Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)

MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports)

What Is MTSS?

MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) is a framework that helps schools provide the right level of academic, behavioral, and attendance support to every student — based on their individual needs.

MTSS is typically structured across three tiers:

• Tier 1: Universal supports for all students
• Tier 2: Targeted interventions for students showing early signs of struggle
• Tier 3: Intensive, individualized support for students with persistent or complex needs

Though often associated with academics and behavior, MTSS has become a foundational framework for addressing attendance and engagement across schools and districts.

Why It Matters

Attendance isn’t just a data point — it’s a key predictor of student success. When applied effectively, MTSS helps schools:

• Catch attendance issues early
• Tailor interventions based on severity and root cause
• Reduce chronic absenteeism and truancy
• Improve student outcomes without overloading staff

Without a structured framework, schools often rely on reactive strategies that are too little, too late. MTSS turns that into a proactive, student-centered model.

How Schools Use This Term in Practice

In an attendance context, MTSS allows schools to organize support systems like this:

Tier 1 (All Students)

• Clear attendance expectations
• Daily monitoring and communication
• School-wide attendance incentives
• Universal access to family communication tools

Tier 2 (At-Risk Students)

• Triggered by early warning indicators (e.g., 5+ absences)
• Interventions like check-ins, attendance success plans, goal setting
• Targeted parent outreach or counseling support

Tier 3 (Chronically Absent or Truant Students)

• Individual case management or referral to SARB
• Wraparound services involving community partners
• Family conferences and intensive support planning

MTSS ensures that intervention is proportional, not one-size-fits-all. It also creates cross-team collaboration, often including attendance clerks, counselors, administrators, and family liaisons.

What’s the Difference Between MTSS and RTI?

RTI (Response to Intervention) is often used interchangeably with MTSS, but there’s a key distinction:

• RTI is traditionally focused on academic interventions only.
• MTSS is a broader, integrated framework that includes academic, behavioral, social-emotional, and attendance supports.

In other words, RTI is a component of MTSS, not a replacement for it.

Related Terms and Concepts

• Attendance Intervention – Specific strategies assigned within Tier 2 or Tier 3
• Early Warning Systems – Tools that surface students in need of Tier 2 support
• Chronic Absenteeism – Often triggers Tier 2 or Tier 3 interventions
• Wraparound Services – Intensive supports typically associated with Tier 3
• SART / SARB – Formalized Tier 3 responses to persistent absenteeism

Example Scenario

A district in Colorado Springs uses MTSS to organize its attendance work. All schools implement Tier 1 strategies like daily greetings, attendance posters, and parent updates. Students who miss 5 days are flagged by the SIS and assigned a Tier 2 intervention — typically a check-in and an attendance success plan. If a student continues to miss school and reaches 10% absenteeism, the district refers them to Tier 3 supports, which may include a counselor, family meeting, or referral to community-based services.

How MTSS Impacts Districts

MTSS helps districts move from isolated interventions to a coordinated system of support. The benefits include:

• Clear ownership of intervention responsibilities
• Early detection and prevention of chronic absenteeism
• Scalable frameworks for large districts
• Better alignment with state and federal accountability expectations

Districts with strong MTSS structures are better positioned to meet attendance goals without burning out site staff.

How Are Schools Across the U.S. Improving MTSS for Attendance?

While most districts have MTSS frameworks on paper, leading systems are making real-world improvements:

1. Attendance-Specific Tiering
Districts are defining clear attendance thresholds for Tier 2 and Tier 3 — for example, flagging students after 5 absences for Tier 2, and after 10% for Tier 3.

2. Cross-Team Training
MTSS isn’t just for academic teams anymore — districts are training attendance clerks, counselors, and principals in how to apply the MTSS lens to absenteeism.

3. Centralized Intervention Tracking
Rather than storing interventions in binders or spreadsheets, schools are using digital systems (like Nudge) to track, assign, and review interventions by tier.

4. Equity-Driven Analysis
Districts are disaggregating Tier 2 and 3 data by student group (e.g., foster youth, English learners) to ensure MTSS is being applied fairly and effectively.

5. Prevention-Focused Culture
More districts are embedding Tier 1 attendance culture-building work into back-to-school nights, advisory periods, and student goal setting.

How Nudge Helps

Nudge brings structure and visibility to MTSS-based attendance work — without adding complexity.

With Nudge, districts can:

• Define and track interventions by tier
• Automatically flag students based on attendance thresholds
• Assign interventions and follow-ups to specific staff
• Monitor Tier 1, 2, and 3 activity across the district
• Evaluate which interventions are working — and where to improve

Nudge turns MTSS from a binder on a shelf into a real-time system that drives action.

Want to Operationalize MTSS for Attendance?

See how Nudge helps districts build structured, equitable, and scalable attendance intervention systems.