The purpose of this study was to examine the association in student performance on the reading and mathematics portions of the Alabama High School Graduation Exam (AHSGE) by analyzing the data of students who participated in Response to Intervention (RtI) or did not participate in RtI during their ninth grade school years in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, attending a rural high school, and who had taken the AHSGE. This study used a descriptive-comparative design to compare students with similar GPAs who had received RtI services for reading and mathematics with students who had not received RtI services in reading and mathematics who struggled with passing the AHSGE using descriptive-comparative design methods. The variables included AHSGE scores, student achievement data, and whether the students had received additional support through RtI. Descriptive and inferential statistics (standard deviation and the mean) were used to analyze the variables that were under investigation and to answer the hypotheses. A chi-square of independence test on reading and mathematics test scores was used to test the null hypotheses and to reject or fail to reject the null hypotheses. A one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) analyses were used to assess the relationship between the AHSGE reading and mathematics scores in those students who failed, between students who participated in RtI or did not participate in RtI during their ninth grade school year, as well as students' GPAs. Results of the analyses showed that pass/fail on the first reading and mathematics attempt, and number of reading/math attempts, was significantly associated with participation in RtI. The results of the ANCOVA showed that reading and mathematics scores of those who failed on the first attempt were higher than those who did not participate in RtI, after adjusting for student GPA. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]