mtss.info is a research-based information platform on Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), the international framework for tiered support in schools. Published in German and English, written for research and practice.
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is an evidence-based, tiered framework that schools use to support every student systematically. It combines universal screening, progress monitoring, tiered interventions and data-based decision making into a single school-wide system of prevention and support.
MTSS organises support in three tiers of increasing intensity, each building on the one below. Students receive the level of support they currently need — as a complement to general classroom instruction, not as a replacement for it.
Tier 1 · for all students
High-quality, evidence-based instruction and effective classroom management for every student. The aim is to prevent learning and behavioural difficulties before they emerge — and to identify them early when they do.
Tier 2 · roughly 10–15 %
Targeted, mostly small-group support for students who are not making sufficient progress with universal Tier 1 instruction alone. These interventions complement regular teaching and are monitored closely for effectiveness.
Tier 3 · roughly 1–5 %
Intensive, individually tailored support for students with persistent and complex needs — planned on the basis of in-depth diagnostics such as a functional behaviour assessment.
A sound MTSS rests on four essential components that have to work together. All four need to be in place for the system to take effect.
1
Brief, reliable and valid assessments — given to every student several times a year — that identify which students need additional support.
2
Repeated, frequent measurement that lets teachers judge objectively whether an intervention is actually working for an individual student.
3
Three tiers of evidence-based support of increasing intensity — Tier 1 reaches every student; Tiers 2 and 3 add support as needed.
4
Systematic use of student outcome and implementation data — to decide which students receive which support and when that support needs to change.
Cross-cutting principle: educational equity. MTSS aims to ensure that every student — regardless of background, home language, socio-economic situation or prior experience — can participate successfully in school.
The definitions and figures on this page draw on established sources from international MTSS research:
