Understanding Multi-Tiered Systems of Support in Schools: Why Tier 3 Matters

Every child learns differently. While some students quickly develop the skills they need to read, spell and write successfully, others need additional support along the way.

Schools use Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to provide different levels of instruction and intervention according to students' needs

Tier 1 is the foundation of the system.

All students should receive high-quality, evidence-informed classroom instruction. In literacy, this includes explicit teaching of phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, spelling and writing. The use of data to inform teacher planning and instruction is important to identify students who may need additional support.

For many students, strong Tier 1 instruction is enough but for students who are experiencing difficulties they need additional support.

Tier 2 is targeted additional support.

Tier 2 provides additional support for students who need more than the classroom program. In the classroom setting this may look like small group work that is targeted to a particular area of difficulty.

It is vital that students receiving Tier 2 support are also receiving quality Tier 1 classroom instruction and that this support is not a replacement for classroom teaching.

Continuous monitoring and use of data is also important to determine whether the intervention is working and whether further support is necessary.

Tier 3 is the most intensive level of support within an MTSS framework.

This is particularly important for students who have persistent and significant learning difficulties and who have not made sufficient progress with high-quality classroom instruction and targeted intervention.

Tier 3 support is highly individualised. Rather than simply giving a student more work, the focus is on providing the right instruction for the students’ needs.

For students with specific learning needs, this level of support is particularly important.

Why Tier 3 matters for students with specific learning needs

Some students need more explicit instruction and practice than their peers before a skill becomes secure.

A child with difficulties in reading and spelling, for example, may have worked hard in the classroom and received additional support, yet still struggle to read unfamiliar words, spell accurately or develop reading fluency.

They may need instruction that breaks learning down into smaller steps and explicitly teaches the relationships between sounds, letters, syllables, spelling patterns and meaningful word parts. For some students, this level of explicit and systematic instruction can make a significant difference.

At ConnectED South Tutoring, Tier 3-style support is designed around the individual student rather than a generic tutoring program.

The process begins with assessment. The aim is to identify where the student's strengths and gaps lie. This might include looking at phonemic awareness, decoding, spelling, reading accuracy, fluency and comprehension.

From this information, an individualised program can be developed. The aim is not simply to complete a worksheet or move through a textbook. It is to identify the student's learning needs and teach those skills explicitly and systematically.

Collaboration is an important part of Tier 3. Tier 3 intervention works best when the adults supporting a student communicate with each other.

Parents, classroom teachers, learning support staff, tutors and other professionals can each provide valuable information about a student's learning.

A student may receive intensive literacy intervention outside school while continuing to receive classroom instruction and school-based support.

Some students thrive with quality Tier 1 classroom instruction. Others benefit from a period of targeted Tier 2 intervention. Some students require intensive, individualised Tier 3 support over a longer period.

For students with learning difficulties, Tier 3 can be the difference between continuing to struggle and finally receiving instruction that matches their learning needs.

At ConnectED, the focus is on understanding the learner, identifying the gaps and providing structured, individualised literacy instruction designed to build both skills and confidence.

Because sometimes students don't need to try harder. They need teaching that is more precisely matched to the way the way they learn.