A Framework for Supporting All Students: One-Size-Fits-All No Longer Works in Schools

Over the past decade, a greater emphasis has been placed on matching educational supports to student need. We have come to realize that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to education is not working for every student. An educational framework for improving outcomes for all students is called a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). The MTSS framework consists of a continuum of evidence-based practices that are matched to student needs. MTSS also involves gathering information to facilitate decision making in the classroom, school, and district levels of the educational system. Through MTSS, schools and districts efficiently organize resources to support educators to implement effective practices correctly. Schools that adopt an MTSS approach will focus on preventing both academic and behavior problems. Additionally, strategic intervention that is based on assessment occurs for students who have more intensive and persistent challenges. Recently, the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) has recognized the use of multi-tiered system of supports as a means to improve services to students.