High Plains Education Cooperative

 A Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS) is a term used in Kansas to describe how schools go about providing supports for each child in their building to be successful and the processes and tools teachers use to make decisions.  MTSS is a coherent continuum of evidence based, system-wide practices to support a rapid response to academic and behavioral needs, with frequent data-based monitoring for instructional decision-making to empower each Kansas student to achieve to high standards.

 Decide what is important for students to know  Teach what is important for students to know  Make changes according to the results you collect  Keep track of how students are doing

 Are you satisfied with achievement results?  Are we meeting all student needs?  Do you have poor overall outcomes re: benchmark tests, graduation rates, transition?  Are programs disjointed across general, remedial, ESL and Special Education?  Do you have compromised outcomes and mal‐distributed resources?  It’s the right thing to do for kids!

We know : The earlier school staff can assess students’ learning needs and identify difficulties, the quicker and less expensive the task is to remediate and keep students on track The longer a student goes without assistance, the longer the remediation time and the more intense the services must be There is emerging evidence that if we wait until 3 rd or 4 th grade to deliver intensive remediation, many students who struggled in the earlier grades will not catch up with peers

Activity 1

Core Beliefs * Every child learns and achieves to high standards * Learning includes academic and social competencies * Every member of the learning community continues to grow, learn and reflect * Every leader at all levels is responsible for every child * Change is intentional, coherent and dynamic

Activity 2

 Every Child will be provided a rigorous and research based curriculum  Every child will be provided effective and relentless teaching  Interventions will be provided at the earliest identification of need  Policy will be based on evidence based practice  Every educator will continuously gain knowledge and develop expertise to build capacity and sustain effective practice  Resources will be intentionally designed and redesigned to match student needs

 Every leader will be responsible for planning, implementing and evaluating  Academic and behavioral data will be used to inform instructional decisions  Educators, families and community members will be part of the fundamental practices of effective problem‐solving and instructional decision making  An empowering culture creates collective responsibility and student success

 Appropriate core instruction,  Scientifically validated curriculum,  Recommended 90 minutes uninterrupted instruction in reading  Class wide interventions  Universal screening, such as maps, dibels, Aimsweb, STEEP etc.  Differentiated curriculum,  Accommodation/adaptation for all students,  School-wide support programs,  Documented activities to help all students to ensure success,  Assessment results are shared with parents,  Involvement of parents.  Documentation (ILP)

 Supplemental instruction using targeted research based on interventions,  Add 30 minutes of instructional time  In small groups  Problem solving through a team approach to assist targeted students,  Progress monitoring,  Involvement of parents,  Documentation (ILP)

 Intensive instruction using targeted RB intervention (layered services above and beyond supplemental),  Additional 30 minutes of instructional time.  In small groups or individual.  Continued problem solving with a team,  Involvement of parents,  Diagnostic assessment with sensitive time bound measurements,  Documentation (ILP)

 Curriculum  Aligned to state standards  Addresses 5 areas of reading, 4 standards of math, and 6 traits of writing  Research based  Valid, reliable and taught with fidelity  Assessment:  Universal screening tools  Diagnostic testing/drill down  Progress monitoring

 Instruction  Current practices  Allocations of resources  Scheduling  Professional development  Data  Cut scores  Analysis  Monitoring  Fluidity  Data driven decisions  documentation

 Behavioral system  Core-School wide positive behavioral support  Supplemental-Small group/classroom  Intensive- Individual behavior plans

Activity 3

Activity 4

 Needs  What type of professional development do we need?  Who is going to do it?  When are we going to do it?  Length of time needed  Follow-up/Accountability  Options

For more information on MTSS, contact HPEC For additional information on MTSS visit