What Tier 1 Math Instruction Actually Means (And What it Doesn't)

When you hear "Tier 1 instruction," do you picture your whole-group lesson and nothing else?

You’re not alone. It's one of the most common misconceptions in the tiered support model. Let’s bust that myth. Tier 1 isn't a one-size-fits-all lesson. This episode breaks down why it's easy to confuse Tier 1 as a whole-group curriculum, what Tier 1 is, and what it isn’t.

In this episode, you'll explore:

• How differentiation lives inside your core Tier 1 instruction
• Why small groups can still be Tier 1 instruction
• Simple questions to help you respond to students’ needs

If you've ever wondered what Tier 1 instruction looks like during your math block, this episode provides several concrete examples.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Free Training: Making Smart Small Group Decisions

Want more support differentiating math instruction and running small groups with confidence? Check out my membership for third-grade teachers. →  Elementary Math Fam

If you liked this, follow the show so you never miss an episode and come visit me on Instagram @mrelementarymath.

Transcript

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When I say the words tier one instruction, do any of these pop into your head? Whole group lesson? The core curriculum? Or everybody gets the same instruction? If any of those come to mind, this episode might change the way you think about tier one because tier one is a lot more than your whole group lesson or core curriculum. And today I'm breaking down what tier one actually is and how to match your response to what a student truly needs instead of guessing. Welcome to the Teaching Math Made Easy Podcast. I'm your host Greg, otherwise known as Mr. Elementary Math. Here we share practical ideas to help your students learn and tips to help you feel more confident teaching elementary math. Alright, we are back. But before we jump in, I want to give you a quick overview of the tiered system of support. Just so we're on the same page, alright? At the most basic level, the tiers are simply a way of organizing different levels of support students receive. The three tiers include Tier 1, which is the core support every student receives. Tier 2 adds more targeted support for students who need more than Tier 1 alone. And Tier 3 provides even more intensive individualized support when needed. These supports are layered. And most importantly, the tier describes the level of support a student is receiving, not the student. So with that basic picture in mind, let's talk about one of the biggest misconceptions about Tier 1. A lot of educators hear Tier 1 and immediately think it means whole group instruction. But that's only part of the picture. Yes, whole group instruction can absolutely be part of Tier 1. But Tier 1 can also include partner work, small groups, center time, different representations, extra modeling, guided practice, and many other ways of helping students access the math you're teaching. So let's talk about what Tier 1 actually is. Tier 1 is the high quality core math instruction every student receives, with differentiation built in to help students access and learn grade level mathematics. Let's look at the first part of this definition, starting with every student. Tier 1 isn't just for students who are meeting expectations. In fact, students who need tier 2 or tier 3 intervention still receive tier 1 instruction. Additional support is just added on to the core instruction they are already getting. So every student has access to tier 1. Even a student receiving additional tier 2 or tier 3 support still needs access to high quality grade level core mathematics. Which leads us to another question. What do we mean when we say high-quality core instruction? High quality doesn't mean perfect or complicated, not at all. It means that the instruction is intentional and responsive. And basically, students get clear modeling, opportunities to think and respond, actionable feedback, and support that adjusts based on data. And that's important because a curriculum alone can't do all of that. This is where tier one sometimes gets reduced to whatever curriculum happens to be sitting on the teacher's desk, all right? But your curriculum and your tier one instruction are not exactly the same. Your curriculum is only part of tier one. Tier 1 is also what you do with it. It's the questions you ask and how you scaffold instruction based on student responses. It's the different opportunities students have to practice and explain their thinking. It's the feedback you provide and the adjustments you make when students need something different. And all of that matters because going back to our definition, differentiation doesn't wait until tier two intervention. It's already taken place within tier one instruction. Let's look at an example. Alright? Let's say you're teaching a whole group place value lesson. You model place value representations using base 10 blocks and a place value chart. As you model, you ask students questions and adjust your questioning and support based on their needs. Then you give students an opportunity to work in pairs while you walk around the room, asking questions and checking in for understanding. As you do this, you notice that some students need additional support. During centers, you pull those students and bring the base 10 blocks back out. You have them compose and decompose different numbers, you have them connect the blocks to the drawings, and then connect the drawings back to the written number. Meanwhile, the rest of your class is working in meaningful math centers they can complete independently. In this example, whole group, partner work, and small group instruction are all happening within your high-quality tier one instruction. Small group instruction doesn't automatically mean