressing specific skill deficits | Progress monitoring every 1–2 weeks using standard progress probes |
| Tier 3: Intensive Intervention | ~1–5% of students with persistent difficulties | High-intensity, individualized or very small group instruction (1–3 students) with increased frequency | Frequent progress monitoring conducted weekly; non-responsiveness informs comprehensive special education evaluation |
Essential Secondary RTI Rules
- Supplement, Never Supplant: Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions must supplement—never replace—universal Tier 1 core instruction. Pulling secondary students out of core coursework exacerbates academic gaps.
- Data-Based Decision Making: Movement across tiers is governed by objective progress monitoring data, comparing the student's rate of growth against benchmark standards.
Diagnosing Systemic Deficits vs. Localized Learning Gaps
When reviewing assessment results, many teams use a practical rule of thumb rather than a research-derived cutoff: if most of the class reached the target, keep pacing and intervene with small groups; if a large share did not, reteach the whole class in a different way:
[ Classwide Assessment Results ]
|
+----------------+----------------+
| |
[ > 20-25% Struggle ] [ < 15-20% Struggle ]
| |
v v
[ Systemic Instructional Deficit ] [ Localized Learning Gap ]
| |
* Whole-group reteaching required * Maintain class pacing forward
* Shift instructional modality * Flexible small-group workshops
* Do NOT repeat original lecture * Peer tutoring / targeted support
1. Systemic Instructional Deficits (>20–25% Failure Rate)
When more than a quarter of a secondary class fails to master a standard or item, the breakdown is systemic. The fault lies not in student effort, but in the initial instructional delivery. Pacing was too rapid, prerequisite scaffolding was missing, or the teacher's modeling failed to clarify cognitive processes.
- Pedagogical Rule: Teachers must conduct whole-group reteaching. Crucially, the teacher must shift the instructional modality. If the original lesson was a lecture and slide presentation, reteaching must utilize an inquiry-based simulation, physical manipulatives, collaborative concept mapping, or interactive peer reciprocal teaching. Reteaching the same way louder and slower guarantees repeated failure.
2. Localized Learning Gaps (<15–20% Failure Rate)
When only four or five students in a class of thirty struggle with a standard, halting whole-class instruction to reteach everyone is an instructional error that breeds boredom and off-task behavior among the 85% who demonstrated mastery.
- Pedagogical Rule: The teacher maintains forward momentum for the class while deploying flexible, targeted small-group intervention. While the proficient majority engages in extension, independent research, or application tasks, the teacher pulls the struggling cluster for a 15-minute intensive workshop using targeted graphic organizers and scaffolded practice.
Resources for Locating, Adapting, and Creating Remediation and Enrichment
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Colleagues and specialists | Special educators, reading and math interventionists, ESL teachers, gifted coordinators, and school librarians suggest materials and strategies |
| District and state materials | Intervention programs, curriculum supplements, released assessment items, and state open-education repositories |
| Evidence clearinghouses | The federal What Works Clearinghouse and the Evidence for ESSA site summarize research on programs |
| Open educational resources and digital tools | Adaptive practice, simulations, and openly licensed lessons (check accuracy, accessibility, standards fit, and student-data privacy) |
| Community partners | Tutoring programs, public libraries, universities, museums, and mentors |
Teachers can adapt existing materials by reducing the reading load, adding worked examples, adding visuals, or breaking tasks into steps, and they can create targeted mini-lessons, practice sets, and extension tasks tied to the specific objective.
Common Exam Traps
- Remediation as punishment. Detention or extra homework without instruction is not remediation.
- Repeating the same lesson. Correctives must present the content differently.
- Pulling students from core instruction. Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports add to Tier 1; they do not replace it.
A secondary school implements a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to address algebra performance. Universal screening at the beginning of 9th grade reveals that approximately 15% of students struggle with prerequisite proportional reasoning skills. What constitutes the most appropriate Tier 2 intervention for these students?
Exempting the struggling students from all algebraic testing and reducing standard graduation expectations
Immediately referring all 15% of students for special education comprehensive evaluations under IDEA
Providing targeted, small-group supplemental instruction on proportional reasoning two to three times per week in addition to their core algebra class
Removing the students permanently from general education algebra and placing them in an isolated remedial study hall
A secondary mathematics department analyzes common formative assessment data for an 8th-grade pre-algebra unit on linear equations. In Period 1, 76% of students fail to reach proficiency on solving multi-step equations with variables on both sides. In Period 3, only 14% of students fail to reach proficiency on the same standard. According to data-driven instructional decision-making principles, how should the teacher adjust instruction for these two class periods?
Reteach the multi-step equation unit to both Period 1 and Period 3 as a whole group by repeating the original lectures more slowly
Proceed immediately to the next curricular unit in both periods to adhere strictly to the district's pacing calendar
Require all struggling students from both Period 1 and Period 3 to attend mandatory after-school detention for remediation
Conduct whole-group reteaching in Period 1 using an alternative multimodal instructional approach, while providing targeted flexible small-group intervention for the struggling students in Period 3
An exit ticket shows that four students cannot convert between fractions and decimals, a prerequisite for the next day's lesson on percents, while the rest of the class shows mastery. What is the most appropriate plan?
Reteach fractions and decimals to the whole class for two days
Move on to percents and let the four students catch up on their own
Assign the four students extra worksheets on percents as homework
Give the four students brief targeted remediation with a new representation such as number lines while classmates start an application task, then recheck before the percent lesson
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.