Progress monitoring for students receiving intensive academic intervention

Progress monitoring is one of the four essential components for response to intervention (RTI) systems or multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). Monitoring student progress is essential because it allows instructors to determine the extent to which a student’s academic skills are improving, whether instruction or supplemental intervention support are effective for an individual, and whether instructional modifications are necessary, and consequently, lead to increased academic achievement for struggling learners. In this chapter, individual progress monitoring for students needing intensive interventions in academics is discussed. First, the general purposes of progress monitoring students receiving tier 3 interventions and highlight differences from progress monitoring within other tiers are described. Second, two types of data that are useful for academic progress monitoring in an RTI model are reviewed. Third, the practical and technical considerations necessary for progress monitoring within tier 3 are discussed. Fourth, case examples to illustrate the types of decisions made for students receiving tier 3 interventions are provided. Finally, the chapter concludes with a summary of recommendations for practice and a discussion on directions for future research.