What Is Tier 1?
Tier 1 is the school experience for all students. It represents the universal academic, behavioral, and social and emotional well-being supports that shape daily life in a school.
The purpose of Tier 1 is to:
- Teach essential skills across academic, behavior, and social and emotional well-being learning domains
- Prevent learning and behavior challenges through effective, engaging instruction
- Respond respectfully and instructively when learning and behavior challenges occur
In Ci3T schools, Tier 1 includes:
- Research-based academic instruction aligned with state and district standards
- Schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS)
- A validated program for teaching social and emotional well-being skills such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making
- Data-informed decision-making using systematic universal screening for academics and behavior (fall, winter, spring), treatment integrity (Ci3T implementation; fall and spring), and social validity (views; fall and spring)
- Data-informed professional learning for educators using multiple sources of data
Key Components
Each school’s Ci3T Tier 1 Plan is documented in its Ci3T Implementation Manual. This plan outlines all components of Tier 1, including everyone’s roles and responsibilities, and how the plan is taught, reinforced, and monitored.
Across Ci3T schools, Tier 1 includes the following integrated components.
Academic
High-quality, research-based Tier 1 instruction is the foundation of prevention. Schools work collaboratively with district leaders to select validated academic strategies, practices, and programs that meet student needs and are feasible and usable for educators to implement with fidelity.
Key features include:
- Research-based curricula aligned with effective teaching practices. For example, a reading curriculum based on the science of reading, delivered with high rates of opportunities to respond.
- Instructional materials that reflect the values of the local community, represent students from a range of backgrounds, and are accessible to all learners, including those with disabilities.
- Low-intensity teacher-delivered strategies—such as behavior-specific praise and precorrection—embedded within instruction to promote engagement and prevent disruption.
Behavior
At Tier 1, Ci3T schools implement positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) to promote prosocial behavior and create predictable learning environments.
Core elements include:
- Schoolwide behavioral expectations developed with input from all faculty and staff
- Explicit instruction and visual reminders of expectations across school settings
- A universal reinforcement system (e.g., tickets paired with behavior-specific praise)
- A clear, respectful, reactive plan that outlines an instructional approach to counterproductive behaviors, including clear consequences
Together, these elements support consistency, clarity, and fairness across the school when preventing and responding to challenging behavior.
Social and Emotional Well-Being
Ci3T schools select a validated social and emotional well-being program to teach skills such as:
- Self-awareness
- Self-management
- Social awareness
- Relationship skills
- Responsible decision-making
School and district leaders make decisions about social and emotional well-being with input from educators, families, and community members to ensure alignment with school values and needs. Lessons are delivered by classroom teachers, typically one or more times per week, following program guidance.
Social and emotional well-being skills are taught and integrated throughout the school day, within academic lessons and in non-instructional settings (e.g., hallways).
Integration
A defining feature of Tier 1 in Ci3T is intentional integration across domains. Rather than treating academics, behavior, and social and emotional well-being learning domains as separate efforts, educators work to ensure these components reinforce one another.
One example is the use of integrated lesson planning, where educators:
- Align academic, behavioral, and social and emotional well-being learning objectives
- Provide students with precorrection for behaviors and social skills that support learning
- Use low-intensity strategies to create engaging, supportive instruction
Integration helps weave all Tier 1 components into the daily fabric of the school environment.
Similar to integrated instruction for students at Tier 1, teaming within a Ci3T school is also integrated. Instead of having a separate academic team, behavior team, and social and emotional well-being team, for example, there is one executive-level Ci3T Leadership Team.
The Ci3T Leadership Team provides for greater efficiency and effectiveness in supporting all students’ multiple needs across domains.
Ci3T Modules on Tier 1 Efforts
Ci3T Modules offer in-depth professional learning. Explore these featured modules, or browse the full collection.
Data Tools & Templates
Tier 1 implementation is a data-informed process guided by the school’s Ci3T Implementation Manual, particularly the Procedures for Monitoring section.
Ci3T schools use data to understand:
- Social validity: How stakeholders perceive Tier 1 goals, procedures, and outcomes
- Treatment integrity: Whether Tier 1 practices are implemented as they were designed and intended
- Student outcomes: How students are responding to the Ci3T Tier 1 plan
Ci3T emphasizes practical, actionable data sources that support continuous improvement.
Dive Deeper
Ready to take the next step with Tier 1? Explore the resources below based on your goals.