Response to Intervention, commonly known as RTI, is a framework for bringing success to students who are having difficulty with regular classroom instruction. The RTI framework calls for intervention at three levels to help such students: Tier 1: in the classroom Tier 2: more intensive instruction in small groups Tier 3: dedicated instruction connected to learner needs, sometimes is a special classroom, sometimes one-on-one. Here are five ways in which HIP novels can help schools in implementing RTI for their students:

1. Matching readers to texts they can and want to read

"Effective lesson design always begins with selecting texts that are of an appropriate level of difficulty given the skills and development of the learner" (Richard Allington, What Really Matters in Response to Intervention, 2009, p. 31). HIP Novels are controlled for readability on every page, yet contain natural language and highly engaging, relevant topics. Everything from the font size and type to the illustrations are carefully designed to meet the needs of struggling readers.

2. Working with small groups

One of the factors identified in studies of the most effective classroom teachers (Allington & Johnson, 2002; Presley et al., 2001) was a limited reliance on whole-class instruction and more frequent use of small group and individual instruction. HIP Teacher's Guides support teachers in managing multiple groups by providing chapter synopses, discussion points before and after reading, and practice activities for students to complete independently.

3. Using ongoing assessment to guide instruction

The HIP Reading Assessment is a set of graded passages which may be used for oral reading accuracy and fluency as well as comprehension. Used as an initial screening or an ongoing assessment, the HIP Reading Assessment can be used to identify students who require intervention and can guide teachers in matching texts to readers and in pinpointing specific areas of need.

4. Revisiting texts to build fluency and comprehension

There is longstanding support in the research for rereading texts (Samuels, 1979). Researchers have found that repeated readings help students understand and remember more, increase reading accuracy and improve oral reading fluency. The HIP Readers’ Theatre anthology provides support for revisiting texts for performance reading and practice.

5. Building strategic independence as readers

The research of Knapp (1995) and colleagues supports the use of "meaning-emphasis" instruction for both high and lower-achieving students. They characterized meaning-emphasis classrooms as having more opportunities for reading, a focus on construction of meaning and frequent opportunities to discuss what was read. HIP Novels, along with their teacher support materials, guide students in applying reading strategies, then talking about both the text and their process as readers.