Tier 1 — the floor
The lowest tier — a student can reach it two different ways, which is why it's the one tier with two examples.
A speech-only kindergartner
Speech is her only service, which triggers the speech-only override and sets Tier 1. Her Communication domain carries real, ratable need, and she is still Tier 1 — the override sets the tier by rule, not by how the domain rates.
A minimal-services first grader
One light reading service, every factor at Minimum. He reaches Tier 1 through his domain ratings rather than an override — the same tier, a different route.
Up the ladder — Tiers 2 to 5
As more domains carry service and reach Significant, a student climbs. These four show the combined domain ratings at work.
Resource room, dyslexia instruction
One Significant academic domain — it reaches Significant because the IEP requires a documented dyslexia practitioner. A clear look at the credential factor.
Academic plus behavior
Two Significant domains, curriculum and behavior, place her at Tier 3 — and the first real judgment call (Tier 2 vs 3).
Transition-age, multiple domains
Four domains at mixed intensity, rated against same-grade peers. Because he has another instructional service, his speech counts as a related service.
High, but no fifth domain
Four domains carrying service, fifth with no service — so the Tier 6 pattern doesn't apply and she is placed at Tier 5.
The top — Tiers 6, 7, 8
Where the two pattern rules and the residential override set the tier. Read 5→6→7 in order to see the pattern logic click.
Four significant, one moderate
Exactly the pattern Tier 6 depends on: four domains at Significant and the fifth at Moderate. The middle of the three-way contrast.
Every domain significant
The highest tier set by the domain ratings, reached because every one of the five domains is Significant. A maximally involved student.
Residential placement
The top tier, set by the residential override — but every factor is still rated in full, because the override sets the tier without removing the rating work.
How to read the Tier 5 → 6 → 7 contrast
If you read only three of these, read these three in order. They share nearly the same profile and differ only in the fifth domain — the heart of the model: the tier reflects the pattern of a student's needs across all five domains, not a single combined total.
| Example | Fifth domain | Tier | How it's set |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 10, four involved domains | no service | 5 | combined domain ratings |
| Grade 2, four significant + one moderate | Moderate | 6 | the four-Significant-and-one-Moderate pattern |
| Grade 7, all five significant | Significant | 7 | the five-Significant pattern |