Tier 3 Reading Intervention for Special Education

Are you struggling to find a Tier 3 reading intervention that you can use for RTI or in your resource room? Same, girl, same! I wanted one intervention that could target decoding, sight words, reading comprehension, reading fluency, writing, and grammar. My resource room students needed more than what I had to offer them.

I’ve attended fancy trainings where they suggest spending 45 minutes per day on Tier 3 interventions that only targeted decoding skills. I couldn’t implement that in real life. I only had 30 minutes for each of my reading intervention groups, and I needed to cover more than just decoding. 

I desperately needed a better reading intervention for my special education students. 

My students weren’t making adequate progress on their IEP goals in multiple areas of reading.

Imagine if you could: 

  • Save Hours Scouring the Internet for Reading Interventions for your Students
  • Avoid Working Nights and Weekends
  • Have a Trusted Routine
  • See Your Students Master Reading Intervention Goals

And what if, you could accomplish all of those things with very little prep time?

My fellow special education teachers were also searching for something to use in their resource rooms. They needed Tier 3 interventions that would accelerate progress on their IEP goals. Whether you call yourself a resource room teacher, EC teacher, or an intervention specialist, you don’t have time to scour the internet for trainings, lesson plans, and activities for your weekly intervention groups. 

Instead, you need easy to print, engaging activities that are so routine, your resource room kids will know exactly what to do. Plus, they’ll grow leaps and bounds throughout the school year. You’ll look like a Reading Intervention Superstar! ⭐️

Several years ago, I spent my nights and weekends making lesson plans. I was Frankenstein-ing together interventions from here, there, and everywhere. I often hopped from this skill to that skill. I wasn’t consistent and it showed. I was also making my life 10x harder than it needed to be. My family and mental health were suffering. 

That wasn’t ok with me. Something had to change. 

Now, I spend about thirty minutes planning for my Tier 3 intervention groups every ten weeks.

  1. I begin each school year by assessing the special education students on my caseload. 
  2. I group them according to their decoding needs. 
  3. I match a reading intervention to the decoding skills that I plan to target with them. 
  4. I make copies, and I’m ready! 

Each day, we follow the routine in the book. 

It’s that simple.

My Tier 3 interventions are easy and effective! 

Click here to find it on TpT!


Tier 3 Math Intervention for Special Education

As a resource room teacher, you don’t have the time to create a Tier 3 Math intervention. But you still need something to help you survive those special education math groups! 

You’re so busy juggling all the responsibilities of a SPED teacher that your kids aren’t getting exactly what you KNOW they need. 

You’re not alone. I’ve been there. 

You need easy to print, engaging activities that are so routine, your kids will know exactly what to do. Plus, they’ll grow leaps and bounds throughout the school year. You’ll look like a Math Intervention Superstar! ⭐️

Several years ago, my resource room math groups were getting the short end of the stick. Every day, I would make up problems on the fly or print off activities from the internet at the last minute. I often hopped from this skill to that skill. I wasn’t consistent and it showed. I was also making my life 10x harder than it needed to be. My students deserved more! 

That wasn’t ok with me, and something had to change. 

I lacked a good math intervention and time.

I also struggled to find a balance between general education curriculum and helping my students master their IEP goals in the resource room. 

I remember working with a teacher that wanted me to ONLY work on things from the general education classroom during my small group time.

I didn’t feel like that was right.

My students needed time for remedial, lower level work to help them fill in the gaps between them and their peers.

At the same time, she was right. 

I was cheating them out of grade level material.

How the heck was I going to make her happy?

How was I going to help my kids master their IEP goals?

How was I going to do both of those things with such a tight schedule?

Good questions!

And finally, I’ve found the answers…

I’ve found that my 20 Minute Routine for Tier 3 Math Intervention helps to balance grade level curriculum and the math intervention that they so desperately need.

Here’s How I Do It:

  • ⏰ 10 MINUTES ⏰  Computation: I spend the first ten minutes of our math intervention group working on computation, such as 2-digit addition and subtraction, 3-digit addition and subtraction, multiplication, and division. The skill or skills that you work on will vary depending on the IEP goals and the abilities of your students. 
  • ⏰ 2 MINUTES ⏰  Prize Box Problem: I don’t know about your kids, but my students with disabilities are often capable of so much more than they believe. In my special education math groups, I found that they were relying heavily on ME to guide them through each problem. I needed a way to motivate them to try problems on their own. So, I added a prize box problem to our daily routine. I set a timer for ten minutes when we first begin our group. We work through each problem in our booklet until the timer goes off. When it does, the very next problem becomes our prize box problem. If they can solve it correctly, they can get into the prize box. It’s simple but so effective! Early in the school year, I have different requirements to get in the prize box, such as starting in the correct column, trying to regroup, or attempting the problem by themselves.
  • ⏰ 5 MINUTES ⏰  Critical Math Skills: We are PUSHED for time, but I believe that it’s still important to spend time working on critical math skills. Depending on the level, we practice things like reading graphs, telling time, counting money, solving word problems, area and perimeter, and number patterns.
  • ⏰ 3 MINUTES ⏰  Timed Math Fact Test: While many of my groups are usually focusing on larger problems, I still think solving math facts fluently is important. At my school, a lot of our classroom teachers give some form of timed math fact test, whether it be on paper or digitally. I think my students need that practice this in a safe place. 
  • ⏰ 10 MINUTES ⏰  Grade Level Math: During this ten minutes, I cover the math topics that are currently being covered in my students’ grade level curriculum. We often take a look at pages from their math practice book and complete them together. It’s also the perfect opportunity to remediate students who have been unable to successfully complete classroom pages or centers. We usually practice using our hundreds chart, multiplication chart, or other math manipulatives to help us master grade level skills. 

To me, this is about as close to balancing tier 3 interventions and math instruction as I’m able to get with my limited amount of time! This routine has worked for thousands of other teachers who also have 30 minute math intervention groups.

I created this Resource Room Math Intervention as a solution for SPED teachers looking for a math intervention that is quick to prep and designed for special education students and mastering IEP goals!

My math intervention has been used by over a thousand teachers across the country and is perfect for students working on IEP goals from recognizing numbers to long division.

It is perfect for small groups settings, requires NO PREP, and has enough content to spend an entire school year working to master one difficult skill.

 No longer will you be spending your nights and weekends planning, printing, cutting, and prepping. It’s one and done! This intervention is designed to save you time!

Picture this… 

  • You have daily routines that are time-saving and effective.
  • You’re spending less time on lesson plans for your daily math intervention groups.
  • You can balance math intervention and grade level standards. 
  • You aren’t flying by the seat of your pants as you pull together random activities and lessons. 
  • You have peace of mind knowing that all of your students are actively working on their IEP goals

And what if you could accomplish all of those things without hours and hours of hard work on your own time? Yet your students still reap the benefits of hours and hours of tried and true intervention. 

My fellow special education teachers, are you searching for something to use in your resource room? Do you need Tier 3 interventions that would accelerate progress on your students’ IEP goals?

I spend about thirty minutes planning for my Tier 3 intervention groups every ten weeks.

  1. I begin each school year by assessing the special education students on my caseload. 
  2. I group them according to their math needs and IEP goals.  
  3. I match a math intervention to the skills that I plan to target with them. 
  4. I make copies, and I’m ready! 

Each day, we follow the routine in the book. 

It’s that simple.

These Tier 3 math interventions are easy and effective! 

Click here to find it on TpT!