Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)
Every Child Deserves a Piece of the PIE
by Model Teaching | May 19, 2025.
What is MTSS?
MTSS is an acronym for Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. MTSS is a tiered framework that utilizes various student data to provide academic, social-emotional, and behavioral support to improve student educational outcomes in the school setting. The term “systems” is important in MTSS. MTSS requires the use of the entire school system, with multiple support methods, to come together in preventative interventions for students identified in need.
MTSS typically supports three core areas: academic, behavioral, and social-emotional.
Within each core area, MTSS structures are supported by individual tiers:
Tier 1 – Universal Support (effective for around 80% of students)
Tier 1 support is the support provided to all students in your classroom. It typically should be effective for around 80% or more of your students. Effectiveness means that the strategies you implement in the classroom ensure the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional success of your students. You are implementing best practices for supporting the whole child and are working to ensure the instruction you provide to your students is accessible to all children in your classroom.
Tier 2 – Supplemental Support (necessary for around 15% of students)
Tier 2 support is provided to a smaller group of students who are not successful with Tier 1 support alone. Tier 2 students receive all the Tier 1 support, plus additional interventions at the Tier 2 level. Typically, Tier 2 support can be provided in small groups or targeted instruction and will focus on the behavioral, academic, and social- emotional skills these students need help with. At this level, the regular classroom teacher can provide support, or additional educators and resources may be necessary to assist, depending on the identified needs of each student.
Tier 3 – Intensive Support (necessary for around 5% of students)
Tier 3 support is provided to a very small percentage of your students, typically 5% or less of students in your classroom. These students are not successfully progressing behaviorally, academically, or social- emotionally in Tier 2 and Tier 1 support, so an additional layer of help is required. In Tier 3 support, intensive and sustained intervention measures are individualized to the student. Progress monitoring is also much more rigorous and frequent, and a team of professionals is usually involved to assist the student, including special education staff or any other necessary specialists.
The point of MTSS is that it aims to ensure that all students receive the right level of support. MTSS exists to prevent student declines in academics, behaviors, or social-emotional skills, supports intervention for students identified as needing additional support and help in different areas, and facilitates the enrichment and extension of learning for students who would benefit from higher cognitive thinking and enriching activities. You can remember that MTSS is important for prevention, intervention, and enrichment of your students by the phrase “Every student deserves a piece of the PIE!” Take a look at the PIE acronym below to help you think about ways in which MTSS can be beneficial to your students.
PIE:
P – Prevention
Prevention focuses on methods to minimize learning barriers for students, in addition to barriers that may be impeding behavioral or social-emotional performance in the classroom. Prevention involves many support systems that include universal screenings, data-driven decision making, and high-quality instruction and support of all students.
I – Intervention
I – Intervention focuses on the tiered support system within MTSS that exists to address student needs. Tier 1 interventions provide high-quality support in the regular classroom to all students; tier 2 interventions provide greater assistance to a smaller portion of students; and tier 3 interventions provide targeted and sustained support for a select few students. These interventions are evidence-based and often are implemented through the collaboration of support teams on your campus.
E – Enrichment
E – Enrichment focuses on the additional opportunities presented to students above and beyond classroom work. Because MTSS is a support system for ALL students, advanced students who need more challenge can be addressed in the MTSS model, as well as students who might benefit from other enrichment activities to help improve or expand on behavioral, social-emotional, or academic skills. Enrichment activities can be as simple as lessons differentiated to your students, specific extracurricular activities or clubs, or even technology tools personalized to student needs and interests.
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support are an integral part of your school, with the foundation of tiered preventions and interventions for all students to address the whole child- academically, behaviorally, and socially-emotionally. Recall the PIE acronym to remind yourself that MTSS exists for all students in areas of prevention, intervention, and enrichment.
For more information about MTSS and sample strategies, take our MTSS quick course here:
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)
Understanding the Framework for Your Classroom
(1 Hour) This Quick Course helps you better understand the MTSS framework, where it originated, and how it relates to interventions in the classroom and across your school’s campus. The course will introduce you to the tiers of the MTSS framework and how it can apply to academic, behavioral, and social-emotional student needs. You’ll also learn some simple examples of preventive interventions at each tier of MTSS to help you consider what support you can offer both in your classroom and with the help of support specialists across your campus.
(1 PD Hour) Learn about the MTSS framework, its origins, and its role in classroom and school-wide interventions. Learn about the MTSS tiers and how they address academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs, along with examples of preventive interventions at each tier.
