Response to Intervention in Kindergarten: supporting foundational and comprehension skills with supplemental instruction

Abstract

Response to Intervention (RtI) is a multi-tier approach to the early identification and support of students with learning needs. Although there is not a single definition or agreed-upon way of implementing RtI, the key features of this approach involve gathering information on students’ skills to help teachers plan and organize instruction, providing evidence-based interventions and supports, and monitoring student progress in learning (Gersten et al., 2008). The Institute of Education Service (IES) published practice guides to offer educators specific evidence-based recommendations for supporting reading skills to students in kindergarten through 3rd grade. These guides were used as a framework to plan and implement instructional activities that were intended to support the literacy development of students in a kindergarten class.