1. North Carolina Department of Public Instruction 2012
Multi-Tier System of Support (MTSS): Team Initiated Problem-Solving (TIPS)
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
2012
Presenter: Keith
Caldwell County Schools
July 15 – 17, 2015 1

2. Objectives Understand the key components of effective teams
Know the five steps in the Team Initiated Problem- Solving (TIPS) model
Develop a plan for effective meeting foundations
Presenter: Keith

3. Teams: Purpose District Student Team
District implementation Districtwide problem-solving
Provide support to schools
District
School
(Vertical Team)
Grade (Horizontal Team)
Student Team
School implementation Schoolwide problem-solving
Provide support to staff
Professional Learning Community (PLC) problem-solving for foundational core and supplemental support
Presenter: Keith
Teams
All levels
Last level is the individual student problem solving team; can be same as the school with some different people depending on the student being discussed.
District team – looks at districtwide data; problem solve as a district;
School team – collaborates with district team; looks at universal screening data and problem solving related to screening; then provides system of support to the teachers in the building
Grade level/department – looking at what supplemental supports are needed by grade level groups
Individual student problem-solving through Professional Learning Community (PLC) for foundational core, supplemental, and intensive support

4. District School Individual Student Grade/ Department
Instructional Changes
Trends
School
Data Decision Rules
Instructional Changes
All/Group Response
Initiatives
Coaching
Coaching
Climate Survey
Teacher Retention
Climate Survey
Teacher Retention
Data Decision Rules
Individual Student
Grade/ Department
Presenter: Keith
Pacing
All/Group Response
Instructional Changes
Response to instruction
Compare to like peers

5. Building Infrastructure
Presenter: Keith

6. District Leadership Team
School Leadership Team
Foundational Core Team
Supplemental Support Team
Intensive Support Team
Presenter: Keith

7. District Team School Team Alignment Vision Initiatives Collaboration
Teaming
Presenter: Keith
CCS District Team’s Vision:

8. District Team Team Members Elementary Education Director
Middle School Director
ESL Director
Title I Director
AIG Director
Title I Parent/Program Developer
EC Director
School Psychologist
Instructional Facilitator
High School Director
Behavior
Support
Presenter: Keith
District Team and Team Members headings appear on the slide.
One click starts the other rectangles showing up (slowly) so you can make comments as they appear or just continue to talk about the formation of the team as the titles appear on the slide. Behavior Support has been added to the Team for
Order of appearance:
Title I Director
Elementary Education Director
Title I Parent/Program Developer
School Psychologist
EC Director
ESL Director
Instructional Facilitator
AIG Director
Middle School Director
High School Director
Behavior Support
Team Members

9. Skill set trumps filling spaces
School Team
Principal
Assistant Principal
Content Specialists
Regular Ed Teachers
Special Ed Teachers
ESL Teacher
AIG Teacher
Counselor
School Psychologist
Instructional Facilitator
EXAMPLE of Team
Presenter: Keith
Think SKILLS needed before title
Who knows data? Etc.
Think about personalities also – who can be the cheerleader?
A school improvement model – so all students involved therefore need all areas represented on this MTSS team (this is not the only team in the MTSS process and not the team that makes all the instructional decisions.)
Group of people with different areas of expertise; resource; could be the vertical team (similar to School Improvement Team)
Skill set trumps filling spaces

10. School Team Members Learners Families Community collaborators
May attend on an “as needed” basis but these groups are important stakeholders!
Presenter: Keith

11. Meeting Foundations Team purpose Defined agreements about processes
Established roles and responsibilities
Electronic meeting notes
Presenter: Barbara
Basic Meeting Foundations Elements are essential no matter what type of meeting is being conducted. Teams need to know the purpose and expected outcomes of their group, they need to establish operating agreements (always start with something nice, avoid side talk, be on time, etc), and they need to establish roles and the expected responsibilities .

12. Meeting Foundations: Overview
Meeting starts and ends on time
Consistent attendance by team members
Agenda is used to guide meeting topics
Process is in place to monitor progress of implemented solutions
Review previous meeting notes
Team members prepare for and meet responsibilities during meeting
Presenter: Barbara
Second nature process that is embedded in our school system; not a concentrated effort but ingrained in our meeting structure
No.5 – team members prepare for and meet responsibilities during meeting (can’t fall all to one person; won’t be the principal or the instructional facilitator; have to divide roles in teams. Might be helpful during the first year or two to alternate roles so everyone learns all aspects of team meeting.)

