Unlocking the Behavior Code: How Function-Based Behavior Skills Coaching Empowers Teachers and Reduces Tier III Referrals in Mtss

Author

• Erin C. Smith-Harrah, Clemson UniversityFollow

Date of Award

8-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education Systems Improvement Science

Committee Chair/Advisor

Dr. Brandi Hinnant-Crawford

Committee Member

Dr. Edwin Bonney

Committee Member

Dr. Catherine Griffith

Committee Member

Dr. Paula Alexander

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of behavior skills coaching on the percentage of students receiving Tier 3 intervention at an elementary school in South Carolina using a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework. The research site for this study has experienced a significant increase in students referred for and receiving Tier 3 instruction. Whereas Tier 3 instruction typically accounts for 5% of a student population, data indicate that the percentage of students who received Tier 3 instruction at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year at this campus was 39%, with 14% identified as students with disabilities (Weist et al., 2024).

In addition, the research site has been identified as an Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) school. There has been an increase in ATSI schools in South Carolina since 2018 (SCDE, 2024), indicating that more students, particularly students in subgroups, are not meeting grade-level expectations and therefore have larger learning gaps. In addition to Pupils in Poverty accounting for 80% of the student population at this site, there has been a growing student population from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

School and district administrators often overlook the strengths and weaknesses of Tier 1 instruction when considering the causes of achievement gaps (Capper, 2019). Rather than restructuring the current system to provide equitable opportunities for all students, "educational bandages" are often used to provide interventions for students identified as outliers (Capper, 2019, p. 42). A lack of Tier 1 behavior curriculum and behavior management systems causes an increase in students engaging in undesired behaviors. An increase in undesired student behavior in Tier 1 reduces teachers' self-efficacy, resulting in lower student achievement (Conner et al., 2022). Students who engage in undesired behaviors are more likely to be referred for Tier 3 support (McGuire et al., 2023).  A comprehensive review of the literature indicated that there was room for research to examine the impact of a school-based coach on school-wide and class-wide behavior (Bethune, 2017).

This study shows how an elementary school in South Carolina uses behavior skills coaching within an MTSS framework to address the significant percentage of students receiving Tier 3 instruction. Behavior skills coaching has two components: coaching cycles and ongoing behavior skills training. Research indicates that student achievement increases when the skills and strategies that teachers acquire through training are vertically transferred to the classroom (Joyce & Showers, 1981; Kraft, 2018).  Behavior skills training is rooted in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) theory and delivers knowledge about function-based interventions. A mixed-methods research design showed that the intervention was successful in increasing teacher self-efficacy, strengthening Tier 1 instruction, and ultimately decreasing the number of students requiring Tier 3 intervention.

Recommended Citation

Smith-Harrah, Erin C., "Unlocking the Behavior Code: How Function-Based Behavior Skills Coaching Empowers Teachers and Reduces Tier III Referrals in Mtss" (2026). All Dissertations. 4381.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/4381