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.
MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) is an evidence-based, tiered framework that schools use to support every student systematically. It combines universal screening, tiered interventions, frequent progress monitoring and data-based decision making into a single school-wide system of prevention and support.
Tiered support is the core principle of MTSS: support is organised in several tiers of increasing intensity, each building on the one below. Tier 1 reaches all students, Tier 2 adds support for students with additional needs, and Tier 3 provides intensive support for students with persistent, complex needs. Support complements general classroom instruction rather than replacing it.
MTSS organises support in three tiers: Tier 1 (universal, for all students), Tier 2 (targeted, roughly 10–15 %) and Tier 3 (intensive, roughly 1–5 %). The tiers are permeable — students move between levels on the basis of data, and tier placement is always temporary and reversible.
RTI (Response to Intervention) focuses primarily on academic support, especially early reading. PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) applies the logic of tiered prevention to behaviour. MTSS is the umbrella term and covers both academic and behavioural support within the same school-wide system.
The effectiveness of MTSS and its components has been studied extensively, but outcomes depend heavily on implementation fidelity. A systematic review of behaviourally focused MTSS research in elementary schools finds positive but heterogeneous effects (Nitz et al., 2023, Heliyon).
The definitions and figures on this page draw on established sources from international MTSS research:
