Tier 2 reading intervention: what it looks like
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
Tier 2 reading intervention is extra small-group reading instruction given on top of core reading to students that screening flags as at risk. A typical group has 3 to 5 students who share a skill gap and meets 3 to 5 times a week for 20 to 40 minutes. Progress is checked at least monthly, and data decides who exits, stays or moves to tier 3.
Tier 2 is the middle layer of a multi-tiered system. Every student gets core reading (tier 1). Students who score below the cut point on a screener get tier 2 as well, not instead. A small number who do not respond to tier 2 move to tier 3, which is more intensive and more individualized.
This page follows one fictional second grader through a term of tier 2 so you can see the schedule, the lesson and the decisions. The rules table near the end flags what your district or state sets. For the full cycle from screening to an IEP, see the reading intervention pillar.
What tier 2 adds to core reading
The What Works Clearinghouse guide on reading support in the primary grades describes tier 2 as intensive, systematic small-group instruction on up to three foundational reading skills, for students who score below benchmark on screening. It notes that groups typically meet three to five times a week for 20 to 40 minutes, and that tier 2 progress should be checked at least once a month.[1]
In practice that means four things change from core instruction:
- Group size. 3 to 5 students instead of a whole class.
- Focus. One to three skills the screener and a quick diagnostic point to, such as letter sounds, decoding short-vowel words or fluency in connected text.
- Explicitness. The teacher models, the group practices with feedback, and errors are corrected on the spot.
- Data. Each student has a short probe on the target skill every one to two weeks, graphed against a goal line.
Tier 2 is general education support. It does not need parent consent, an evaluation or an IEP. Students who already have an IEP can also sit in a tier 2 group when the group's skill matches their need, but the group does not replace the specially designed instruction their IEP lists.
What a 30-minute tier 2 session looks like
Most published tier 2 programs follow a predictable lesson shape. A teacher-built lesson for a decoding group can use the same shape.
| Minutes | Part | Example for a short-vowel decoding group |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 3 | Warm-up review | Flash 10 letter-sound cards, group says sounds |
| 3 to 8 | Phonemic awareness | Segment 6 spoken CVC words with tapping |
| 8 to 16 | New pattern taught and practiced | Model short i; read 12 words on a word chain (sit, sip, lip, lap) |
| 16 to 24 | Connected text | Read a decodable passage twice; teacher listens to each student |
| 24 to 28 | Spelling | Write 5 dictated words with the new pattern |
| 28 to 30 | Quick check | Each student reads 5 words alone; teacher marks them |
The quick check is not the progress monitoring probe. It tells the teacher what to reteach tomorrow. The probe is a separate, standardized measure given on a fixed day.
Scenario: Jaylen's term in tier 2
Jaylen is a fictional second grader. All numbers below are illustrations, not benchmarks.
September 9, fall screening. Jaylen reads 22 words correct per minute on the grade 2 oral reading passages with 81% accuracy. His nonsense word score is also below the screener's benchmark, and the report labels him "well below." His class has 24 students; 5 fall below the cut point.
September 16, quick diagnostic. The interventionist gives a 10-minute phonics survey. Jaylen reads 9 of 10 consonant sounds but only 2 of 5 short vowels, and 4 of 15 closed-syllable words. The problem is short vowels and blending, not comprehension. He joins a group of 4 students with the same gap. The diagnostic reading assessment guide shows how to run that survey.
September 23, tier 2 starts. 30 minutes, 4 days a week, outside core reading time. Baseline on the progress monitoring probe (the median of 3 grade 2 passages) is 22 words correct per minute. The team draws a goal line to 52 words correct per minute by the winter screening in mid-January, about 16 weeks away, or roughly 1.9 words per week.
Every other Thursday. Jaylen reads one new grade 2 passage for 1 minute. Scores: 24, 27, 26, 31.
November 4, 6-week review. His trend is close to the goal line. The group keeps going. Two other students in the group are flat, so the interventionist checks attendance and lesson fidelity and finds that one of them missed 7 of 24 sessions. That is an attendance problem, not an instruction problem.
December 16, 12-week review. Scores now read 34, 36, 39. Jaylen is slightly above his goal line. The team keeps him in tier 2 through winter screening rather than exiting early.
January 13, winter screening. He reads 53 words correct per minute with 95% accuracy and now scores at benchmark on the screener. The team moves him back to core reading with a monthly check for 8 weeks to confirm the gain holds.