tier two intervention. So I'm gonna say that again. Small group instruction doesn't automatically mean tier two instruction. In this case, it's still tier one. You've simply adjusted the core instruction based on what your students need. That distinction matters because sometimes we treat tier one like everybody gets one shot at the whole group lesson. And if they get it, that's great. But if they don't get it after that one lesson, we sometimes assume they need tier two. But high-quality tier one instruction should already have some differentiation built into it. Students aren't all going to understand a concept in exactly the same way or at exactly the same pace. Some students may need a concrete model to make a mathematical connection more explicit. Some may need another example and more guided practice. Others may be ready to extend the idea further. Picture a lesson on area. At the start of the lesson, you use square tiles to teach the concept. During guided practice, you provide students with manipulatives and a set of practice problems. Some students use the square tiles to physically build and count the area, while others draw grids on paper to show their thinking. You also have an early finisher extension activity ready for students who complete the problem set accurately before their classmates do. That doesn't mean you've suddenly created three different tiers. It means you're responding to what students need within tier one. So really, tier one isn't everybody getting the exact same thing. It's everybody getting access to strong grade level math instruction with built-in support when they need it. And if you want a simple way to decide what kind of instruction a student needs before you plan the lesson, I put together a free training called Making Smart Small Group Decisions. It walks you through exactly how I think through that decision. So you're not guessing what resources to pull or why. I'll drop the link in the show notes. So here's something to think about when you notice a student needs more support. Instead of automatically thinking, this student needs tier two, ask yourself, can I respond to this need through differentiation within tier one? Or am I seeing something that calls for additional targeted support? The goal isn't to avoid tier two, the goal is to give students the level of support they actually need. Now, let's look at an example that involves most of the class. What if 14 students in a class of 20 don't understand the same idea? That's probably a good time to reflect on your core instruction. So instead of immediately thinking, 14 of my students need tier 2 intervention, sometimes the better question is, is there something I need to adjust in tier 1? In a case like this, you might ask yourself several questions, including some of these. How can I make the math more visual? Would a different representation help? How can I make the connection between ideas more explicit? Would students benefit from more guided practice? Would they benefit from more time moving from concrete to abstract? Is there a common misconception showing up across most of the class? This is where your data can help you look for a pattern. Do most of your students share the same misconception? Once you know what the pattern is, you can make a better decision about what needs to change within Tier 1 and which students may still need additional Tier 2 support. The most important thing is that the response matches the need, whether that need is showing up with one student, a small group, or most of the class. Alright? For one student, that might mean scaffolding your feedback when they answer a question or having them draw models to show their thinking. For a small group, it might mean embedding the use of manipulatives in a lesson or providing sentence stems to support deeper math discussions. And when the need is showing up across most of the class, the response may be something you build into tier one for everyone, like using a think aloud to make your math thinking more visible. So, here's what I want you to remember about tier one. High quality instruction isn't confined to one setting. Questioning, feedback, think alouds, scaffolds, and other strong instructional practices can happen during whole group instruction, partner work, small groups, or one-on-one support. What changes is how you use those practices to respond to student needs. Tier 1 isn't just your whole group lesson or curriculum, and it doesn't mean every student gets the exact same instruction in the exact same way. Tier 1 is the high-quality, grade level math instruction every student has access to, with differentiation embedded to help students get what they need. And yes, that can absolutely include the teacher-led small group. Alright? I want you to hold on to that thought because next week we're going to talk about tier two. And here's a spoiler, I'll give you now. Tier 2 isn't just more math in a smaller group. So make sure to come back next Tuesday because we're taking the next step and answering the question, what actually makes Tier 2 Tier 2? Knowing what strong Tier 1 instruction looks like is the first step. The next step is having what you need. If you're looking for more than just ideas and want targeted lessons, activities, and support to bring Tier 1 math instruction to life in your classroom, I created the Elementary Math FAM. Inside the membership, you'll find targeted small group lessons, meaningful math activities, skills-based assessments, and so much more. All ready to use so you can become the confident, prepared teacher your students need. The link is inside the show notes, so be sure to check it out. Thanks for joining me today. If you like this episode, follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so we can catch up next week. Until next time, keep teaching math with confidence because you've got this.