13. Meeting Foundations: Overview
6. Next meeting is scheduled 7. All team members (absent or present) are given notes/minutes within 24 hours of the meeting 8. Decision makers are present when needed 9. Efforts are making a difference in the lives of children/students
Presenter: Barbara

14. Meeting Foundations: Team Roles
Core roles
Facilitator
Note taker
Data analyst
Time Keeper/Gate Keeper
Back up for each role
Combine roles
Presenter: Barbara
We need primary people with a back up person for each role needed. It is encouraged to NOT have the administrator play a primary role for facilitator, data analyst, or note taker. Administrators need to be flexible with what might come up and it is unpredictable when a situation causes administrator absence from a planned meeting. Since we know that this might occur, let’s avoid problems and set up the roles so that the team is not dependent on administrators being at the full meetings 100% of the time.
Facilitator – doesn’t have to be the grade level chair
These are basic roles for all meetings; some meetings will include additional roles such as “resource”
Address schools with smaller staffs working in teams of K-2, 3-5, and Roles may need to be combined. Some schools complete data analysis prior to meeting.
Time keeper and gate keeper can be combined with facilitator, if needed.

15. Facilitator Secures date, time, and location for meetings
Invites participants
Manages room set-up (projector, chairs, etc)
Guides team members in the meeting
Presenter: Barbara

16. Facilitator (cont…)
Ensures participation by all members, using facilitative techniques
Works with time keeper and the note taker to guarantee agenda is followed and time is honored
Acts as liaison between team and administration
Presenter: Barbara

17. Note Taker
Captures the discussion and decisions made by the team in a concise, accurate method
Keeps the paperwork
Distributes copies as needed with appropriate staff members
Presenter: Barbara
Help people understand what needs to be documented and why. If someone talks the entire meeting and there is no discussion, that is a memo, not a meeting! No need to document irrelevant anecdotes like: ‘ Jason yawned after Debbie explained her problem’, or ‘Debbie rolled her eyes and sighed when we talked about the testing schedule’
Post (project) notes while talking about them
Everything based on the data

18. Presenter: Barbara
Don’t add agenda items to a meeting; if it comes up during a meeting, place it on the next agenda.
If the form is shared with additional staff members outside of team, the team’s personal evaluation at the bottom can be deleted from the shared document. 2

19. Data Analyst
Gathers necessary data from team members and other sources
Creates custom reports and graphs as team digs deeper in the data
Presenter: Barbara
Example – data farm information from I.F. (grade level data from Star)
Much of this work is completed prior to the meeting; ready to discuss at the meeting.

20. Time Keeper/Gate Keeper
Keeps time during meeting
Reminds team of allotted time during discussion
Returns conversation to agenda items
Presenter: Barbara
In smaller schools, this may be combined with the facilitator.

21. TIPS Team Member Information
Inform facilitator of attendance issues before meeting
Avoid side talk
Remind each other to stay focused
Start and end on time
Be an active participant
Example of team agreements
Presenter: Barbara
This is a basic version of team member information. It would be ideal to have something like this for each team in the building/district. This information is helpful when new members join the team and when a team member needs to refer to this information 3

22. Meeting Foundations: Environment
2/16/2018
Meeting Foundations: Environment
A key to collective problem solving is to provide a visual context that allows everyone to follow and contribute.
Consider using one form to guide the activities of the meeting and using a projector so that all team members view the content and participate.
Problem
Use Data
Presenter: Barbara
Straight line – desired
Curve – what usually happens
Keeping minutes in front of the group will help keep to the purpose
Solution
Out of Time

23. Activity Begin discussing roles and creating team agreements
Utilize a method in which people have an equal voice
Presenter: Barbara
Approximately 10 minutes

24. Presenter: Barbara

25. What is Team Initiated Problem Solving (TIPS)?
Presenter: Dara

26. Presenter: Dara
Click on the “i” to open the video.
Youtube video – “Stuck”

27. Team Time How is this video relevant to problem-solving in education?
Presenter: Dara

28. Problem-Solving Model
Systematic analysis
Functional assessment
Data
Instructional plan
Plan implementation
Monitoring
Presenter: Dara
Reflection of scientific model
Hypothesis and hypothesis testing
Collection and analysis of data to develop instructional plan
Plan implementation with monitoring of data
Continuous!

