Implementing Effective Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports during a Pandemic: Upgrading Your Academic and Social-Emotional Interventions

[CLICK HERE for a Complimentary 35-Minute Webinar Overview of this Discussion]

Introduction

   The goal of every school across the country is to maximize the academic and social, emotional, and behavioral progress and proficiency of every student. Ultimately, this translates into academic independence and social, emotional, and behavioral self-management, respectively. All of this is accomplished through (a) effective and differentiated classroom instruction, complemented with (b) positive and successful classroom management, that (c) is delivered by highly qualified teachers who have (d) administrators, instructional support and related services staff, and other consultants available to support classrooms, grade-level or teaching units, and other school programs and processes. All of this is intended to result in students who demonstrate age-appropriate (or beyond) independent learning and behavioral self-management skills.

   While an admirable goal, the reality is that not all students are successful even when in effective classrooms. Some of these students come to the schoolhouse door at-risk for educational failure, while others are struggling learners who are disengaged, unmotivated, unresponsive, under-performing, or consistently unsuccessful.

   But today, even more students are unsuccessful—academically, socially, and/or behaviorally—because of the Pandemic, challenges with virtual or hybrid instruction, and issues related to attendance and engagement.

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

   For all of these students, districts and schools are required by the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to have multi-tiered services, supports, strategies, interventions, and systems to address their individual academic or behavioral needs.

   The ESEA was signed into law by President Barak Obama on December 10, 2015. Critically, the Law transferred much of the responsibility for developing, implementing, and evaluating effective school and schooling processes to state departments of education and school districts across the country. It also includes a number of specific provisions to help to ensure success for all students and schools—especially at-risk, disengaged, unmotivated, unresponsive, under-performing, or consistently unsuccessful students.

   The ESEA defines a multi-tiered system of supports as:

“a comprehensive continuum of evidence-based, systemic practices to support a rapid response to students’ needs, with regular observation to facilitate data-based instructional decision-making.”

   While this definition states that a district or school’s multi-tiered system should be designed and implemented for any student “in need,” ESEA also specifically cites the use of multi-tiered systems of support with the following students or instructional areas: (a) students with disabilities, including children with significant cognitive disabilities; (b) English Language Learners; (c) children with developmental delays; and (d) in the provision of literacy services.

   But this very broad definition in the spirit of ESEA becoming more district self-determined (see above) means that districts need to evaluate their own student needs, their local resources and personnel, and the expertise in their midst to create their own multi-tiered systems. While these systems should be guided by the law, they need to integrate sound science with effective practices.

   This district self-determination is reinforced by the fact that the phrase “multi-tiered systems of support” appears in ESEA only in lower case terms and never as an “MTSS” acronym.

   This means that no district in this country is required to use either the federal MTSS Framework, nor any state MTSS Framework (unless the latter is required by state law—which currently is not true).

   Finally, as the “old” response-to-intervention approaches that preceded the currently-framed multi-tiered systems of support had numerous significant flaws (see Knoff, Reeves, & Balow, 2018; available free at https://www.projectachieve.info/store/publications-to-help-you-succeed), it is now time—especially given the current Pandemic—for districts to evaluate their current multi-tiered practices and procedures. Using the evaluation results, districts should retain their effective practices, eliminate or modify their ineffective practices, and close existing gaps through professional development and coaching, enhanced resources and supports, and more effective instruction, assessment, and intervention.

   The ultimate goal is to maximize all students academic and social, emotional, and behavioral learning, mastery, skills, and proficiency.

Preparing for the Quest

   To help districts’ multi-tiered systems go “from good to great” or “great to greater” through this evaluation process, we recommend listening to a complimentary, 35-minute Webinar that is linked to a new seven session (with two bonus sessions) on-line, video course:

Implementing Effective Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports: Academic and Social-Emotional Prevention, Assessment, and Intervention

[CLICK HERE for this 35-Minute MTSS Webinar]

   Ultimately, to successfully upgrade their multi-tiered systems, districts and schools need:

• To understand the history, flaws and corrections, and current status of multi-tiered academic and social, emotional, and behavioral support systems in the field;
• To recognize the cost savings that result with effective prevention and early intervention services, the staff time that is wasted with unnecessary referrals for special education testing, and the importance on emphasizing student equity and excellence;
• To evaluate their own current systems’ strengths, limitations, and gaps;
• To design—guided by a nationally field-tested science-to-practice common sense implementation blueprint—their own scaffolded multi-tiered flowchart, that integrates effective instruction with early intervention services with their 504 accommodation processes with their IDEA special education processes;
• To conduct functional and practical data-based root cause student assessments; that link
• To multi-tiered academic (especially in literacy and mathematics) and social, emotional, and behavioral services, supports, strategies, and interventions.

   For those interested in the course, it is based on our 40 years of field-based experience in districts across the county, and 13 years of leadership at the Arkansas Department of Education—helping to implement effective multi-tiered services across the state. The course comes with an MTSS Implementation Guidebook and other resources to help districts be successful in their multi-tiered self-evaluation and self-determination process.

   Its seven and two bonus video sessions include:

Course

Introduction to the Course [12 minutes]

Session 1. Effective Academic and Behavioral MTSS Services and Supports: Moving from Referring, Testing, & Placing to Problem-Solving, Consulting, and Linking Assessment to Effective Interventions [1 hour/16 minutes]

Session 2. The MTSS Data-based Problem-Solving Process Focusing on Assessment to Get to Intervention Part I [2 hours/37 minutes]

Session 3. The MTSS Data-based Problem-Solving Process Focusing on Assessment to Get to Intervention Part II [3 hours/10 minutes]

Session 4. Multi-Tiered Assessment and Intervention for Students with Significant Academic Needs [2 hours/15 minutes]

Session 5. Behavioral Interventions for Disobedient, Disruptive, Defiant, and Disturbed Students [2 hours/30 minutes]

Session 6. Designing and Implementing a Comprehensive Schoolwide System of MTSS Services and Supports Effective Planning, Process, Procedures, & Practices [2 hours/4 minutes]

Session 7. The Economics and Ethics of Effective Instruction and Early Intervention Services: Where to Invest Your MTSS Time and Effort [1 hour/38 minutes]

Bonus Session #1. The Year-End Get-Go Process: Transferring Student “Lessons Learned” from One School Year to the Next [1 hour/21 minutes]

Bonus Session #2. MTSS Case Study: Joe [1 hour]

The Next Best Step

   For now, however, we recommend watching the complimentary 35-minute video, and beginning a discussion with your district or school leadership team regarding your students’ needs, and your ability to address them from a multi-tiered perspective.

   What do you think?

[CLICK HERE for a Complimentary 35-Minute MTSS Webinar Overview]