Second Step® Tiered Interventions: Targeted Support for Students Who Need It

Nearly every teacher knows them: the students who are almost keeping pace. They understand the lesson but lose focus halfway through. They get along with peers but struggle to resolve a disagreement. They start a project strong but stall when it’s time to organize their thoughts.

These students don’t need a completely different curriculum. They just need a little more support to strengthen the skills that help them focus, persevere, and connect with others. These essential human skills—such as managing emotions, navigating relationships, and organizing tasks—are what unlock their academic potential and help them tackle challenges with confidence. And just like any lesson, they need to be taught.

Why human skills can be the turning point

Academic skills don’t live in a vacuum. A child who can’t regulate frustration may struggle to complete math problems, even if they understand the concepts. A middle schooler who freezes in group work might miss the chance to contribute their best ideas. But human skills instruction can help boost their engagement, academic achievement, and long-term well-being.

And yet, in busy classrooms, it can be hard to give certain students the extra coaching they need to build those skills. That’s where targeted instruction comes in. Second Step® Tier 2 supports fill that gap. They offer structured small-group lessons that help students practice specific skills in a supportive environment. The focus of each lesson is narrow—such as building flexible thinking or learning how to “flip” unhelpful thoughts—but the ripple effects can be wide.

Tier 2 lessons will now be available in Second Step® Elementary and Second Step® Middle School digital programs at no extra cost. These lessons give educators the tools to help students who need more than Second Step Tier 1 instruction but don’t require intensive, individualized interventions.

What makes Tier 2 special

Tier 2 lessons are designed for small-group instruction across three focus areas:

• Emotions, Thoughts & Feelings: Students learn to recognize unhelpful thoughts and practice turning them into helpful ones. For example, K–2 learners explore a short story and create a drawing showing how changing their thinking can help them feel and act differently.
• Relationships & Prosocial Skills: Students practice respectful problem-solving and collaboration. For example, in Grades 3–5, learners create a comic illustrating how thoughtful choices solve everyday social challenges.
• Executive Functioning: Students build on-task behavior, flexible thinking, and planning skills. For example, middle schoolers see emotion-management strategies modeled and practice planning how to use them when needed.

Each focus area includes six age-appropriate lessons per grade band (Grades K–2, 3–5, and 6–8), giving educators 18 lessons per band and 54 lessons in total.

Educators also receive an optional Assessment Toolkit with a universal screener, a teacher-report rubric, and a progress-tracking spreadsheet, making it easier to monitor growth and identify students who can benefit from targeted support.

How Tier 2 lessons help skills stick in the classroom

Targeted Tier 2 lessons help students strengthen the human skills that make learning stick. These small-group lessons align with Second Step Tier 1 content, giving students the opportunity to further practice, reflect, and gain confidence in skill-building before taking those skills back into the larger classroom.

This approach also supports educators and school leaders by:

• Ensuring support is scalable and targeted
• Providing built-in tools for tracking progress and maintaining implementation fidelity
• Strengthening cohesion across tiers so all students experience a consistent approach
• Encouraging engagement and buy-in from both students and families

Giving students the extra boost they need

Sometimes, the difference between “almost there” and thriving is just a little extra support. Tier 2 lessons give students the extra practice, feedback, and confidence to succeed—not just in school but in life. Second Step programs ensure every student has the opportunity to grow essential skills with intentional, hands-on practice that meets them where they are.

See Second Step® Tier 2 lessons in action

Curious how Second Step Tiered Interventions could fit into your classroom or school? Explore our Tier 2 sample lessons or request a FREE consultation to see how targeted human skills instruction can help support the diverse needs of all students.