MTSS in Grounded Scribe: Tiered Support Documentation for Australian Schools

What MTSS Means for Documentation

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is a framework used in Australian schools to organise student support into levels of intensity:

Tier 1 — Universal: Support available to all students. Classroom-wide strategies, whole-school wellbeing programs, and universal screening. Most students thrive with Tier 1 support alone.

Tier 2 — Targeted: Small-group or short-term individual support for students who need more than universal strategies. Examples include social skills groups, targeted literacy support, or short-term counselling for a specific concern.

Tier 3 — Intensive: Individualised, sustained support for students with complex or persistent needs. This typically involves individual counselling, specialist referrals, multi-agency involvement, and formal plans (IEPs, behaviour support plans).

The value of MTSS as a documentation framework is that it structures the conversation about *intensity* of support. When a referral enters the system, the team assigns a tier based on the level of support the student currently receives. As the student's needs change, the tier moves — and the documentation reflects that movement.

How MTSS Works in the Platform

Tier Assignment on Every Referral

When a referral is created — whether by a teacher, wellbeing officer, or through the public referral portal — the triaging staff member assigns a support tier. This is a simple selection: Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3. Referrals can also be left unassigned if the appropriate tier is not yet clear.

The tier appears on the referral card, in the referral detail view, and in all downstream documentation. It provides immediate context about the intensity of support being considered.

Tier Movement

Students do not stay at the same tier permanently. A student who begins with Tier 2 targeted support may improve and step down to Tier 1, or their needs may escalate to Tier 3. The platform tracks tier changes with timestamps, creating a record of how support intensity has changed over time.

Tier movement is a clinical decision made by the wellbeing team — the platform records the decision, it does not recommend it.

Connection to NCCD

The NCCD framework requires schools to document the *level of adjustment* provided to students with disability. While MTSS tiers and NCCD adjustment levels are not identical, they are closely related:

• Tier 1 aligns broadly with Quality Differentiated Teaching Practice (QDTP)
• Tier 2 aligns broadly with Supplementary adjustments
• Tier 3 aligns broadly with Substantial or Extensive adjustments

When MTSS tier data is documented alongside NCCD categories in the student's IEP, the school builds a coherent evidence base that connects the intensity of support (MTSS) with the disability adjustment framework (NCCD).

Integration with SSG Meetings

SSG meeting agendas automatically include the student's current support tier as context. When the team reviews a student's progress, the tier provides a quick reference for where the student sits in the support framework. Decisions to change tiers — escalate or de-escalate — are recorded in the meeting actions and reflected in the referral record.

Leadership Analytics

The leadership analytics dashboard includes MTSS tier distribution as a key metric. School leaders can see:

• How many students are at each tier
• The balance between universal, targeted, and intensive support
• Whether Tier 3 numbers are growing (which may indicate a need for stronger Tier 1 and Tier 2 strategies)
• Tier distribution by year level and domain

These aggregate metrics help leadership teams make resourcing decisions — if 40% of referrals are at Tier 3, the school may need to invest in preventative programs at Tiers 1 and 2.

For Schools Already Using MTSS

If your school already uses an MTSS or Response to Intervention (RTI) framework, the platform's tier system maps directly to your existing model. The tier labels (1, 2, 3) are consistent with Australian and international MTSS terminology.

The benefit of documenting MTSS tiers inside the same platform where referrals, case notes, IEPs, and SSG meetings live is that the tier is not an isolated label — it is connected to the full support record. When you review a Tier 3 student, you see every referral, every intervention, every meeting, and every assessment that contributed to that tier assignment.

For Schools New to MTSS

If your school does not currently use a formal MTSS framework, the tier system provides a low-friction starting point. Assigning a tier to each referral takes one click and immediately adds a layer of structure to your support data.

You do not need to implement a full MTSS model to benefit from tier tracking. Even basic tier assignment creates useful data — leadership can see the intensity distribution of support needs across the school, which informs staffing and program decisions.

Getting Started

MTSS tier assignment is available on all student referrals in the Student Support Platform. When triaging a referral, select the appropriate tier from the dropdown. The tier immediately flows through to analytics, SSG meeting agendas, and reporting.

Visit For Schools to learn more, or get in touch for a walkthrough.

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*The MTSS framework in Grounded Scribe is a documentation and tracking tool. All decisions about student support intensity, tier assignment, and intervention are made by the professionals involved in the student's care.*

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