A student whose four most recent points all sat below the goal line would have had a planned change at the 6-week review, such as more minutes or a smaller group. A student who still did not respond after a change would be considered for tier 3. The guide on how long to run a reading intervention before changing it covers that decision.
Rules and options, and where they differ
Federal law does not define tier 2. Districts and states set most of the details, so check your local MTSS or RTI handbook.
| Decision | Who usually sets it | Varies by state or district? |
|---|---|---|
| Which screener and which cut point places a student in tier 2 | District, sometimes from a state-approved list | Yes |
| Group size and minutes per week | District MTSS plan or program manual | Yes |
| How often tier 2 progress is checked | District plan; guidance suggests at least monthly | Yes |
| Which program is used | School or district | Yes |
| When a student exits tier 2 | School data team, using benchmark or goal-line rules | Yes |
| When a student moves to tier 3 | School data team | Yes |
| Whether RTI data is used to identify a learning disability | State eligibility criteria | Yes, states set their own criteria[4] |
| Whether a parent can request a special education evaluation during tier 2 | Federal law | No. A parent can request one at any time[2] |
Tier 2 and a special education evaluation
Tier 2 is not a waiting room for special education. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs has stated that a school cannot use RTI to delay or deny an evaluation for a child suspected of having a disability.[2] If a parent asks for an evaluation while a student is in tier 2, the school must either seek consent to evaluate or give written notice explaining why it refuses. The initial evaluation timeline then applies.[3]
The data from tier 2 is still useful in an evaluation. For a suspected learning disability, the team must consider data showing the student received appropriate reading instruction and repeated assessments of progress during instruction, shared with the parents.[5] Graphed tier 2 probes are exactly that kind of record.
When the student in tier 2 already has an IEP
Some students with IEPs join tier 2 groups. That can work when the group's focus matches an IEP goal and the specially designed instruction in the IEP still happens. Write the reading goal in the same unit as the tier 2 probe, so one graph serves both. The reading IEP goals library has templates for each skill, including fluency goals and phonics and decoding goals. For worked goal wording, see the reading IEP goal examples.
Common tier 2 problems and fixes
- Groups formed by overall score only. Fix: group by the skill that is breaking down. The grouping guide walks through it.
- Tier 2 during core reading. Fix: schedule it at another time, so it adds minutes instead of replacing them.
- No goal line. Fix: draw it on day one, from the baseline to the next benchmark.
- Changing the program after two weeks. Fix: set the decision rule before you start, and check fidelity and attendance before you change anything.
- Students staying in tier 2 all year with flat data. Fix: hold a data review every 6 to 8 weeks and move non-responders on.
For the difference between this layer and the next, read tier 2 vs tier 3 intervention. Terms used here are defined in the glossary under RTI, MTSS and universal screening.
Frequently asked questions
Is tier 2 reading intervention special education?
No. Tier 2 is general education support for any student who screens at risk. It does not need an evaluation, consent or an IEP. A student with an IEP can also join a tier 2 group, but the group does not replace the services the IEP lists.
How many students should be in a tier 2 reading group?
Most districts use 3 to 5 students who share the same skill gap. Smaller groups give each student more turns and feedback. If a student is not responding in a group of 5, a group of 2 or 3 is a common first change.
Can tier 2 happen during core reading time?
It should not replace core reading. Tier 2 is meant to add instruction. Many schools schedule a daily intervention block when students who are not in tier 2 get enrichment or independent reading.
Can a parent request an evaluation while their child is in tier 2?
Yes. A parent can request an initial evaluation at any time, and federal guidance says RTI cannot be used to delay or deny an evaluation for a child suspected of having a disability.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- RTI in the IEP glossary
- MTSS in the IEP glossary
- Reading IEP goals
- Group data sheet
- Reading fluency data sheet
Related guides
- Reading intervention for students with IEPs: assess, group, teach, monitor
- Tier 2 vs Tier 3 reading intervention
- Grouping students for reading intervention
- How long to run a reading intervention before changing it
- Reading intervention progress monitoring schedule
- Reading intervention games
Sources
- Assisting Students Struggling with Reading: Response to Intervention (RtI) and Multi-Tier Intervention in the Primary Grades, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences
- OSEP Memo 11-07: Response to Intervention (RTI) (January 21, 2011), U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs
- 34 CFR §300.301: Initial evaluations, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 34 CFR §300.307: Specific learning disabilities, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
- 34 CFR §300.309: Determining the existence of a specific learning disability, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.