29. Problem-Solving Model
Change in mind-set is necessary for all
Student problems are defined
Questions drive assessments
Engage in instruction that addresses learning
Intervention/instructional change is derived from analysis of baseline data
Presenter: Dara
Change in mindset necessary for all.
Systematic and analytic vs. disorganized and haphazard – defining problems with our questions driving assessments.
Proactive vs. reactive – providing instruction to address learning rather than waiting for failure OR lowering expectations

30. Problem-Solving Model
“Ensure positive student outcomes, rather than determining failure or deviance.” (Deno, 1995)
Presenter: Dara

31. 4 Presenter: Dara Continuous never ending circle – not a “path”
Collection and use of data always in the center.
Will go through with examples and case studies later. 4

32. Presenter: Dara
Before identify problem, have to define the standard.
This is the WHAT step – usually good at this.

33. Identify Problem(s) Behavioral/academic definition
Concrete, observable and measurable
Stranger test
Typically begins broad
Presenter: Dara
School = academic and behavior (MTSS)
Academic = benchmark goals based on curriculum standards
Behavior = standard based on schoolwide expectations
Stranger test = measureable and observable
Probably initially defined broadly then drilled down through assessments (digging deeper into the data or with additional assessments as needed.)
Typically starts broad and elicits questions that can be answered by digging deeper into the data.

34. Presenter: Dara
Educated guess – hypothesis
Not strong at doing this
After identify the problem, have to dig deeper to WHY
More difficult but important
WHY? Helps to determine our support method

35. Develop Hypothesis Determining cause Making an informed guess
Answering why
Collecting multiple means of data
Important step
Presenter: Dara
Multiple sources of data
Informed guesses.

36. Develop Hypothesis
We must ask questions to form a hypothesis regarding “What is the problem? Why is it occurring?”
We ask questions across four domains (ICEL)
Instruction
Curriculum
Environment
Learner
Presenter: Dara
What is the problem? Why is it occurring?
ICEL (not LICE) because we want the learner to be the last consideration; what is happening to ICE (instruction, curriculum, and environment) before we look at an individual
Learner is at the end.
We have the least control over Learner (old four tier, response to instruction model looked at learner first in the LICE model.) Learner is the last piece to be looked at.

37. Develop Hypothesis (ICEL)
Instruction
(strategies, pacing, etc.)
Curriculum
(order, materials, etc.)
Environment
(schedule, group size, culture, etc.)
Learner
(Tiers II and III only)
Presenter: Dara
Instruction = strategies, pacing (HOW)
Curriculum = content focus, sequence (WHAT)
Environment – structures and schedules, group size, academic engaged time, relationships, interactions (WHEN and HOW)
Learner = last to be reviewed; only during supplemental and intensive; primarily intensive

38. The fall kindergarten First Sound Fluency (FSF) scores on DIBELS are low because of limited exposure to books prior to entering school
Ms. Jones’ office referrals are high because she is not directly teaching the skills on the classroom behavior matrix
Presenter: Dara
Decide whether each situation relates to instruction, curriculum, or environment
Environment – entering K’s
Instruction – Ms. Jones
Curriculum – 6th grade
The 6th grade benchmark scores on standard 6.NS.2 are low because our pacing guides do not include this standard for this nine weeks

39. Develop Hypothesis (RIOT in ICEL)5
Instruction
Review
Interview
Observe
Test
Curriculum
Environment
Learner
Presenter: Dara
We RIOT within ICEL
Review
Interview
Observe
Test

40. Review Test the Hypothesis Materials Previous Data PD Plan
Discipline Reports
Previous Data
Presenter: Dara
Things we can review
Schools are comfortable with review of previous data related to learner but need to branch out exploration.
Review materials, professional development

41. Interview Test the Hypothesis Teachers Support Staff Other Schools
District Staff
Presenter: Dara
We can test through interviews of teachers, parents, community, students, district contacts. The interviews are focused on gathering purposeful information about instruction, curriculum, and environment.

42. Observe Test the Hypothesis Student Teacher Content Presenter: Dara
Observe centers around instruction and the triangle of content-student-learner.
How are they evidenced in educational setting? How do they relate to each other?
Instructional rounds is tools for testing hypothesis.

