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Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)


The Connecticut State Department of Education requires school districts to use a framework to address student needs. The framework we use for this support is known as Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). MTSS ensures all students receive the appropriate level of support for academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs.

Meeting Student Needs

MTSS has a tiered system for student support

Like triangular building blocks, MTSS has three levels. All students fall into the first tier. Students who need support (as determined by screening, classroom reports, academics, data collection, or a combination of these) will be placed into another tier. At each tier, interventions are selected based on proven effectiveness, ensuring students get what they need.

  • MTSS Tier 1: Schoolwide expectations for learning, behavior, and emotional regulation.
  • MTSS Tier 2: Targeted group support for those who need it.
  • MTSS Tier 3: Personalized interventions for students needing assistance.

Essential Components

A multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) is a proactive and preventative framework that integrates data and instruction to maximize student success from a strengths-based perspective. MTSS offers a framework for educators to engage in data-based decision making related to program improvement, high-quality instruction and intervention, and student engagement to ensure positive outcomes for districts, schools, teachers, and students. The MTSS framework is comprised of four essential components: screening, progress monitoring, multi-level prevention system, and data-based decision making.

MTSS Components are Comprehensive

MTSS is designed to meet the unique needs of students in a flexible and customizable way. This approach is collaborative and team-based, driven by data, and can assist with special education decisions. It includes:

  • High-quality curriculum and individualized instruction in the general education setting (Tier 1).
  • Universal common assessments used to measure students’ grade-level progress.
  • Research-based interventions for students who require additional academic or behavioral support or enrichment to make educational progress (Tier 2 and/or 3). Examples of these interventions include sessions with the reading teacher, meetings with the school psychologist, visits to reading and writing, math, or student support centers.
  • Data used to determine student progress. Examples of this data include attendance records, benchmark assessment scores, grades, observations, and other data points.


By critically evaluating our Tier 1 strategies and regularly reviewing data, we can identify which students may need additional support to be successful.