The Role of Assessment in a Response to Intervention Model

Abstract

This article discusses the role of assessment in a response-to-intervention model. Although assessment represents only 1 component in a response-to-intervention model, a well-articulated assessment system is critical in providing teachers with reliable data that are easily interpreted and used to make instructional decisions. Three components of an effective assessment system are discussed: (a) a system for assessment in a response-to-intervention model, including an agreed-upon definition of student success at each tier of support; (b) use of valid and reliable measures of student performance; and (c) graphing of student progress data as opposed to their point-in-time performance data. Examples are provided for each of these components along with tables and graphs illustrating major points.

Keywords:

• assessment
• curriculum-based measurement
• graphing
• measurement
• response to intervention

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lindy Crawford

Lindy Crawford is an associate professor of special education in the ANSERS Institute at Texas Christian University. Her current research interests include response to intervention in secondary schools, use of electronic support tools in an online mathematics curriculum, and teaching mathematical reasoning to students with disabilities working within multimodal writing environments.