Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a comprehensive framework schools use to provide varying levels of academic and behavioral support based on individual student needs. MTSS integrates data collection, assessment, and increasingly intensive interventions organized in tiers: Tier 1 provides high-quality instruction and support for all students, Tier 2 offers targeted interventions for students showing early signs of struggle, and Tier 3 delivers intensive, individualized support for students with significant needs.

The MTSS framework emphasizes prevention and early intervention rather than waiting for students to fail before providing help. Schools continuously monitor student progress through assessments and data systems, use data to identify students needing additional support, match intervention intensity to student need, and adjust supports based on whether students respond positively.

MTSS encompasses both academic supports (reading interventions, math tutoring, English language support) and behavioral/social-emotional supports (counseling, behavior plans, social skills instruction). The framework recognizes that students need different levels of support at different times—a student might need Tier 2 reading support but only Tier 1 for behavior.

For charter and private schools, MTSS frameworks inform retention strategies. Students requiring Tier 2 or Tier 3 supports who don't receive adequate help are at risk of academic failure and disenrollment. Pulse surveys measuring engagement, belonging, and satisfaction complement MTSS by identifying students needing social-emotional supports even if academically successful. Effective schools integrate MTSS data with climate data to support whole child rather than only academics.