What Is MTSS? Multi-Tiered System of Supports

Several systems have been developed to support students in specific areas of development. These approaches share a tiered structure, emphasize early support, and rely on data, but with a specific focus area.

Response to Intervention (RTI)

RTI is the original tiered framework developed in 2004 to help identify and support students with academic learning needs (2016).

This includes:

• Tier 1: Strong core reading and math instruction and differentiation for all students
• Tier 2: Targeted skill-based interventions for small groups of students
• Tier 3: Individualized supports for students with intensive academic needs

This model uses universal screening data and progress monitoring to determine if students are “responding” to evidence-based interventions, making sure students are supported before difficulties worsen.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

PBIS is a parallel tiered framework that focuses on behavior, attendance, and school climate:

• Tier 1: Clear schoolwide expectations, routines, and relationship building
• Tier 2: Targeted supports for groups of students with mild to moderate behavioral needs
• Tier 3: Individualized intervention for students with very challenging needs, including wraparound services from community providers

PBIS also uses data-based decision making, but the data looks different— universal screening for external behaviors like aggression and internal behaviors like anxiety or withdrawal, office referrals, behavior logs, Early Warning Systems, observations, and climate survey data all help determine what is working and where stronger supports are needed.

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

SEL focuses on the “soft skills” that students need to succeed in school and in life - how to build healthy relationships, make responsible decisions, and persist through challenges. SEL instruction is typically integrated into classroom instruction and included as needed in academic and behavioral intervention plans. In fact, most behavior plans include social skills instruction!

• Tier 1: Schoolwide instruction in social skills like self-management and conflict resolution
• Tier 2: Small-group skill-building for students with similar social skill deficits
• Tier 3: Individualized support, often from a specialist or mental health professional

SEL plays a critical role in MTSS by rounding out the full picture of student strengths and needs. Universal screening for social and emotional skills helps identify areas where further support is needed at the school-wide or individual student level, along with strengths to build on.

MTSS: Integrating RTI, PBIS, and SEL Into One System

A Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) brings academics, behavior, attendance, and social-emotional learning together into a single, comprehensive framework. When schools integrate RTI, PBIS, and SEL within MTSS, educators have a full picture of student needs and can make better decisions about instruction and intervention.

Educators everywhere share the same goal: better outcomes for students. That’s why the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) model resonates with so many school leaders - it provides a way to organize the work of education so that measurable student growth stays front and center.

John Hattie’s research found that a tiered model of instruction, like RTI and MTSS, has a strong impact on student learning. Solid Tier 1 instruction, regular screening, and targeted interventions really can move the needle. But Hattie found something even more powerful: collective teacher efficacy—the belief among educators that, together, they can influence student outcomes.

MTSS and Collective Teacher Efficacy

This is where MTSS shines - it gives teachers a predictable way to look at data together, talk about student needs, and make instructional decisions as a team. Over time, they start to see the impact of those decisions: students growing, catching up to their peers, becoming successful. Teachers begin to trust the process and trust each other, leading to even better outcomes.

MTSS as a Foundation for Strategic Planning

With this in mind, the MTSS framework is ideal to serve as the backbone of your district or school improvement plan. When MTSS drives the plan, it becomes easier to organize resources, set clear priorities, and determine if the work is moving in the right direction throughout the school year.

In practice, MTSS helps leaders:

MTSS is not an additional initiative … it’s the way improvement work gets done.

Together, these components transform MTSS from a set of good ideas into a functioning system.