Why PBIS Tier 2 Matters and How to Make It Simple and Sustainable

[00:00:00]
In today’s episode, we’re talking about PBIS Tier 2—why it matters and how to make it simple and sustainable. That’s all coming up next on The Principal’s Handbook.

Intro

Welcome to The Principal’s Handbook, your go-to resource for principals looking to revamp their leadership approach and prioritize self-care.

I’m Barb Flowers, a certified life coach with eight years of experience as an elementary principal. Each week, I share strategies to boost mental resilience, manage time effectively, and nurture overall wellness.

From tackling daily challenges to maintaining a healthy work-life balance, we’ll navigate the complexities of school leadership together. This is the podcast where your wellbeing is the top priority.

A Love-Hate Relationship with Tier 2

Welcome back, everyone! Today we’re diving into PBIS Tier 2.

I’ll be honest—I’ve had a love-hate relationship with it. In my previous school, we had Tier 1 down really well. The principal before me had laid a strong foundation, and together we earned the PBIS Bronze Award from the state of Ohio for 80%+ Tier 1 fidelity.

So naturally, the next step was Tier 2. And that’s where things got tricky.

Talking with consultants confirmed what we were feeling: Tier 2 is often the hardest to implement.

• Tier 1 is universal, and we’re usually good at that.

• Tier 3 is individualized, and we have processes like IEPs and FBAs.

• But Tier 2—the kids in the middle—can be challenging.

In theory, about 10–15% of students should need Tier 2 support if Tier 1 is solid, and another 5–10% should need Tier 3. But getting Tier 2 right takes intentional planning.

Our First Attempt—and Mistakes We Made

We started by forming a Tier 2 team, riding high on our Tier 1 success. But our mistake?

👉 We built the system to win the Silver Award, not to serve our building.

That meant lots of paperwork, forms, and processes that looked good on paper but weren’t sustainable. Eventually, we had to scrap parts of it and rebuild.

Today, I want to share why Tier 2 matters, the mistakes we made, and the process we landed on that finally worked.

Why Tier 2 Matters

A solid Tier 2 system:

• Reduces office referrals.

• Supports teachers when classroom strategies aren’t enough.

• Prevents burnout and inconsistent discipline.

• Promotes equity with a clear process for behavior interventions.

Think about it: in academics, we don’t just support kids at the very bottom. We have interventions for students who fall just below benchmark, too. Tier 2 for behavior is the same.

Our Tier 2 Process

Here’s how we structured Tier 2 after learning from our false start:

1. Form a Team

   • Members included: administrator, assistant principal, school counselor, teacher reps, behavior coach, a specialist (art/music/PE/etc.), and a classroom teacher.

   • Everyone had a role: a chair to guide the meeting, a note-taker, data tracking, etc.

   • We met biweekly for Tier 2 (and monthly for Tier 1).

2. Set Clear Referral Criteria

   • Students could be referred if they had 3+ office referrals within 6 weeks for similar behaviors.

   • Teachers and parents could also make referrals (though parents rarely did independently).

   • Teachers notified parents before students came to Tier 2—so the letter from the team wasn’t the first time parents heard about concerns.

3. Choose a Few Interventions

   • We started with Check-In/Check-Out, which is one of the most effective Tier 2 strategies.

   • We learned the hard way not to overload teachers with too many interventions at once. Starting small ensured fidelity and progress monitoring.

   • Later, we added other tools, like Behavior Academies (I’ll link that episode in the show notes).

4. Monitor Progress

   • Students were reviewed every 6–8 weeks.

   • Tier 2 should be short-term. If a student stayed all year, they probably needed Tier 3.

   • We used observations, data, and teacher input to decide if interventions were working.

Mindset Shifts for Staff

One of the biggest hurdles wasn’t the process—it was staff mindset.

We had to reframe:

• Referring a student does not mean you’ve failed as a teacher. It means you’re seeking support.

• The paperwork isn’t busywork—it’s a tool to track progress and make interventions more effective.

• Change does happen. We had to share success stories regularly so teachers saw the impact.

We reminded staff: Tier 2 is support, not judgment.

Common Pitfalls (and Fixes)

We definitely learned from mistakes. Here are a few:

• Teachers forgot how to refer.
  → We solved this with cheat sheets, quick refreshers in staff meetings, and reminders in weekly notes.

• Meetings ran long.
  → Teachers could talk 30 minutes about one student! We started using the referral form as a guide, kept to highlights, and used timers to stay on track.

• Low parent communication.
  → We made it non-negotiable that teachers contacted parents before the Tier 2 letter went home.

• Staff overwhelm.
  → Our first year was too much, too fast. Scaling back to a simple, sustainable system made all the difference.

Final Takeaways

If you’re starting Tier 2 in your building:

• Don’t wait for perfection. Progress > perfection.

• Start simple. One team, clear criteria, one or two interventions.

• Remember: Tier 2 isn’t about fixing kids—it’s about supporting growth.

Behavior progress isn’t a straight line. There will be ups and downs, but long-term growth is the goal.

Your students—and your teachers—deserve a system that works.

Resources & Closing

Because of all the mistakes and overwhelm we faced, I created a PBIS Tier 2 Toolkit for Principals.

It includes:

• Forms

• Step-by-step process

• A Google Sheet for staff PD

• Training resources and more

I’ll link it in the show notes if you’d like a ready-to-use system that saves you time and stress.

Also, follow me on TikTok at The 8-to-4 Principal for quick leadership tips, and check out my previous episode on Tier 1 for building a strong foundation.

If you found this helpful, please leave a review—it helps more principals find the podcast.

And remember: you have the power to shape your life according to the mindset you choose.

Have a great week, and I’ll see you next time.