MTSS in Action: Designing Inclusive Tiered Instruction

An increasing number of schools nationwide are shifting to more inclusive instruction, keeping students with special needs, individualized education plans (IEPs), and diverse learning profiles in mainstream classrooms. This shift toward inclusive classrooms is driven, in part, by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law that requires public schools to provide students with disabilities the opportunity to learn in the least restrictive environment (LRE). It is also fueled by research highlighting the myriad benefits of inclusive education for all students, not just the 15% of students with disabilities.

Inclusion is about creating educational systems where every student feels valued, has access to high-quality and equitable learning experiences, and experiences a true sense of belonging. It’s not just about addressing the needs of marginalized groups or students who need accommodations; it’s about designing classrooms and schools that celebrate all students’ unique identities and backgrounds and leveraging this diversity as an asset.

Inclusive classrooms strive to remove barriers to learning by providing the necessary instruction, support, and accommodations they need to thrive. At its core, inclusion reflects a fundamental commitment to equity and the belief that all students can progress toward firm, standards-aligned learning objectives when we provide differentiated instruction and support and use the right strategies and tools to position students to lead aspects of the learning process.

MTSS: Meeting the Instructional Needs of All Students

Inclusive classrooms require a fundamental shift in how teachers approach instructional design and facilitation. Traditional, one-size-fits-all methods are insufficient to meet diverse learning needs. Teachers need instructional models and strategies that prioritize flexibility, differentiation, and responsiveness, ensuring every learner can access high-quality instruction tailored to their unique strengths, interests, and needs.

Multitiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is a framework that helps educators address the needs of all students through a layered approach to instruction and intervention. As discussed in my previous blog about Tier 1 instruction, MTSS emphasizes the importance of high-quality, differentiated instruction (or Tier 1) to meet the needs of most learners while providing targeted support (Tier 2) and intensive interventions (Tier 3). By collecting and using data strategically to identify student needs and align instructional strategies with those needs, MTSS provides a pathway for educators to create inclusive classrooms.

The figure below illustrates the three tiers of MTSS, highlighting its dual focus on providing targeted support and intervention for students who need it while also offering meaningful challenges to help advanced learners deepen their conceptual understanding and hone their skills.

Inclusive Teaching Strategies: Designing Learning to Meet the Needs of All Students

To provide the instructional strategies pictured in the figure above into practice in a way that is manageable and sustainable, educators need a more robust teaching toolbox with instructional models that are more flexible and do not require the teacher to present information to the whole class.

Tier 1: Core Instruction

Effective Tier 1 instruction is the foundation of an inclusive classroom. To differentiate this first pass at instruction, teachers can use the station rotation model to work with small groups, presenting information and skills at a level of complexity and with the necessary support to ensure all students are appropriately challenged.

Video instruction can also be a powerful vehicle for transferring information or modeling skills if teachers plan to present this instruction the same way for all students. Recording explanations and models allows teachers to focus on meeting the needs of individuals and small groups while positioning students to have more control over their instructional experience. They can pause, rewind, rewatch. They benefit from accessibility features, like turning on closed captions or adjusting the speed of a video.

Tier 2: Support and Extension

Tier 2 provides opportunities for targeted support and meaningful extensions for students who need it. The station rotation model can also create time for Tier 2 instruction. While some students engage in independent or group work at the other stations, teachers can use their teacher-led station for reteaching, guided practice, feedback, or advanced tasks.

Playlists and choice boards are also effective strategies for allowing students to self-pace through learning activities so the teacher can work directly with small groups of students. A playlist is a sequence of learning activities tailored to the student’s specific needs and allows them to control the pace at which they work. Choice boards are a menu of learning activities targeting specific skills and concepts, allowing them to choose which tasks align with their interests or areas of need. Both strategies—playlists and choice boards—give students autonomy and agency while freeing the teachers to facilitate Tier 2 support or extensions without disrupting the flow of the class.

Tier 3: Intervention and Mastery

Tier 3 focuses on providing intensive support for students who are significantly behind or offering advanced, mastery-level opportunities for advancing students. Strategies like 1:1 instruction, explicit, chunked, scaffolded teaching, and targeted feedback can address learning gaps and support students in understanding core concepts and applying grade-level skills.

Students ready for next-level challenges can engage with project-based learning, problem-based learning, independent research projects that invite them to investigate areas of interest related to the curriculum, and cross-disciplinary challenges to encourage deep exploration of topics and application of skills in real-world contexts.

Tier 3 instruction may require additional or specialized support; however, budgets and staffing limitations frequently leave a single teacher responsible for meeting these intensive instructional needs. For those with the support of a special education teacher or teaching assistant, co-teaching models can be a powerful tool to share responsibility and combine expertise. Co-teachers can co-design lessons using diverse instructional strategies to maximize their impact. For more on inclusive co-teaching strategies, check out this blog.

For teachers working independently to provide Tier 3 instruction, leveraging self-directed learning models, such as playlists, choice boards, the 5Es inquiry cycle, or student-led activities like the jigsaw or reciprocal teaching, can help engage most of the class in meaningful tasks. These structures create opportunities for teachers to dedicate focused instructional time to students who need Tier 3 interventions.

Inclusive teaching strategies are not about doing more but about working smarter by designing flexible and responsive learning environments that strive to meet the needs of all students. The diversity of skills, abilities, language proficiencies, instructional needs, and learning preferences in a classroom is not a problem. It is a reality. We need to design for it. Teachers can create the time and space to provide engaging and differentiated core instruction, targeted support, and meaningful extensions by leveraging models like station rotation, playlists, and choice boards.

Leading the Shift to Inclusive Classrooms

School leaders play a crucial role in creating the conditions for success by providing dynamic professional learning opportunities, fostering collaboration among educators, and offering the support teachers need to build their capacity for inclusive practices. Strong leadership and a commitment to professional growth are critical if schools want teachers to design learning experiences and cultivate learning environments where every student can experience success.

To make classrooms more inclusive and equitable, leadership must provide the tools, time, and training teachers need to feel confident in this work. This blog provides an overview of the instructional models and strategies—station rotation, video instruction, playlists, choice boards, and student-led strategies— that can help educators maximize their impact and meet the needs of the students they serve. Stay tuned for more on MTSS, and join my email list to receive free weekly resources delivered to your inbox!

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Dr. Tucker and her team can support schools in this work to create more inclusive classrooms! If you are interested in professional learning, contact us for details.

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