Multi-Tiered System of Supports

Tier 3 Interventions

Tiffany Barba
Joe Strobel
Saul Vazquez
Alma Busch

(Prescott, 2022)
Description of Tier 3

● More intense and individualized than Tier 2

● Requires detailed assessment
○ Functional Behavioral Assessment
● Interventions
○ Behavioral Intervention Plans
○ Therapeutic Interventions
Behaviors Qualifying Tier 3 Intervention

● Severe or chronic misbehavior

● Aggression (physical or verbal)
● Vandalism
● Chronic bullying
● Threats
● Severe defiance
● Drugs
● Safety concerns (Cleaver, 2018)
Referral Process

● Involves a systematic approach to support students who

demonstrate significant academic or behavioral challenges
despite receiving Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions.
● Appropriate team of educators (teachers, school psychologists,
etc.) gather data on the student’s performance and progress
● The team then administers various assessments and develops a
tailored intervention plan that may include more intensive,
individualized support (“Essential Features,” n.d.).
Functional Behavior Assessment
A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is a process used to understand the reasons behind a
student’s challenging behaviors. Here are the key points:

● Data Collection: It involves gathering data to identify the antecedents (triggers) and
consequences that maintain or deter the behavior.

● Hypothesis Development: Based on the data, a hypothesis is formed about why the
behavior occurs, typically to obtain or avoid something.

○ Example: When [an antecedent occurs], Student X is likely to [exhibit a target behavior] so as to [function
of behavior]. For example, returning to the example presented earlier, a potential hypothesis statement
might be as follows: When the class is asked to listen quietly during whole-group instruction, Molly is likely
to tell jokes so as to obtain peer attention (Grapin & Kranzler, 2018, p. 181).

● Intervention Planning: The information is used to create a Behavior Intervention Plan

(BIP) that includes strategies to prevent the behavior and teach alternative, appropriate
behaviors.

This approach helps in developing targeted interventions to support the student’s needs
effectively (Grapin & Kranzler, 2018, p. 181).
Other Assessments

● Narrow-band rating scales

○ Children’s Depression Inventory 2 assess symptoms of depression
in children and adolescents ages 7 to 17 years. Responses to the
items are used to generate both an overall score of depressive
symptomatology and four subscale scores that gauge negative
mood, negative self-esteem, ineffectiveness, and interpersonal
problems.

● Clinical interviews
○ semi-structured interviews

○ structured interview schedules

Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs)

● Antecedent strategies
○ Altering the environment in which the
behavior typically occurs in an effort
to prevent the behavior from
occurring.

● Replacement behaviors (Grapin & Kranzler, 2018, p. 182)

○ Behaviors that serve the same or a similar function as the problem behavior
but are considered to be more appropriate than the current problem
behavior. In other words, exhibiting a replacement behavior allows the
student to achieve the same outcome (i.e., obtaining or avoiding something)
as the problem behavior but in a more appropriate or acceptable manner.

● Consequence strategies
○ Target outcomes and responses to both problem and replacement behaviors.
Examples of Antecedent Strategies
○ Visual schedules: Providing students with visual cues of their daily
routine helps reduce anxiety about transitions.

○ Environmental adjustments: Reducing classroom noise or altering

seating arrangements for students who are sensitive to sensory
overload.

○ Pre-correction: Reminding students of appropriate behavior before a

known triggering event (e.g., before transitioning to a new activity) (Kern
& Clemens, 2007).

(Matyas, 2022)
Examples of Replacement Behaviors
○ Teaching self-regulation strategies: Instead of disruptive behavior when
frustrated, students are taught to ask for a break.

○ Functional communication training: Students are taught to use verbal or

non-verbal communication instead of using aggressive behavior to
express needs or frustrations.

○ Task initiation: Students who refuse to start tasks due to frustration

might be taught to ask for help rather than avoiding the task (Luiselli &
Reed, 2011).

(Matyas, 2022)
Examples of Consequence Strategies
○ Positive reinforcement: Providing praise, tokens, or other rewards
immediately after the student engages in the replacement behavior.

○ Response cost: Removing a preferred item or privilege if the student

engages in the problem behavior.

○ Planned ignoring: When the problem behavior is attention-seeking,

teachers or staff may ignore the behavior to prevent reinforcement
(Cooper & Heward, 2020).

(Matyas, 2022)
Therapeutic Interventions
● Manualized interventions to treat individual students with internalizing problems,
such as anxiety or depression.

