Center on Multi-Tiered System of Supports
Since 2007, the Center on Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS Center) at the American Institutes for Research has been a national leader in supporting states, districts, and schools across the country in implementing a MTSS framework that integrates data and instruction within a multi-level prevention system to maximize student achievement and support students’ social, emotional, and behavior needs from a strengths-based perspective.
A multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) is a proactive and preventative framework that integrates data and instruction to maximize student achievement and support students social, emotional, and behavior needs from a strengths-based perspective. MTSS offers a framework for educators to engage in data-based decision making related to program improvement, high-quality instruction and intervention, social and emotional learning, and positive behavioral supports necessary to ensure positive outcomes for districts, schools, teachers, and students. The MTSS framework is comprised of four essential components: screening, progress monitoring, multi-level prevention system, and data-based decision. Depending on state law, MTSS data may also support identification of students with learning or other disabilities. The MTSS Center has resources on their website about the essential components of MTSS.
Understanding the essential components of MTSS is an important part of its implementation, but research suggests effective implementation is a major challenge for educators. Successful implementation of MTSS demands ongoing planning, continuous improvement, and sustaining and expanding efforts. Teams must examine current capacity and readiness, develop plans for ongoing professional learning, create structures and processes, conduct ongoing evaluation and review of implementation to inform continuous improvement, and engage stakeholders as partners in the work. The MTSS Center provides tools and resources to support planning for success, implementation, and sustaining and expanding implementation.
The MTSS Center's Resource Library has articles, publications, guides, tip sheets, tools, training modules, videos, webinars, and related websites about MTSS, data-based decision making, progress monitoring, screening, MTSS implementation phases, English Learners, school climate, school improvement, secondary schools, social and emotional learning, special education, and trauma informed care.
