1. “Kids are here to maintain our humility.” Dr. Rob Horner
Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports (VTSS) Integrating academics, behavior and mental health into a singular framework
“Kids are here to maintain our humility.”
Dr. Rob Horner

2. True or False? VTSS stands for Very Tough Schoolwide Suspension.
VTSS is inclusive of RTi (Response to Intervention) and PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.
VTSS is a framework rather than a program.
VTSS requires two specific data sets for fidelity.
Special education is the focus of VTSS.
73% of participating VTSS schools made modifications to their behavior policies.

3. Essential Components Aligned Organizational Culture and Structure
Data Informed Decision-Making
Evidence-Based Practices
Family, School, and Community Partnership
Monitoring Student Progress (including universal screening)
Evaluation (including outcomes and fidelity)

4. Mission
To promote a culture of continuous growth through on-going professional learning.
To implement with fidelity, proactive and preventative evidence- based practices to support (improved) measureable academic and social behavioral outcomes.
To use data informed problem solving, decision-making, screening, and progress monitoring to effectively meet instructional needs.
To build an integrated framework that promotes shared leadership at the division, school, classroom, and community levels.

5. Vision
The vision of VTSS is to build capacity for a sustained tiered system of academic and social behavioral supports that are responsive to the needs of all students.

6. TIER I: Core, Universal GOAL: 100% of students achieve at high levels!
Implementing well researched programs and practices demonstrated to produce good outcomes for the majority of students
Tier 1 is effective if at least 80% are meeting benchmarks
Guiding questions for Tier 1:
What do we expect ALL students to learn?
How will we know if and when a student has learned core curriculum?
How will we respond when some students aren’t successful?
How will we respond when some students have already demonstrated success with the curriculum? 6 6 6

7. TIER II: Supplemental, Targeted
Tier II is effective if at least 70-80% of students improve performance (i.e. gap is closing toward benchmark and/or progress monitoring goals)
GOAL: No more than approximately 20% of students needing supplemental instruction in addition to the core instruction to achieve benchmarks.
Guiding questions for Tier II :
Where are students performing now?
Where do we want the students to be performing?
How long do we have to get the students to meet their achievement goals?
How are we going to progress monitor skill attainment?
What resources do we need to build skills at an acceptable rate? 7 7

8. TIER III: Intensive, Individualized
Tier III: is effective if at least 70-80% of students improve performance (i.e. gap is closing toward benchmark and/or progress monitoring goals)
GOAL: 0-5% of students needing intensive, individualized instruction in addition to core and supplemental instruction in order to achieve benchmarks.
Guiding questions for Tier III
Where is the student performing now?
What is a realistic and attainable goal for achievement for the student?
How long do we have to get the student to meet that goal?
What supports has the student received prior to Tier III?
What resources do we need to build skills at an acceptable rate? 8 8

9. Resource map what you have for data, systems and practices!
Leadership Team Established: Support the vision of a sustainable implementation of a tiered system through effective communication, common language, infrastructure planning, consensus and commitment building and a communication plan
Resource map what you have for data, systems and practices!
OUTCOMES
Start with universal data and other multiple measures to set goals
SYSTEMS
DATA
Set up a system of decision rules and clarity around tiered support (Tier Definitions)
PRACTICES
Build a Continuum of Supports that includes Evidence Based Practices (EBPs) at all 3 tiers for academics and behavior with a scheduled time and resources for delivery. 9

10. OUTCOMES SYSTEMS DATA PRACTICES
Set up an effective and efficient (i.e. clear purpose and efficient teaming) data-informed decision making process
Progress Monitor all 3 tiers systematically using assessments defined in tier definition.
SYSTEMS
DATA
PRACTICES
Provide professional
development
to support staff in improving
outcomes and meeting goals.
OUTCOMES
Examine OUTCOMES: Were the desired outcomes achieved? Were the evidence based instruction, interventions and supports implemented with fidelity? 10

11. What data does a VTSS system need?
Do you have a universal screener?
How do you progress monitor?
How do you know the health of your core beyond the SOLs?
How do you know if progress is sufficient to close the gap?
Do you have an integrated data dashboard?

