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Why MTSS?

What a tiered support system brings to every school and the case for getting started.

The starting point

Schools face a twofold challenge: teachers encounter increasingly heterogeneous classrooms with growing inclusion requirements, while children with psychological and social difficulties are among the greatest stress factors in everyday school life (Agyapong et al., 2022; Jensen et al., 2023; Li et al., 2022). Stressed teachers deliver lower-quality instruction — a self-reinforcing cycle. Without a structured support system, schools often intervene only once difficulties have already become entrenched: the so-called wait-to-fail model. Children receive support only after a formal diagnosis or a critical incident — by which point behavioural patterns are often consolidated and harder to change.

Late interventions are more resource-intensive, less effective and come too late for many children. At the same time, systematic data for informed support decisions are missing.

Prevention over reaction

MTSS reverses this logic. Through regular universal screening, a tiered support system identifies early which students need additional support, before difficulties become entrenched.

Tier 1 strengthens the foundation: universal screenings — e.g. standardised behaviour ratings or curriculum-based measurement (CBM) — assess all students several times a year. Evidence-based instruction and effective classroom management ensure that the majority are already supported sufficiently at this level.

Tier 2 acts in a targeted way: students with additional needs receive time-limited group interventions — such as Daily Behavior Report Cards or check-in/check-out procedures. Frequent progress monitoring checks whether the measure is working and provides the data basis for the next support decision.

Tier 3 acts individually: for children with persistent, complex needs, in-depth diagnostics — e.g. a functional behaviour assessment — provide the basis for an individual support plan. Multiprofessional teams adjust support on an ongoing basis.

Tier assignment is based on data, not intuition — and it is always reversible.

What MTSS brings to every school

MTSS is not just a collection of individual measures but a systemic framework that connects prevention, diagnostics and intervention. International research shows that a well-implemented MTSS produces measurable results:

  • Reduced problem behaviour and strengthened prosocial skills (Öğülmüş & Vuran, 2016; Lee & Gage, 2020).
  • Improved school climate and positive effects on teacher self-efficacy and stress experience (Charlton et al., 2020; Aasheim et al., 2018; Stephan et al., 2015).
  • Early identification of children who need support, before difficulties become chronic (Clonan et al., 2006; Goodman-Scott et al., 2023).
  • Systematic relief for teachers through multiprofessional collaboration and data-based support planning (Demmer & Hopmann, 2020; Pool Maag, 2022).
  • Better academic and social-emotional outcomes, particularly in primary schools (Lee & Gage, 2020; Nitz et al., 2023).

These are empirical findings, explored in detail on the research page. Go to research →

MTSS in Germany

In Germany, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has required inclusive education since 2009, yet the systems in place frequently reach their limits when it comes to systematically supporting children with psychological and social difficulties. With around 15,000 primary schools, scalable concepts are needed that enable schools to act preventively rather than reactively. MTSS provides such a framework: adaptable to local conditions, research-based and extensively tested internationally. A key barrier remains transfer: scientific findings often do not reach schools. mtss.info aims to help close this gap through clearly written, source-based content.

Sources

  1. Aasheim, M., Drugli, M. B., Reedtz, C., Handegård, B. H., & Martinussen, M. (2018). Change in teacher–student relationships and parent involvement after implementation of the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management programme in a regular Norwegian school setting. British Educational Research Journal, 44(6), 1064–1083, doi:10.1002/berj.3479.
  2. Agyapong, B., Obuobi-Donkor, G., Burback, L., & Wei, Y. (2022). Stress, Burnout, Anxiety and Depression among Teachers: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(17), doi:10.3390/ijerph191710706.
  3. Charlton, C. T., Moulton, S., Sabey, C. V., & West, R. (2020). A Systematic Review of the Effects of Schoolwide Intervention Programs on Student and Teacher Perceptions of School Climate. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 23(3), 185–200, doi:10.1177/1098300720940168.
  4. Clonan, S. M., McDougal, J. L., Clark, K., & Davison, S. (2006). Use of office discipline referrals in school-wide decision making: A practical example. Psychology in the Schools, 44(1), 19–27, doi:10.1002/pits.20202.
  5. Demmer, C., & Hopmann, B. (2020). Multiprofessionelle Kooperation in inklusiven Ganztagsschulen. In P. Bollweg et al. (Eds.), Handbuch Ganztagsbildung. Springer VS, doi:10.1007/978-3-658-23230-6_108.
  6. Deno, S. L., & Mirkin, P. K. (1977). Data-based program modification: A manual. Leadership Training Institute for Special Education.
  7. Goodman-Scott, E., Betters-Bubon, J., Donohue, P., & Olsen, J. (2023). The School Counselor's Guide to Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. Routledge, doi:10.4324/9781003306412.
  8. Lee, A., & Gage, N. A. (2020). Updating and expanding systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the effects of school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports. Psychology in the Schools, 57(5), 783–804, doi:10.1002/pits.22336.
  9. Li, C., Kee, Y. H., & Lam, L. S. (2022). Effect of teacher burnout on school functioning: A meta-analysis.
  10. Nitz, J. (2024). Mehrstufige Förderung im Kontext externalisierenden Verhaltens in der Grundschule. Inauguraldissertation, Universität zu Köln.
  11. Nitz, J., Brack, F., Hertel, S., Krull, J., Stephan, H., Hennemann, T., & Hanisch, C. (2023). Multi-tiered systems of support with focus on behavioral modification in elementary schools: A systematic review. Heliyon, 9(6), doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17506.
  12. Öğülmüş, K., & Vuran, S. (2016). Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support Practices: Review of Studies in the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 16(5), 1693–1710, doi:10.12738/estp.2016.5.0264.
  13. Pool Maag, S. (2022). Multiprofessionelle Zusammenarbeit an inklusiven Schulen. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Heilpädagogik, 28, 15–21.
  14. Schaffer, G. E. (2023). Multi-tiered systems of support: A practical guide to preventative practice. Routledge.
  15. Stephan, S. H., Sugai, G., Lever, N., & Connors, E. (2015). Strategies for integrating mental health into schools via a multitiered system of support. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 24(2), 211–231, doi:10.1016/j.chc.2014.12.002.
  16. Volpe, R. J., Fabiano, G. A., & Pelham, W. E. (2013). Daily Behavior Report Cards. In M. D. Weist et al. (Eds.), Handbook of school mental health. Springer.