All students are capable of demonstrating proficiency with essential academic, behavioral and social-emotional skills. However, some students will require more support than others to achieve this end. The problem solving process can help teams to provide students with the appropriate level of support by (1) defining the problem, (2) developing a plan to address the problem, (3) implementing the plan and (4) evaluating the plan’s effectiveness.

Universal support refers to the efforts applied so all students develop academically, behaviorally and social-emotionally. Recognizing that students vary in their levels of readiness, interests and learning styles, the basis for universal support is providing every child with high-quality instruction in the academic, behavioral and social-emotional skills identified as essential by the school or team. For most, this will be enough for them to achieve, behave and feel a sense of belonging at school.

Targeted support provides identified students with targeted instruction and intervention in areas of need, as evidenced through data collection and analysis. These interventions are provided to supplement universal instruction as the identified students need more time to learn, practice and review the knowledge and skills. Targeted support is most effectively delivered in small group sessions and will vary in terms of instructional procedures, duration and frequency based upon students’ needs.

Intensive support is available to students who experience significant and chronic problems in relation to academic standards, behavioral expectations or social-emotional competencies. Intensive support increases the time, duration and/or frequency of interventions as compared to targeted support and is more likely to be delivered in individual (rather than group) sessions.