Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)
Problem-Solving at the Tier 1 Level
For Elementary Schools
Jeanette Tietjen
August 9-10, 2012
DATE: August 10, 2012
BELL RINGER: List two factors that impact
student engagement at the top of your agenda.
LEARNING GOAL: To identify and use early
warning indicators to develop appropriate
interventions for secondary students.
VOCABULARY:
Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
Problem-Solving Model (PSM)
Data-Based Decision Making
Universal Screening
Response to Intervention (RtI)
Prevention Framework
Ongoing Progress Monitoring (OPM)
BENCHMARK: Knowledge of learning ,
AGENDA:
accountability, and assessment standards as
related to diagnostic tools to assess, identify,
and apply instructional improvement. (Florida
Standards for School Leaders)
Bell Ringer –Engagement Indicators
Using the Problem-Solving Model
Key Indicators
Intervention Strategies
Reflection
OBJECTIVES: Identify use of PS at the Tier 1
SUMMARY ACTIVITY: Reflect on your current
level of RtI to address school-wide needs
Use data to identify needs and interventions
SBLT. Three questions to think about and
answer.
HOMEWORK: Complete School-Based
Leadership form & return to J. Tietjen by Aug. 30
Lake County Schools
Vision Statement
 A dynamic, progressive and collaborative learning community embracing
change and diversity where every student will graduate with the skills needed
to succeed in postsecondary education and the workplace.
Mission Statement
 The mission of the Lake County Schools is to provide every student with
individual opportunities to excel.
 Lake County Schools is committed to excellence in all curricular opportunities
and instructional best practices. This focus area addresses closing the
achievement gap, increased graduation rate, decreased dropout rate, increase
in Level 3 and above scores on the FCAT, achieving an increase in the number
of students enrolled in advanced placement and dual enrollment opportunities
and implementing the best practices in instructional methodology.
Summer Leadership Institute
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Century Skills
Tony Wagner, The Global Achievement Gap
1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
2. Collaboration and Leadership
3. Agility and Adaptability
4. Initiative and Entrepreneurialism
5. Effective Oral and Written Communication
6. Accessing and Analyzing Information
7. Curiosity and Imagination
Summer Leadership Institute
High Effect Size Indicators
“The Department’s identified set of indicators on
high effect size instructional and leadership
strategies with a causal relationship to student
learning growth constitute priority issues for
deliberate practice and faculty development.”
-Florida Department of Education, 2012
Summer Leadership Institute
Classroom Teacher
High Effect Indicators
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Learning Goal with Scales
Tracking Student Progress
Established Content
Standards
Multi-tiered System of
Supports
Clear Goals
Text Complexity
ESOL Students
School Leadership
High Effect Indicators
 Feedback Practices
 Facilitating Professional
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Learning
Clear Goals and Expectations
Instructional Resources
High Effect Size Strategies
Instructional Initiatives
Monitoring Text Complexity
Interventions
Instructional Adaptations
ESOL Strategies
Summer Leadership Institute
Multi-Tiered System of Supports
(MTSS) Defined
 . . . Is a term used to describe an evidence-based model
of schooling that uses data-based problem-solving to
integrate academic and behavioral instruction and
intervention.
 A Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS), in Florida,
represents the integration of RtI for academics and RtI
for behavior into a unified model of service delivery
that recognizes the reciprocal influence academic
performance and social/emotional/behavior
performance has on each other (Algozzine, Wang &
Violette., 2011).
Leadership Skills for
MTSS Implementation
 Models a problem-solving
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process
Communicates and reinforces
the expectation of data-based
decision making
Communicates and reinforces
expectation that Tier 2/3
services integrate Tier 1
standards for performance,
instructional materials and
practices
Schedules data-days through out
the year
Facilitates the development of
instructional schedules based on
student needs
 Ensures that
instructional/intervention
support is provided to all staff
 Ensures that
instruction/intervention
“sufficiency and the
documentation of that occurs
for all students
 Establishes a system of
communicating students
outcomes across the
professional staff and with
students and they parents
 Creates frequent opportunities
to celebrate and communicate
success.
How do we get started?
Problem-Solving Process
Step 1:
Problem Identification
What is the problem?
Step 2:
Problem Analysis
Step 4:
Response to
Intervention
Why is it occurring?
Is it working?
Step 3:
Intervention Design
What are we doing about it?
Where do we start with problemsolving?
Why do we need to start at the
Tier 1 Level?
Tier 1
Examples
• Explicit, researchbased instruction
All students receive explicit, researchbased instruction.
