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Tier 1 – Supports for ALL Students

Academic Concerns:

My child…

• gets bad grades on assignments.
• doesn’t finish work in class
• complains that homework is too hard
• does not turn in homework assignments
• says schoolwork is too easy

Recommendation:

• Parents and teachers work out ways to share information about the student’s work
• Teachers re-teach skills that some students missed
• Teachers add support materials to the classroom curriculum for all students
• Teachers provide more time in class for students to practice skills

Behavioral Concern:

My child…

• seems to get into trouble all the time
• complains about being bullied.
• is bored and doesn’t want to go to school
• gets good grades but is disruptive in class

Recommendation:

• Parents and teachers work out ways to share information about the student’s behavior
• Teachers teach behavioral expectations
• Parent support and reinforce behavioral expectations at home
• Teachers and parents reward students for positive behavior

School Wide Expectations

Tier 2/3 – Supports

Our school has an intervention team that meets every two weeks. The intervention team oversees and monitors our site’s interventions and all students receiving Tier II or III support. Like the School-Wide /Tier I team, this team uses a structured meeting agenda and format to monitor interventions, troubleshoot, and discuss new referrals in a practical, data-based, and efficient manner. The intervention team is open to any interested staff member; however, parents are not included on this team due to confidentiality concerns when discussing students. For students receiving Tier III (individualized, function-based, intensive) interventions, a separate Tier III student-specific team may be formed for a short period, consisting of staff and family members directly involved with that student. However, these individual meetings occur separately from the ongoing Intervention Team meetings.

Tier 2 – Targeted Group Supports

Academic Concern:

My child…

• is behind in class work and
  
• cannot keep up
  
• takes too long to do homework and needs much extra help at home
  
• gets poor scores on tests
  
• seems to be having more trouble with schoolwork than their peers
  
• gets high scores on tests and low scores on homework assignments or does not complete homework at all
  

Behavioral Concern:

My child….

• was sent out of class at least twice in the past month
  
• makes excuses to avoid going to school
  
• seems to have trouble getting along with classmates
  
• has been sent home early from school
  
• does not socialize well with classmates
  

Recommendation:

• Teachers discuss student concerns with the Team
  
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to practice grade-level skills in small groups, 30 minutes per day, 2 to 3 times per week
  
• Teachers collaborate with special education staff to receive additional help and learn strategies to work with diverse learners
  
• Teachers chunk assignments and provide smaller amounts of homework that target specific skills
  
• Parents check you’re your school to find out if after-school / enrichment programs are offered
  

Recommendation:

• Teachers discuss student concerns with the Team
  
• Teachers re-teach behavioral expectations and ensure that expectations are shared with parents
  
• Parents contact the school to find out of counseling sessions are offered
  
• Parents and teachers provide rewards and incentives for good behavior
  
• Parents and teachers immediately address undesired behaviors and model desired behaviors
  

Reasons for Tier 3 Supports

What are Tier 3 Support?

The PBIS Triangle—The red area represents Tier 3, which supports a few students. Tier 1 and 2 supports are still used with students engaged in Tier 3 supports.

PBIS’ framework doesn’t just work with school-wide and targeted supports. It’s also an effective way to address sometimes dangerous, often highly disruptive behaviors creating barriers to learning and excluding students from social settings.

At most schools, 1-5% of students for whom Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports have not connected. At Tier 3, these students receive more intensive, individualized support to improve their behavioral and academic outcomes. Tier 3 strategies work for students with developmental disabilities, autism, emotional and behavioral disorders, and students with no diagnostic label.

Tier 3 – Individualized Supports

Academic Concern:

My child…

• is getting more frustrated with school every day
  
• can’t keep up with classwork and doesn’t seem to understand what the teacher expects
  
• frequently noticed for weaknesses rather than strengths
  

Recommendation:

• Teachers reconvene with Team to discuss increased supports
  
• Teachers invite parents to meetings and get permission to engage in more intensive support/testing
  

Behavioral Concern:

My child…

• is having behavior problems that seem to be getting worse
  
• has been sent to in-school suspension programs multiple times
  
• refuses to go to school
  
• requires me to miss time from work because of parent conferences
  

Recommendation:

• Teachers reconvene with the team to discuss increased supports
  
• Teachers invite parents to meetings and get permission to engage in more intensive support/testing
  
• Functional behavior assessment conducted
  
• A behavior intervention plan developed
  
• Teachers teach / model alternative behaviors to replace disruptive behaviors
  

Parent Support is Critical

As with all educational endeavors, parent support is critical for student success. To support this process, you should …

• Talk to your child’s teacher about your concerns
  
• Set a timeline for regular follow-up
  
• Volunteer and/or observe in your child’s classroom/school
  
• Learn about the academic/behavioral expectations for your child’s grade level and discuss these with your child
  
• Begin keeping behavior and academic
  
• Stay involved and engaged at all times
  
• Do not hesitate to ask questions
  
• Follow up with any evaluations or appointments that the Intervention
  
• Continue working with the team until you are satisfied with the plan developed to help your child.
  

That's a wrap!