When districts treat RTI and MTSS as entirely separate efforts, the result is often duplicated work, fragmented data, and uncertainty among school teams about which process to follow. But when districts recognize RTI as a core component within a broader MTSS framework, they can move toward a single, coherent system of support.
In that unified system, academic instruction, behavior supports, attendance strategies, and life skills development are no longer managed in isolation. Instead, they work together—guided by shared data, common expectations, and aligned decision-making.
This guide breaks down what MTSS and RTI are, how each evolved, where they overlap, and where they serve distinct roles. Most importantly, it explores what their relationship means for building more effective, sustainable student support systems at the district level.
What is RTI?
RTI, or Response to Intervention, is a tiered framework designed to identify students who need additional academic support and respond with timely, research-based instruction.
RTI was formally introduced into federal education policy with the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Prior to this shift, many schools operated under a “wait to fail” model, where students often had to fall far behind before receiving targeted help. The IDEA amendments created a different path—one that allowed districts to use a student’s response to high-quality, evidence-based instruction as part of identifying learning disabilities.
At its core, RTI is organized around three tiers of academic support:
- Tier 1 consists of high-quality, standards-aligned instruction delivered to all students.
- Tier 2 provides targeted, small-group interventions for students who need additional support beyond core instruction.
- Tier 3 offers intensive, individualized interventions for students who continue to struggle despite Tier 2 support.
In practice, RTI has most often been applied to academic areas such as reading and math.
Importantly, RTI is not a special education program. It was designed to identify learning challenges early, strengthen general education instruction, and reduce unnecessary referrals to special education. A key principle of RTI is that the majority of students—often cited as around 80 percent—should be successful with Tier 1 instruction alone. When that threshold isn’t met, it signals a need to examine the strength of core instruction, rather than placing the responsibility solely on individual students.
What Is MTSS?
MTSS, or a Multi-Tiered System of Supports, is a framework for addressing students’ needs through coordinated, data-driven support across academics, behavior, attendance, and life skills.
MTSS rose to prominence following the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015. While earlier frameworks like RTI focused primarily on academic intervention, ESSA signaled a shift toward a more comprehensive approach to student support. Later that year, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services formally described MTSS as an umbrella framework that brings together both academic and behavioral systems of support.
At its core, MTSS is about building strong, consistent systems—not just identifying individual student needs. It focuses on aligning resources, staff, and processes so expectations and supports are clear and consistent from classroom to classroom and school to school.
MTSS is not a single program. It’s a structure that organizes multiple tiered frameworks under one coherent approach. RTI fits within MTSS as the academic intervention component, while PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) typically serves as the behavioral component. Many districts also develop tiered systems for attendance and family engagement within the same MTSS structure.
When these components operate in alignment, educators gain a more complete picture of each student. Academic challenges, attendance patterns, and behavioral concerns can be understood together rather than addressed in isolation—making it easier to respond early, coordinate supports, and sustain progress over time.
Interventions and Progress Monitoring Toolkit
Download free templates to strengthen your MTSS or RTI program in 2026.
MTSS vs RTI: Key Differences (and How They Work Together)
RTI and MTSS are closely connected, but they serve different roles within a district’s student support system. Understanding those distinctions helps teams design clearer processes and avoid fragmented implementation.
- Scope: RTI focuses on academic intervention, most often in reading and math. MTSS takes a broader view, organizing supports for academics, behavior, attendance, and life skills within a single, aligned framework.
- Framework relationship: RTI is not a separate system from MTSS. It functions as the academic intervention component within the broader MTSS structure. While some districts use the terms interchangeably, MTSS is the umbrella that brings together RTI alongside other tiered approaches, such as PBIS.
- Philosophy: RTI is centered on identifying which students need additional academic support and determining how to respond. MTSS shifts the focus upstream, asking how systems, structures, and resources should be designed so more students are successful from the start. RTI is primarily student-focused; MTSS is systems-focused.
- Data sources: RTI relies heavily on academic data, including universal screeners and progress monitoring measures. MTSS incorporates those academic data points alongside behavioral records, attendance patterns, and other indicators that help teams understand the full context of a student’s experience.
