Tier 3 Practices: Intervention Program (Coming July 2025)
Tier 3 or intensive, individualized intervention builds upon the quality and fidelity of Tier 1 and Tier 2. The majority of schools don't realize it, but they lack a Tier 2 and don't have clear entrance/exit decision rules that support which students need what interventions. This means that MTSS isn't implemented well, if at all. Schools/teams focusing on Tier 3 often find it necessary to improve their Tier 2 systems as part of continual school improvement in order to better meet the needs of their most complex learners (National Center on Intensive Intervention 2022). This course will help you do just that. Please note that this course is for advanced-knowledge participants and it is highly recommended that beginner or intermediate-knowledge participants complete the Tier 2 Practices course first. Upon completing this course, you will:
- Define the Taxonomy of Intervention Intensity (Fuchs, Fuchs, & Malone, 2017) dimensions with an advanced level of depth.
- Evaluate an intervention platform, the first step in the Data-Based Individualization (DBI) process, by the Taxonomy dimensions.
- Use this evaluation of an intervention platform to inform "the map" (system to support the adults in matching intervention to targeted need).
Intended Audiences
Interventionists/Specialists, Special Educators, MTSS Coordinator/Coach, Administrators
Course Type
Self-Paced
Recommended # of PLUs
2 PLUs
Tier 3 Overview
If we’re ever truly going to meet the needs of all of the students, we’re going to need something more intensive and individualized for our most complex learners. This course is the first in a series of self-paced courses to help us build our Tier 3 Intensive Intervention systems and implement Data-Based Individualization (process of individualizing within intensive intervention). Like all courses on BRIDGE-RI, Data-Based Individualization (DBI) comes from decades of research and shares characteristics with single-case design (except applying the scientific principles in school, rather than research studies).
Upon completion of this course, participants will:
- Understand the "big picture" of Tier 3 intensive intervention and how it fits within a greater MTSS framework
- Describe the purpose of and essential components of Tier 3
- Identify components of Data-Based Individualization
- Identify and explain some common obstacles to an effective Tier 2 that could limit effectiveness of your Tier 3 work
Intended Audiences
K-12 Educators, Interventionists/Specialists, Related Service Providers, Administrators
Course Type
Self-Paced
Recommended # of PLUs
3 PLUs
Tier 3 Systems Teaming for Intensive Intervention
Meeting the needs of our most complex learners is hard work! In MTSS, building systems to support the adults in doing the hard work is as important as data and evidence-based instruction/intervention. Effective and efficient teaming is essential for intensive intervention and data-based individualization (aka Tier 3, student-by-student problem solving). This course provides tools, resources, and training for effective Tier 3 systems. Objectives are that the team will:
- Identify team functioning roles for each team member (i.e., facilitator, note taker, scribe, time keeper, etc.)
- For each role, team members will explore support tools and resources provided
- Implement effective team functioning protocols for DBI using a case study student
- Engage families and students as integral assets to our DBI process