WEEK 3: An inventory of interventions matched to identified skill areas
In the first two weeks of our October Friday 5 series, we explored the importance of having a dedicated Advanced Tiers team and identifying reliable screening data for identifying and monitoring students who may need additional support.
Once a student meets a decision rule, an important question often follows:
What will we do to respond to the identified need?
An effective Advanced Tiers system will often require schools to map or inventory their existing practices, interventions, and supports across all three tiers. The goal is not simply to create a list of programs or practices. Its function is to help teams understand what is available, who it is designed to support, who can deliver it, and whether the school has the capacity to implement it as intended.
Mapping interventions also provides an opportunity to clarify the distinction between Tier 2 and Tier 3.
Tier 2 supports are generally standardized, targeted interventions that build on Tier 1. They should be linked to an identified skill or function, readily accessible, time limited, and include direct instruction, practice, feedback, and progress monitoring. They may be delivered to small groups and, while maintaining fidelity, adapted based on student response.
Tier 3 supports are individualized and highly customized. They build on Tier 1 and, when appropriate, Tier 2, and often involve comprehensive problem-solving to better understand the student’s function, root cause, or skill deficit. Tier 3 may involve greater frequency, duration, or dosage; a lower student-to-interventionist ratio; individualized goals; and more frequent progress monitoring, including monitoring implementation fidelity.
When engaging in the mapping process, Advanced Tiers Teams should consider:
- What interventions – practices, programs, other supports – currently exist?
- How do we determine when students enter and exit?
- Which skill areas do the interventions address?
- Who can deliver the interventions?
- How many students can interventionists serve?
- When can interventions be provided?
- What training is required?
- How will fidelity and student progress be monitored?
References:
Center on PBIS. (2016). Tier 2 systems readiness guide. University of Oregon. https://www.pbis.org/resource/tier-2-systems-readiness-guide
Center on PBIS. (2025). Tier 2 School-Level Systems Guide. Center on PBIS, University of Oregon. www.pbis.org
Center on Multi-Tiered System of Supports at the American Institutes for Research. (2020). Tier 2 identification procedures. https://mtss4success.org/essential-components/screening
VTSS Resource Hub. (2026) MTSS Anchor Documents. https://vtss-resources.vcu.edu/implementation-resources/anchor-documents/