≈ 5%
• Culturally responsive
instruction
• Standards-aligned
instruction
≈ 15%
• Scaffolding
Tier I
• Differentiated
instruction
High-quality core instruction that
meets the needs of most students
• Academic literacy
• Formative assessment
(NCRTI, 2010)
• Clear behavior
expectations
schoolwide
© 2011 NHSC, NCRTI, and COI
≈ 80%
© 2011 NHSC, NCRTI, and COI
of Students
13
13
School Based Leadership Team
 School Based Leadership Team regularly engages in the following
activities:
 Determine school-wide learning and development areas in need of improvement
 Identify barriers which have or could prohibit school from meeting improvement
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goals
Develop action plans to meet school improvement goals (e.g., SIP)
Distribute and assign resources to implement plans
Monitor fidelity and effectiveness of core and tier 2 instruction
Manage and coordinate efforts between all school teams
Support the problem solving efforts of other school teams
 And avoids:
Individual student intervention planning and progress monitoring
Meeting without a clear agenda or goals
Making decisions without input from key stakeholder groups
Developing action plans without communicating the purpose, goals, and
responsibilities to other stakeholders
 Delegating school-wide action planning responsibilities to teams with less decision
making power or control over resource allocation
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Team Membership
 Selection of team members should aim at creating a well-
rounded team with specific skill sets represented
 Critical skills needed for effective team functioning include:
 Instructional leadership
 Data management and analysis
 Content specialization (minimally Reading, Math, Behavior)
 Student advisement, mentoring, and guidance
 Knowledge of evidence-based instruction/intervention
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Exceptional Student Education specialist (if warranted by
population)
English Language Leaning specialist (if warranted by population)
 Parent/Community involvement strategies
Problem-Solving Process
Step 1:
Problem Identification
What is the problem?
Step 2:
Problem Analysis
Step 4:
Response to
Intervention
Why is it occurring?
Is it working?
Step 3:
Intervention Design
What are we doing about it?
Start With the Data
Universal Screening
Brief assessments for predicting which students will develop learning or behavioral
problems and need intensive interventions
Area of
focus
Measure
Frequency
Reading
FAIR
Lake Benchmarks (3-10)
Conducted three times per year
Twice yearly
Math
Lake Benchmarks (3-10)
FCAT
Twice yearly
Annually
Grades
Failure of one or more
content area classes
Review at least each grading period
Behavior
Number of office
discipline referrals
Guidance department conducted review in
December and May
Attendance
Number of students
with excessive absences
or tardies
Review at least each nineweeks
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Tier 1:
Examining “Universal” Interventions
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Questions:
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What percent of students are achieving district
benchmarks? Effectiveness of instruction
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How are these students doing compared to grade level
benchmarks?
Problem-Solving Process
Step 1:
Problem Identification
What is the problem?
Step 2:
Problem Analysis
Step 4:
Response to
Intervention
Why is it occurring?
Is it working?
Step 3:
Intervention Design
What are we doing about it?
Data-Based Decision Making
Using data from screening and progress-monitoring measures to assess students’
responses to instruction and/or intervention and making instructional adjustments to
maximize student response
•
Delivered differentiated instruction
• Used data from screening and progress monitoring to
determine placement in interventions
• Made decisions during data meetings with various
stakeholders
• Solicited student input on problem solving and
intervention design
© 2011 NHSC, NCRTI, and COI
21
Ongoing Progress Monitoring
Yields data to assess students’ learning and academic performance and to determine
whether a specific intervention is effective for a particular student
Level of
instruction
Measure
Frequency
Tier 1
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Daily
Monthly
Monthly
Nineweeks. Semester
First 20 days of school,
quarterly
Tier 2
• Maze passage
• D/F reports
• Time-sampling for behavior
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Every other week
Every other week
Weekly
Weekly
Tier 3
• Measures embedded in
intervention program
• Behavior tracking sheets
• Weekly, Daily
Ongoing formative assessment
Common mathematics assessment
Common writing prompts
Grades
Attendance
• Daily
22
© 2011 NHSC, NCRTI, and COI
22
Problem-Solving Process
Step 1:
Problem Identification
What is the problem?
Step 2:
Problem Analysis
Step 4:
Response to
Intervention
Why is it occurring?
Is it working?
Step 3:
Intervention Design
What are we doing about it?