○ Coping Cat is a cognitive behavioral intervention that helps students recognize

and understand their emotional and physical reactions to anxiety and examine
thoughts and feelings that arise during anxiety-inducing situations

■ Can be administered individually or in small groups

■ During each session, students are introduced to particular concepts and

strategies; in between sessions, they complete related homework
assignments

■ Procedures for implementation are delineated in the Coping Cat manual,

thus minimizing training demands and increasing the likelihood that the
intervention will be delivered with fidelity (Grapin & Kranzler, 2018)
 Documentation Process

● Full reports must be filed on a weekly basis

○ Reports provides by : Teachers, School Psychologists, BCBA, 1:1

aides, etc.

● Initial documentation must including steps taken at Tiers 1 and 2, as well as

any previous relevant incidents.

● Details of any behavioral incidents that occurs during the school day.

● Ongoing communication through documentation about steps taken to

de-escalate incidents, progress, etc.

● Ongoing family communication and engagement.

Collaborating Individuals within Tier 3

Who is the student’s support team in Tier 3 Interventions ?

● Tier III interventions might include special education and related services,
therapeutic interventions in the context of a school psychologist–client
relationship, and/or assistance provided through interagency collaborations.
(Jacob et al., 2022, p. 195)

● Integracy Collaborations: School Counselor/Social Worker, Resource Support

Program (RSP), RBT, 1:1 aide, etc.
● Other collaborators: Admin, General Education teacher, Parent/Guardian,
etc.
School Psychologist’s Role within Tier 3
● School Psychologists provide services across all tiers within MTSS but
specifically do the following within Tier 3:

○ Individual and group counseling

○ Therapies (Behavioral, Group, Dialectical, etc.)

○ Psychological assessment of social, emotional, and behavioral

problems

○ Suicide intervention & postvention

○ Crisis intervention & response

○ Facilitate collaboration within school and with community agencies

(mental health providers) (“CASP,” 2021).
 School Psychologist’s Role within Tier 3 cont.

● Tier 3 is the most intensive level of individual assessment and the data needs to be
accurate in order to determine the right level of support a student needs. The school
psychologist needs the following skills in order to properly administer services to the
student, family and school community:
○ School psychologists must have knowledge of which assessments are the best fit
for the student to implement the right interventions.
○ School psychologists must have knowledge of the comprehensive assessments that
are being given so that the information that is obtained is identifying areas of
academic need and if the student may require additional accommodations and/or
modifications.
■ This data is also to help with seeing if the student is eligible for special
education. (“School Psychologists,” 2006).
 Concluding Thoughts

(Tier 3 sticker, 2021)

● Intervention is not going to look the same for every student. Tier 3 is
specifically tailored towards academic, behavioral and social emotional
challenges that interfere with a student from progressing.

● Most of the decisions made within this tier are data-driven.

● Tier 3 is very data driven regarding the individualistic nature of the types
assessments and support that is given within this tier: Data collected by
initial assessments and continuously gathered by progress monitoring
and continuous data collection.
References
CASP ERMHS resource paper. (2021). In CASP. https://casponline.org/pdfs/position-papers/CASP
ERMHS Resource Paper 10-21.pdf

Cleaver, S. (2024). Improve Your Toughest Student’s Behavior by Analyzing Your Own. We Are Teachers.
https://www.weareteachers.com/about-weareteachers/

Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson.

Essential features of tier 3. (n.d.).

https://mtss4success.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/tier3_infographic.pdf

Grapin, S. L., & Kranzler, J. H. (2018). School psychology: professional issues and practices. Springer
Publishing Company.

Jacob, S., Decker, D. M., Lugg, E. T., & Diamond, E. L. (2022). Ethics and law for school psychologists. John
Wiley & Sons.

Kern, L., & Clemens, N. H. (2007). Antecedent strategies to promote appropriate classroom behavior.
Psychology in the Schools, 44(1), 65-75. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20206
Luiselli, J. K., & Reed, D. D. (2011). Teaching replacement behaviors in applied settings: A review of
conceptual and empirical issues. Journal of Behavioral Education, 20(3), 207-224.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-011-9127-2

Matyas, K. (2022). ABC model of behavior: How to inspire change in learners. Maestro.
https://maestrolearning.com/blogs/abc-model-of-behavior/

Prescott, J. (2022). PBIS Rewards.

https://www.hmhco.com/blog/what-is-multi-tiered-system-of-supports-mtss-in-education

School psychologists and response to intervention. (2006). In Casponline.

https://casponline.org/pdfs/position-papers/Casp%20rti%20position%20paper%202019%20ne
w%20logo.pdf

Tier 3 sticker. (2021). In Tenor. https://tenor.com/view/tier3-gif-22946272