Instructional Coherence: Aligning Every Tier for Student Success
Dr. Stephanie Stollar is a nationally respected literacy leader, researcher, and consultant known for her ability to translate reading science into clear, actionable practice. She is the founder of The Reading Science Academy and co-founder of MTSS Collective, online memberships for implementing evidence-based practices.
Dr. Stollar has served as a university professor, a school psychologist, and the Vice President for Professional Learning at Acadience Learning. She has trained thousands of educators in MTSS, assessment, prevention‑focused intervention, and evidence‑aligned early literacy instruction. Her work is grounded in decades of research and hands‑on experience supporting schools in building effective systems that meet the needs of all learners.
Widely admired for her clarity, depth of knowledge, and unwavering commitment to prevention, Dr. Stollar is recognized as one of the field’s most trusted voices. Her presentations consistently empower educators with the tools and understanding they need to create meaningful, lasting change in literacy outcomes.
What Is Instructional Coherence?
Instructional coherence describes the strategic alignment of a student’s academic experience across every setting in the school day. It often is defined as instruction that shares the same content, skills, and language across core classroom instruction (Tier 1) and intervention instruction (Tiers 2 and 3). When every tier speaks the same language, students spend less energy deciphering new expectations and more time mastering skills.
When the instruction a student receives throughout the day is not aligned, confusion follows. Students become unsure of what to expect next, which terms to use, or how to respond to their teacher. Lack of coherence also creates inefficiencies for educators, wasting time and duplicating effort across tiers.
Most publications about instructional coherence assume coherence is a one-way street—that intervention instruction should always align with grade-level content. But is that always the best approach? Are there cases in which aligning core instruction with intervention would better serve students? Asking this question is the first step toward building a truly coherent instructional system, one in which every tier reinforces the same evidence-based practices.
Questions That Guide Alignment
These questions can help educators decide how to align instructional opportunities for students:
- What do universal screening and diagnostic assessment data indicate about students’ skills relative to end-of-grade standards or outcomes?
- How many students are on track to reach grade-level standards by the end of the year?
- Which practices work best for teaching the skills students need to learn?
- Which available instructional routines and materials contain those evidence-based practices?
Careful review of data and strategic selection of instructional materials make these questions easier to answer, pairing reliable assessment data with routines educators can trust.
When Core Instruction Needs To Change
Rather than assuming intervention, tutoring, and special education supports should always align with core instruction, it may be more effective for core instruction to adopt the practices, routines, language, and expectations already used in intervention. These conditions may signal that core instruction is not the ideal target for alignment:
- A large proportion of students score below expectations on universal screening, indicating a need for intervention support.
- The adopted core program has not been favorably reviewed or lacks alignment with research.
- The core instructional system has not increased the percentage of students on track across the year.
These are the signals that research-based programs are designed to address, closing gaps with instruction proven to move students toward grade-level mastery.
Taking the First Step Toward Coherence
What small steps can educators take to move toward alignment across tiers? Taking action can begin with reflecting on the instructional environment and identifying inconsistencies that may confuse students.
This table lists instructional variables that support coherence and alignment, along with examples of how instructional settings commonly vary. School teams can take a first step toward greater coherence by noting and discussing these inconsistencies.
| Variable | Example |
|---|---|
| Terminology | Words with long-vowel spellings are called different things in different classrooms (e.g., magic e, silent e, VCe). |
| Responding to Questions | Some teachers signal choral responses while others call on students with a raised hand. |
| Behavioral Expectations | Different procedures are used to ask permission to leave the room—taking a key from a hook, using a silent signal, or directly asking the teacher. |
| Assessment Data | General education teachers might use an assessment like MAP, while special education teachers use AimsWeb. |
| Lesson Routines | Phonics lessons in the general education classroom begin with segmenting sounds in spoken words, while lessons in the special education resource room begin with a visual drill. |
| Materials | A published program is used in Tier 1, but teachers are expected to create their own lessons for Tiers 2 and 3. |
By taking strategic action in these areas, educators can strengthen instructional coherence, lightening the cognitive load for students and creating systemic efficiencies for staff. The result is alignment that drives both efficiency and results.