- Team composition: RTI teams often include classroom teachers, reading specialists, and special education staff. MTSS teams tend to be broader, bringing together counselors, administrators, behavior specialists, attendance staff, family-facing roles, and, in some cases, community partners.
- Implementation approach: RTI is frequently housed within academic or special education departments. MTSS requires coordination across departments, including curriculum, student services, attendance, and school leadership. While this cross-functional approach can take longer to establish, it creates stronger alignment and tends to be more sustainable over time.
Building an MTSS Framework That Includes RTI
Expanding from an RTI-focused approach to a fully realized MTSS framework means widening the lens—from academic intervention alone to the systems that support the whole student. This shift requires more than adding new initiatives. It depends on shared data, cross-functional teams, and a common understanding of how academic, behavioral, attendance, and life skills supports connect.
Within an MTSS framework, RTI continues to play a critical role by anchoring academic intervention. What changes is the context around it. Academic data are viewed alongside other indicators, teams collaborate across roles, and decisions are made within a single, coordinated system rather than in parallel processes.
Keep RTI practices
Your existing academic interventions still matter. The screening tools, progress monitoring processes, and tiered reading and math supports you’ve built should remain in place. MTSS does not replace RTI. It provides the structure for RTI to operate alongside behavioral, attendance, and life skills supports within one coordinated system.
Expand data sources
RTI is driven primarily by academic assessment data. MTSS broadens the picture by incorporating additional data, including behavioral incident records, attendance patterns, and student voice surveys. Bringing these data sources together helps educators understand whether academic challenges are connected to chronic absences, behavioral concerns, or other barriers to learning.
Build cross-functional teams
RTI teams often include teachers, reading specialists, and special education staff. MTSS teams benefit from broader representation, such as counselors, social workers, attendance coordinators, and administrators. When these roles collaborate regularly, teams are better positioned to identify patterns and root causes that may be missed within a single department.
Define tiers for each domain
Clear tier definitions are essential across academics, behavior, and attendance. For example, Tier 1 attendance supports might include schoolwide expectations and messaging around daily attendance. Tier 2 could involve targeted check-ins for students who have missed several days. Tier 3 may require coordinated family outreach or intensive, individualized support for students who are chronically absent.
Apply the 80% benchmark across all domains
In RTI, the expectation is that roughly 80 percent of students should be successful with Tier 1 instruction. That same benchmark applies within MTSS. If fewer than 80 percent of students are meeting behavioral expectations or attendance goals at Tier 1, it points to a need to strengthen universal supports rather than relying solely on additional interventions.
Train all staff on the full framework
All staff should understand that MTSS is a structure that includes RTI, not a replacement for it. Professional learning should clarify how academic interventions fit within the larger system and how teams across departments contribute to shared student support goals.
Monitor outcomes and adjust
Effective MTSS implementation depends on ongoing monitoring. Track outcomes across academics, behavior, and attendance. When interventions aren’t producing results, adjust. When data reveals connections across domains—such as attendance challenges linked to reading difficulties—use those insights to coordinate more responsive, aligned support.
Next Steps for Your District
RTI and MTSS aren’t competing frameworks; rather, RTI is an academic intervention system that operates within the broader MTSS structure. When districts understand this relationship clearly, they’re better positioned to reduce duplicated work, connect data across domains, and give staff a shared understanding of how student support actually functions.
Whether your district is refining an existing RTI process or continuing to build a more comprehensive MTSS framework, the core practices stay the same: identify students who need support, match them with research-based interventions, and monitor progress over time. The difference is scope. RTI applies these practices to academics. MTSS applies them across academics, behavior, attendance, and life skills within a single, coordinated system.
Strong intervention planning and consistent progress monitoring are essential in both contexts. To support this work, download the Panorama Interventions and Progress Monitoring Toolkit. The toolkit includes practical templates for writing intervention plans, tracking student progress, and organizing your RTI or MTSS processes in a way that’s clear, consistent, and sustainable.
