Multi-Tier System of Support (MTSS)

Multi-Tier System of Support (MTSS) for MTHS 

This document provides information about the MTSS process at MTHS and how staff go about identifying at-risk students, creating intervention plans, and monitoring the progress of these students. These students could be at-risk academically, behaviorally (emotional or discipline), or because of poor attendance. 

Who is the MTSS Team?

Kevin Hodel, Chris Frasco, Kristin Fehr, Melissa Stalter, Jennifer Jewell

Consulting to the team: Guidance, Special Ed Department, Chris Genders (Credit Recovery), Heatharlyne Wilkes (Tutor Hall), Gisele Gorski (Psychologist), and all teachers

What interventions are available? 

MTSS organizes interventions by Tiers. Tier 1 is the core curriculum, or instruction that is given to all students. Tier 2 is small group instruction or more targeted interventions based on a student’s need. Tier 3 is typically individualized support. The following chart gives specific examples of interventions available for students at MTHS. 

Academic

 

WHO

DATA AVAILABLE

Tier 1 

Core curriculum

All teachers

Weekly F list

Tier 2

Counselors call in students who have 2 or more Fs

Counselors

Weekly F list

Credit Recovery

Students who have failed a required course and Mr. Genders

CR progress monitoring (weekly charts)

Math Tutor Hall

Math teachers

Math grades

Tutor Hall

Students who need academic and/or organizational support and Mrs. Wilkes

Classroom grades; weekly progress reports (students report on grades each Mon)

Tier 3

Peer tutor within study hall

Peer tutor assigned to student

Classroom grades; add student to Fast Bridge schedule for progress monitoring

SOCIAL/

EMOTIONAL

 

WHO

DATA AVAILABLE

Tier 1

9th grade screener

Given to all 9th by counselors

Students ratings from 1 to 5 on various SEL areas

Referrals to counselor

Counselors may see once or more a student who is struggling with SEL

Kiosk data shows when students were in Guidance

Homeroom Curriculum

All staff and students

 

Tier 2

Check and Connect

Select teachers, admin, counselors

Progress monitoring of goals; classroom grades

Small group counseling

Counselors, Jewell, Stalter

Progress monitoring of goals; pre- and post-data for group 

Tier 3

Individual counseling

Counselors, Jewell, Stalter

Progress monitoring of goals

Behavior management plan

Classroom teachers; case manager

Progress monitoring of plan

ATTENDANCE

NOT APPLICABLE in the 2020-2021 School Year

WHO

DATA AVAILABLE

Tier 1 

MTHS Attendance Plan

All students are part of plan; given incentives for missing 4 or less days (32 periods)

Attendance data

Tier 2

Letters sent home

All students who miss more than 5 days in a semester

Attendance data

Tier 3

Attendance plan written with student

Students missing more than 7 days plus APs

Attendance data; progress monitoring plan 

Referral to truancy

Students plus Truancy Officer

Attendance data

How are students identified for the MTSS process?

All MTHS students are monitored for the need of further interventions, either academic, social-emotional, or attendance. If a student is on the ineligibility list with 3 or more Fs, they are automatically placed on the MTSS watch list. Once on the list, students are rated on 5 categories on a scale of 0 to 3 with “3” being the highest level of risk: 

  • Academic (number of course failures)

  • Attendance 

  • Social-Emotional

  • Health

  • Discipline Referrals

Students with the highest rating (scores range from 0 to 15), are identified as those at highest risk of not succeeding at MTHS. These students are discussed to determine the level of intervention necessary to increase their success. 

When is a student referred for special education?

If a student has been identified at risk in one or more areas, the MTSS team will identify needed interventions and make any necessary schedule changes to accommodate for more academic support (e.g., add a Tutor Hall). If the level of intervention increases but the student does not make any progress, the team tries to increase the level of support for the student. Regular progress monitoring is conducted on the student to determine what is working and what is not. 

If a student is not making sufficient progress over time (typically 4-6 weeks in Tier 2 and 4-6 weeks in Tier 3), and the student has a documented academic deficiency, the student can be considered for a full case study for academics. A student cannot move to a full case study without first going through the MTSS process. A full case study includes collecting sufficient data to determine whether or not the student is eligible for special education services in the area of academics. Note: a student cannot be considered for special education based solely on attendance concerns.

In the area of social-emotional concerns, similar to the academic process above, a student would be given an increasing level of emotional supports (e.g., more time with a counselor or an individualized behavior management plan) and routinely monitored for progress to determine what is working and what is not. If a student’s level of social or emotional need greatly exceeds what can be managed in the general education environment AND increasing levels of supports have been tried for a sufficient amount of time without any progress, the team could consider a referral to special education. Note: when a student has an individualized behavior management plan, typically all teachers on that student’s schedule are required to collect data on the plan. 

Can a teacher refer a student to the MTSS process?

Yes. If a teacher has concerns about a student in the 3 areas (academic, social-emotional, or attendance), they can make a recommendation that the student be added to the MTSS watch list. This would be done by emailing the MTSS team.

When are parents involved? 

At the Tier 1 level, if a student is failing or is showing a steady decline in performance, teachers should contact parents to alert them to the situation. 

Parents will also be contacted when a student is not showing progress to the interventions being implemented at the Tier 2 level. At this time the student would be moving from Tier 2-level supports to Tier 3-level supports. The parents will be contacted and possibly invited to an in-person meeting with the team to help determine the best way to increase the level of support for the student. Parents can provide valuable input into what the student may respond better to; thus the parent is an important part of the MTSS team.