MTSS 101: An Introduction to MTSS | Branching Minds

welcome to branching Minds mtss 101 I'm Brittany Shirley instructional design manager for Professional Services today we're going to take a journey to

learn more about mtss and how we know if our system is healthy I'm happy to be here with you let's get started the mtss framework is comprised of six

essential components Universal screening for all students a multi-level prevention system beginning with quality Universal curriculum and instruction

plan development and implementation making data informed adjustments to student support and communication and collaboration through quality meetings

[Music] mtss offers a framework for educators to engage in database decision making related to program Improvement high

quality instruction and intervention social and emotional learning from positive behavioral supports necessary to ensure positive outcomes for districts schools teachers and students

traditionally the mtss problem solving Model includes four steps problem identification who and what are we concerned about problem analysis

why do we think the problem is occurring plan implementation what can we do about it and plan evaluation was our support

successful I've wanted to be an educator for just about as long as I can remember I spent my first five years teaching at a title one school where I was learning growing and

teaching at the same time I taught almost every subject sixth seventh and 8th grade students were moved into my room when they were struggling academically or

behaviorally but I wasn't trained how to pinpoint exactly what they needed this is when I first learned about mtss making data informed adjustments to student support includes applying the

problem-solving protocol to analyze Student Response to instruction and intervention and make decisions about adjusting that support data from valid and reliable screening

and progress monitoring helps teams determine who gets what when data informs decisions to increase or decrease levels of support through the multi-tiered continuum

the comprehensive assessment protocol helps teams make decisions about students progress in all academic content areas these are instructionally relevant valid and reliable assessments that are

critical for providing proactive and reactive support assessments are administered three times a year on our nationally or state normed unpredictive of performance on summative assessments

diagnostic assessments these are skill-based assessments that provide deeper insight into a student's particular skill deficit progress monitoring assessments or tools

these are given to students receiving intervention and support you should come from curriculum-based measures because they provide reliable and valid measure of a student's growth in a particular

skill area benchmark assessments these are standards driven assessments that measure student performance periodically throughout the year

and curriculum embedded assessments these Encompass both formative and standards driven assessments that occur ongoing throughout the learning thank you in my early days of teaching I

learned about tiered supports and students moving in and out of needing different instruction and intervention at different times and for different subjects we also learned about strategies to

improve our tier one or our everyday instructions standards driven instruction looking at research and understanding its impact I saw how this could revolutionize my experience as a teacher

since almost my whole class was identified as needing targeted or intensive supports I knew that this was the way to improve my instruction

overall and meet my students needs I was energized a three-tiered service delivery system is necessary to efficiently and effectively support all children not

just those who struggle in school the three-tiered system of Service delivery is crucial in the attempt to ensure that all students achieve at high levels and that all students achieve

College and Career readiness at tier one all students receive scientific research-based core instruction implemented with integrity and emphasizing grade level standards

and school-wide behavioral expectations instruction at tier one should be explicit differentiated and include flexible grouping and active student engagement

high quality instruction is essential to ensure that 80 of our students needs are met without needing additional targeted or intensive interventions Beyond tier one instruction

[Music] within a tier 2 level of pain students have been identified as being at risk academically socially emotionally or

behaviorally through Universal screeners they are provided with scientific research-based interventions in addition to their core instruction tier 2 interventions are implemented

with groups of students demonstrating common skill deficits and or social emotional or behavioral risk characteristics students who have not demonstrated progress with targeted group

interventions at a tier 2 level of support require more time and more intensive interventions tier 3 interventions are distinguished from tier two interventions because

they're individualized based on data collected and individual problem solving and occur with a much smaller student-teacher ratio tier 3 intervention plans also include food strategies for maximizing student

outcomes during core instruction on tier one as well as supports to use at home or within the community a few years into my mtss Learning Journey I was armed with resources and

strategies I created a positive behavior support system used differentiated activities and assessments and spent the most time on standard driven instruction that I ever have in my career

I started to attend collaborative planning meetings with my colleagues to identify what supports were working with them and what supports were working with me to help our students Master grade level standards and problem solve

together so that the decisions and questions don't just rest on one person's shoulders teachers spend a great deal of time and effort discussing student needs creating

plans provided differentiating support and documenting the work however without the right intervention plan the work becomes a documentation process instead of the intended problem

solving practice in mtss an effective intervention should be targeted research based and chosen based on the alignment with your standards driven instruction

it should be specific for the individuals in your small group this intervention should be coupled with an intervention plan which accounts for

both a smart goal that is based on progress monitoring assessments in 2020 alongside the same trainer that taught me about mtss 10 years before

I had the opportunity to coach 35 of our schools to earn model PBIS resiliency School awards based on our data it was clear that mtss was having a systemic

positive impact on our school climate we continue to guide our practices and processes with a set of principles that demonstrated our commitment to mtss problem solving leadership and educator

competency quality implementation of mtss is associated with the increased likelihood of instruction and interventions leading to successful student outcomes districts that engage in

self-assessments at least annually are able to assess their level of adoption and success within their mtss it's not only important just to measure student outcomes but also how

assessments instruction and interventions and problem solving are put into place successful implementation is influenced by many factors within and around the

school system like professional development administrative support Data Systems staff member perceptions and successful adaptation to your campus

through self-assessment rubrics we gain an understanding of how to move from one level to the next gaining language seeking answers to questions we didn't know existed and

finding our voice within our mtss practices at branching mountains we have worked with hundreds of schools and districts around the country supporting their transition to a multi-tiered system of supports as a foundation for all

students engaging in a multi-tiered system of supports does not have to be overwhelming or daunting although we understand that mtss can feel challenging at times take small steps

set measurable goals and develop your culture of collaboration from continuous Improvement thank you