12. Supporting Instruction for Better Outcomes
At the student level, instruction is provided based on specific criteria to indicate areas of need, with an understanding that students are not tiered, but rather services are tiered.
There is a further understanding of the level of service that defines a tiered support, and data is collected at all three tiers to measure improvement.
All students receive Tier One support and if this core is not sufficient, then the focus of supports is intensified first at that level.

13. Supporting Behavior Management for Positive Outcomes
Positive Behavior Implementation Systems are in over 20% of our schools nation-wide. VA…..
Use data to assess systems that work; build decision systems not data systems
Tiered Fidelity Inventory
Goal is to avoid discipline disproportionality
Small number of students creating a lot of excitement and who those students are should be transparent based on data.
Activity to create their own dashboard

14. The SWIS Dashboard presents a variety of data and allows for quick analysis of progress by time of day, by location, by student, and more.
Users can select tabs to add referrals, view reports, drill down into their data, and manager user accounts.

15. School capacity is built through Professional Development
A Systems Coach will be assigned to each division and support them step-by-step through the process, provide professional development for monitoring data and editing their program as needed.
A set of skills will be shared that provides embedded, sustained professional learning.
Through ongoing relationships and facilitating a cyclical process, systems coaching develops the capacity of division and school leadership teams to implement and align VTSS with their mission and goals in order to enhance student outcomes.

16. Phases of Implementation
Exploration: To assess the match between an innovation and school need. It’s important to examine current practices, systems, and resources to ensure the innovation can fit the unique context of the school/community.
Installation Phase: To establish the resources needed to use an innovation and resources required to implement the innovation with fidelity and good outcomes for students. Roles are defined, awareness activities occur throughout the school.
Initial Implementation: Identifying necessary adjustments. All systems for recruitment, coaching, and data processes are in place and focused on sustainability.
Full Implementation: Skillful use of an evidence-based practice or innovation is well integrated, and documented, into the repertoire of stakeholders throughout the school and community.
Innovation & Sustainability: The procedures that allow a system to continually compare valued outcomes against current practice and modify practices to continue to achieve valued outcomes as the context changes over time

17. How does the role of a DDOT change with multi-tier systems of supports?

18. Changing the way we think about special education

19. Supporting Decision Making with Data
The District Capacity Assessment (DCA) is an action assessment designed to help educational district leaders and staff better align resources with intended outcomes and develop action plans to support the use of effective innovations.
The Benchmarks of Quality (BoQ) are used by teams to evaluate the status of supports and to provide a way to assess and identify areas of strength and need for establishing future action plans for sustained implementation.  
The purpose of the Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI) is to provide a valid, reliable, and efficient measure of the extent to which school personnel are applying the core features of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS). The TFI is divided into three sections
(Tier I (Universal Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports -PBIS)
Whole School Universal Prevention
Tier II (Targeted PBIS) Secondary
Small Group Prevention
Tier III (Intensive PBIS) Tertiary
Individual Support Prevention
Give them scoring sheet with highlights.

20. How will know if we’re being successful?
VTSS supports collecting data for Office Referrals, In School Suspension (ISS) and Out of School Suspension (OSS)
Weekly monitoring of outcomes allows for assessment of overall changes as well as highlighting any discrepancies by gender, ethnicity or SPED
Standards of Learning (SOL) data will also be compared longitudinally
VTSS will work with VDOE to collect as much data as possible to avoid duplicate reporting by divisions/schools
A variety of online resources are available to collect data. Many SIS’s already used in divisions collect this tool as well as VDOE supported analytic tools.

21. So in a Nutshell… We organize our resources
Multi-Tier Mapping, Gap Analysis
So kids get help early
Actions based on outcomes (data!), not procedures
We do stuff that’s likely to work
Evidence-Based practices (Academic Behavioral Instruction)
Did the instruction work
Data based decision making at all three Tiers
We provide supports to staff to build capacity
Fidelity: Benchmarks of Quality/Intervention specific
Professional Learning
And make sure they’re successful
Coaching and Support
Progress monitoring and performance feedback
Problem-Solving process
Increasing levels of intensity

22. Next Steps for VTSS Contact:
Kris Herakovich-Curtis at
Regina Pierce at
Each division or school must apply for the VTSS Grant.
For more information:
Monograph.pdf
#vtss_ric