Worked example · Tier 6 · Second grade
What a Tier 6 student looks like
Zuri is a second grader with four domains rating Significant and the fifth Moderate. That exact pattern is what the Tier 6 gate looks for, so it places her at Tier 6 — and reading her beside the Tier 5 and Tier 7 students shows the gate turning on the fifth domain alone.
The student
Zuri is a second grader with autism, served in a self-contained classroom with a dedicated 1:1 paraprofessional. Her IEP documents intensive specialized instruction five days a week, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and supports that reach into behavior, communication, independent functioning, and personal care/health. Every domain carries documented service — she's a substantially-involved young student whose program touches all five areas.
What jumps out first
No override. Every domain is live, so there's nothing to set aside; the rating covers all five, and the question is what pattern they form. At this level of involvement, the pattern is what routes the tier, not the running sum.
The domains that matter
By highest-wins, four domains land on Significant and one on Moderate. Each domain's table shows what the IEP requires and where its top factor lands.
Curriculum & Instruction — Significant
| Factor | What the IEP requires | Level |
|---|---|---|
| A — type/frequency | Intensive specialized instruction, five days a week | Significant (3) |
| B — credentials | Delivered by special education staff | Moderate (2) |
| C — ratio | Self-contained setting with a reduced ratio | Moderate (2) |
| D — equipment | Standard instructional supports | Minimum (1) |
Highest factor wins, so Curriculum & Instruction = Significant.
Communication — Significant
| Factor | What the IEP requires | Level |
|---|---|---|
| A — type/frequency | Intensive direct speech therapy | Significant (3) |
| B — credentials | Delivered by a licensed SLP with specialized communication expertise | Significant (3) |
| C — ratio | No special ratio required | None (0) |
| D — equipment | Communication access leans on individualized supports / technology | Significant (3) |
Highest factor wins, so Communication = Significant.
Independent Functioning — Significant
| Factor | What the IEP requires | Level |
|---|---|---|
| A — type/frequency | Daily support for independent-functioning routines | Significant (3) |
| B — credentials | Delivered by special education staff with specialized training | Significant (3) |
| C — ratio | Dedicated 1:1 paraprofessional support | Significant (3) |
| D — equipment | No specialized equipment required | None (0) |
Highest factor wins, so Independent Functioning = Significant.
Personal Care / Health — Significant
| Factor | What the IEP requires | Level |
|---|---|---|
| A — type/frequency | Regular personal-care and health support | Moderate (2) |
| B — credentials | Delivered by trained classroom staff | Moderate (2) |
| C — ratio | Hands-on 1:1 assistance | Significant (3) |
| D — equipment | Specialized personal-care equipment | Significant (3) |
Highest factor wins, so Personal Care / Health = Significant.
Behavior — Moderate
| Factor | What the IEP requires | Level |
|---|---|---|
| A — type/frequency | Documented behavioral support, occasional | Minimum (1) |
| B — credentials | Delivered by general classroom staff | Minimum (1) |
| C — ratio | Reduced ratio for behavioral support | Moderate (2) |
| D — equipment | Standard behavioral supports | Minimum (1) |
Highest factor wins, so Behavior = Moderate — documented support, but at a moderate rather than significant level. So across the board: four Significant domains and one Moderate (what's a domain?).
The empty domains
None — every domain carries documented direct service.
The tier
Tier 6, by the four-significant-plus-one-moderate gate. When exactly four domains are Significant and the fifth is Moderate, the rubric routes to Tier 6 by a gate that overrides the ordinary ladder sum. This is the middle of three related cases, and seeing all three makes the gate legible.
Four Significant domains plus a Moderate fifth routes to Tier 6 by a deterministic gate — it overrides the ordinary ladder sum. The fifth domain is the hinge: empty drops to Tier 5 (the gate doesn't fire; the ladder places it), Moderate is this student at Tier 6, and a fifth Significant climbs to Tier 7 on a different gate. How scores become a tier →
The lesson: it's the pattern across domains that decides, not the count alone. The difference between Tier 5 and Tier 6 here is entirely whether that fifth domain is empty or Moderate.
Service groups
Service groups are the separate read. Zuri has related services — speech 30 min/wk plus OT 30 min × 2/wk — summing to 540 minutes per six-week period, which meets the threshold for Service Group 3. She also has a dedicated 1:1 paraprofessional, which the Groups 4–5 axis measures by the percentage of the instructional day spent in dedicated one-to-one support — so she additionally carries a Group 4/5 designation. Groups 1–3 and 4–5 are separate axes; a student can hold one from each.
What this example shows
The Tier 6 gate, in the middle of the three-way contrast that defines it. Four Significant domains is necessary but not sufficient for Tier 6 — the fifth domain has to be Moderate; empty drops to Tier 5, and a fifth Significant climbs to Tier 7. The tier is a statement about the shape of a student's needs across all five domains.
Related examples
- One rung down (Tier 5) — involved domains with an empty fifth (Grace Parker). The gate doesn't fire.
- One rung up (Tier 7) — all five domains Significant (Juan Gonzalez).
- The gate, explained — how scores become a tier.