MTSS
Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) focuses on the "whole child," addressing cognitive, physical, social-emotional, and behavioral needs. Using research-based strategies, Shiawassee RESD MTSS connects education, health, and human service systems in support of successful learners, schools, centers, and community outcomes. MTSS provides a framework to organize the strategies and processes needed to eliminate barriers to learning and support successful learner outcomes.
SRESD MTSS Vision:
We will strengthen our knowledge, expertise, and capacity through SRESD cross-departmental teams in order to guide and support all local districts in creating, implementing, and sustaining a comprehensive multi-tiered system of support. The MTSS system is designed to proactively attend to academic, behavioral, social, emotional, and physical attributes of all learners. We ensure a commitment to:
- coherent, rigorous, and high-quality instructional practices in every classroom,
- a continuum of supports that match learners’ needs; and
- a systematic, collaborative, and data-based problem solving process that results in personal growth and success for all learners.
MTSS is guided by the following principles:
• A collective responsibility for ensuring growth and success for all learners is assumed by each person within the system (educators, learners, families, and community)
• A proactive approach to ensuring that each and every learner experiences a quality education designed to expand learners' potential
• A commitment to use a systematic problem-solving process to improve outcomes of all learners
• A commitment to ongoing, effective support for educators and leaders including professional learning, feedback, and coaching
• A commitment to use data as a basis for information gathering and to avoid making assumptions
• Attention to fidelity of implementation, honoring both qualitative and quantitative measures
• An investment in systems to promote durability and the scaling up of MTSS
What is the difference between MTSS, RtI, and PBIS?
MTSS is a comprehensive framework supporting instruction for a full range of learners from the struggling to the accelerated, utilizing intervention, assessment, staff selection and development, leadership, resource allocation, effective communication, and system processes and protocols. Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports (PBIS) and Response to Intervention (RtI) are part of this system.
PBIS is a proactive, team-based framework for creating and sustaining safe and effective schools/centers. Emphasis is placed on prevention of problem behavior, development of pro-social skills, and the use of data-based problem solving for addressing existing behavior concerns. School- wide PBIS increases the capacity of schools to educate all students utilizing research-based school- wide, classroom, and individualized interventions.
RtI originated from special education. There was a need for a data-driven process to identify students with learning disabilities. In the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), RtI was named as a way for districts to use data to identify students who might have learning disabilities based upon their lack of growth when provided with high quality, evidence-based instruction and interventions. RtI did not, however, address the larger district system, whereas MTSS does address the larger district system and includes the process of RtI.
*Text provided by Michigan’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MiMTSS) Frequently Asked Questions - July 2020
A hero doesn’t necessarily have to wear a cape and tights, maybe a hero speaks up for what’s right. Maybe that hero could be you. If you see or hear something that doesn’t seem right, you can submit a confidential tip to OK2SAY. OK2SAY allows anyone to confidentially report tips on criminal activities or potential harm directed at Michigan students, school employees, or schools. Protect yourself and others by using OK2SAY. Because if you won’t, who will?