43. Test the Hypothesis Test Skill Specific Whole Group Informal
Small Group
Formal
Informal
Presenter: Dara
Testing of Hypothesis and ICE not of Learner
Informal and formal
Whole group and small group
Skill specific based on identified problems

44. Develop Hypothesis Accurately Defined Problem Accurate Hypothesis
Precise Problem Statement
Presenter: Dara
We collect and use data at every stage.
Leads us to better decisions related to how to address the problem.

45. Presenter: Jamie
People want to start here BUT THEY should NOT!!
If they have no data, they have no clue; they are just guessing

46. Discuss & Select Solutions
Solution should be based on the precise problem statement which is developed around instruction, curriculum, environment and/or learner
Precise, clear goal must be set before plan implementation
Goal should be a specific description of desired change in student behavior
Goal should be a SMART goal
Presenter: Jamie
“They’re just not getting it” is not specific

47. Discuss & Select Solutions
S- Specific Behavior M- Measurable A- Attainable R- Relevant T-Time-Bound
Presenter: Jamie
Specific behavior (what is going to change due to instruction)
Attainable – can be tricky

48. List 5 items on your “Bucket List”
SMART Activity
List 5 items on your “Bucket List”
Presenter: Jamie
Each person writes a bucket list with five items.
Publish novel
Travel with wife
Comfortably retire
Get healthy
Live long and prosper

49. SMART Activity
Over the next twelve weeks, I will increase my running distance while decreasing my time per mile in order to complete the Outer Banks Half-Marathon on November 11, 2015.
Presenter: Jamie
Introduce your smart goal, then ask each group to highlight the sample that was placed on their table. Show next slide for the highlighting colors while they complete activity.

50. SMART Activity
Highlight Jamie’s SMART goal Is it Specific (behavior)? Is it Measureable? Is it Attainable? Is it Relevant? Is it Time-bound?
Presenter: Jamie
As table groups (shoulder partner), highlight the sample on each table.

51. SMART Activity
Over the next twelve weeks, I will increase my running distance while decreasing my time per mile in order to complete the Outer Banks Half-Marathon on November 11, 2015.
Presenter: Jamie
After groups finish, show your example.
Specific behavior is green (increase my running distance while decreasing my time per mile)
Measurable is orange underline (running distance, decreasing time per mile, November 11)
Attainable is pink (Outer Banks Half-Marathon)
Relevant is blue highlight (this is personal so everything should be relevant)
Time-bound is red (November 11, 2015)

52. SMART Activity
Write a SMART goal for one of your items Is it Specific (behavior)? Is it Measureable? Is it Attainable? Is it Relevant? Is it Time-bound?
Presenter: Jamie
As partner groups (shoulder partner), chose one item from the two bucket lists and write one SMART goal.
After each group finishes, share with table.
When all tables finish, ask if any table would like to share a SMART goal

53. Presenter: Barbara

54. Develop & Implement Action Plan
Identify methods, procedures and materials that are evidence-based
Describe plan of action (who, what, where, how often)
Include specific goals
Progress monitoring plans included
Presenter: Barbara

55. Develop & Implement Action Plan
Continuation of hypothesis-testing step
Evaluate effectiveness of plan
Change as needed
Reasonable plan for implementation
Clear understanding of implementation
Personnel
Skills and materials
Presenter: Barbara

56. Develop and Implement Action Plan
Data Decision Guidelines
Intensity of plan
Frequency of monitoring
Tool(s) being utilized
How will we determine success along the way?
Presenter: Barbara

57. Presenter: Barbara

58. Evaluate & Revise Action Plan
Fidelity and integrity of instructional change(s)
Effectiveness of instructional change(s)
Make changes as indicated
Data-Based Decision Making
Presenter: Barbara

59. Table Talk Reflect on TIPS
How will it be implemented? What area(s) may require support? Will there be any stumbling blocks? How will TIPS improve student outcomes?
After the team reflection, complete the four corners activity:

60. Objectives Understand the key components of effective teams
Know the five steps in the Team Initiated Problem- Solving (TIPS) model
Develop a plan for effective meeting foundations
Presenter: Barbara
4 Corners Activity (to summarize the training day assess where participants are NOW in MTSS)
Choose your corner:
Bewitched
Andy Griffith
Gilligan’s Island
The Brady Bunch
(where are you now in relation to MTSS? Choose a corner.)

61. Ticket Out the Door
3 Things You Learned Today
2 Aha’s
1 ?????
Barbara