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Early identification and remediation of literacy, numeracy,
and social-emotional difficulties in kindergarten:
an examination of the efficacy of a multi-tiered system of
support (MTSS)

Identification précoce et remédiation des difficultés en littératie, en numératie
et sur le plan socio-émotionnel à l'école maternelle :
examen de l'efficacité d'un système de soutien à paliers multiples (SPSS en français, MTSS en anglais)

Frühzeitige Erkennung und Behebung von Lese-, Schreib-, Rechen-
und sozial-emotionalen Schwierigkeiten im Kindergarten:
eine Untersuchung der Wirksamkeit eines mehrstufigen Unterstützungssystems (MTSS)

Identificazione precoce e recupero delle difficoltà di alfabetizzazione,
calcolo e socio-emotive nella scuola dell'infanzia:
un esame dell'efficacia di un sistema di supporto multilivello (MTSS)

MTSS-K meta-analysis findings presented at the 2026 AERA Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, California

How can early, targeted support in kindergarten help strengthen children’s learning outcomes? This question was at the centre of a recent MTSS-K presentation at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), held in Los Angeles, California, from 8 to 12 April 2026. As one of the major international conferences for education research, AERA provides a forum for researchers to present new findings and discuss evidence across a wide range of educational topics.

MTSS-K team member Marta Pellegrini from the University of Cagliari presented the paper “Effects of the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) approach on early academic outcomes: A meta-analysis” in the session Measurement and Assessment in Early Childhood. The presentation shared findings from a project meta-analysis looking at how MTSS can support children’s early literacy and numeracy skills.

Overall, the findings suggest that MTSS can have a positive effect on children’s early learning. Additional, more targeted support at Tier 2–3 and interventions across several tiers showed stronger results than Tier 1 approaches, however, the difference between these levels of support was not statistically significant. For literacy, the results also indicated that children benefited more when support was delivered by highly qualified tutors. Taken together, these findings underline the importance of well-structured, targeted support in helping children build strong foundations for learning.