Tier 2

Targeted Interventions

When the universal support of Tier 1 is fundamentally in place for all students, it forms the base for implementing Tier 2 strategies. Tier 2 of the PBIS triangle model provides additional interventions to support that smaller percentage of students who do not sufficiently respond to Tier 1 strategies. Tier 2 practices involve analyzing office referral data to identify:

  • Locations in the school or times of the day that are especially problematic, and then problem-solve simple solutions for those situations.
  • Teachers or classrooms that may be in need of additional classroom management support.
  • Small groups of students who are demonstrating similar behavior problems and provide them with more intensive instruction in social skills or replacement behaviors.
  • Students who could benefit from daily monitoring, increased feedback, an adult mentor, a simple behavior plan in school, or a behavior plan coordinated between home and school.
  • Students who need more academic or organizational support.
  • Students who could benefit from alternatives to suspension for major violations.

Students at Tier 2 may be at risk for developing chronic problem behavior but do not need the high intensity interventions typical of individualized behavior plans at Tier 3. A small group with targeted interventions to meet their common needs is typical of Tier 2. Examples of small groups are: anger management, grief processing and possibly a newcomers club.

Critical features of Tier 2 interventions

Tier 2 interventions are implemented through a flexible and systematic process. The following are essential features of a Tier 2 system:

  1. Continuous availability to the students.
  2. Rapid access to the intervention (within 72 hours).
  3. Low effort by teachers with maximum benefits to student.
  4. Consistent with universal school- wide expectations.
  5. Implemented uniformly by all staff/ faculty in a school.
  6. Flexible intervention based on student need and assessment of behavior.
  7. Functional assessment of student’s behavior of concern.
  8. Adequate resources through administrative support and team meetings with time to implement and to follow up with review and revision.
  9. Student voluntarily participates.
  10. Continuous monitoring of student behavior for decision making.
  11. Intervention packages based on student need that “fits” the culture of the school so that students can be connected to these packaged interventions.