Tier 1 Intervention
 Consider altering whole group instruction, curriculum
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materials, instructional routine, independent practice
(e.g., literacy/math centers)
Breadth of skill focus might vary
Group students based on skill data (data come from
many sources)
Differentiate instruction based on grouping
Organize students based on skill performance
 Higher performing, more students,
 Lower performing, fewer students
 Same amount of time, different use of that time
Types of Interventions
 Skill Deficit
 Student lacks skills to successfully complete task
 Performance Deficit
 Factors interfering with student’s capability of
performing the skill
Fidelity is Key to Success
 New improvement strategies do not always guarantee
increases in student achievement, but partial
implementation and inconsistent implementation will
most certainly doom even the best strategies [and
programs] to failure. (Dean & Parlsey 2010)
Problem-Solving Process
Step 1:
Problem Identification
What is the problem?
Step 2:
Problem Analysis
Step 4:
Response to
Intervention
Why is it occurring?
Is it working?
Step 3:
Intervention Design
What are we doing about it?
Now What?
 The SBLT continually progress monitors interventions
using predetermined goals
 Predetermine decision rules
 If Intervention is working proceed
 If the Intervention is not working return to Problem-
Solving in area of concern
Get Rid for the Zombie Interventions
 Many classroom interventions currently in use are
actually ineffective
 Research supports effective strategies, but also
identified ineffective strategies
 Round-Robin reading
 Stand Alone Grammar Instruction
 Over-Reliance on Group Lecture
Tier 2 Intervention
Some students needing group
intervention in addition to Core
Instruction
≈ 5%
Tier 2: Targeted Interventions
Evidence-based intervention(s) of
moderate intensity that address the
learning or behavior challenges of
most at-risk students (NCRTI, 2010)
© 2011 NHSC, NCRTI, and COI
• Provided in addition to
primary prevention (core)
• Teacher-led, small-group
instruction
≈ 15%
≈ 80%
© 2011 NHSC, NCRTI, and COI
of Students
• Ongoing progress
monitoring and
appropriate diagnostic
assessment as needed
30
30
Tier 2 Characterized
 In coordination with and supplemental to healthy Tier 1
instruction
 Available in general education settings
 Increasingly Intensified Service:
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Instruction and Assessments matched to student needs
More time to practice/increased practice items
Increase Academic Engaged Time (AET)
Focused/Narrow skills or content
Direct Instruction of content
Increased frequency of progress monitoring/assessment
 Provided as soon as students identified as “at-risk”
through benchmark/screening assessments.
Tier 2
 Three Main Characteristics
 Evidenced-based interventions
 Consists of small groups of students
 Involves a clearly articulated intervention implemented
with fidelity.
Implementing & Designing
Interventions
 Identifying groups of students who share same
academic and/or behavior needs
 Scheduling Interventions
 Staggering instruction
 Cross grade instruction
 Skill-based instruction
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PAWS Intervention
 Standard Protocol Grouping
Tier 2: Curriculum
 Standard protocol approach
 Focus on essential skills
 Most likely, more EXPOSURE and more FOCUS of
core instruction
 Linked directly to core instruction materials and
benchmarks
 Criterion for effectiveness is ≈70% of students
receiving Tier 2 will reach benchmarks
Intervention Banks
 School teams identify research-based interventions
designed for commonly occurring problems
 Identify school-based resources
look at “best fit” for
school/teachers/students
 Everyone uses same intervention(s)
 Saves time
 Mapping Out Resources
Tier 2 Decision Making
 Monitor progress
 Review student progress monitoring data at scheduled
intervals
 How successful are students in response to Tier 2
Interventions?

≈70 - 80% is a good criterion
 Modify supplemental instruction as necessary
 Move students across tiers as data warrant
Reflection
 Reflect on your current SBLT, are all of the skills
critical to working within a PS/RtI framework present
on your team?
 If not, which components are missing?
 What are the implications of the missing skill sets?
 Is the team meeting regularly enough to maintain
momentum and provide timely monitoring and
feedback to staff and students?
 Are team processes clearly articulated so that team
meetings run efficiently and accomplish the pre-set
goals?
HOMEWORK
 Complete the School-Based Leadership Team form
and return to Jeanette Tietjen
Resources
 Doing What Works - http://dww.ed.gov/
 Florida’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports -
http://www.florida-rti.org/index.htm
 Intervention Central http://www.interventioncentral.org
 National Center on Student Progress Monitoring http://www.rti4success.org/categorycontents/multilevel_prevention_system
“Productive educational change
roams somewhere between overcontrol and chaos . . . You cannot
mandate what matters, because what
really matters for complex goals of
change are skills, creative thinking,
and committed action.” Fullan 1997
(pp. 33-35)
Participant Scale and Reflection
(Please complete and turn in)
4-Innovating
• In addition to
criteria of
Applying,
enhanced
understanding,
implementation,
monitoring, and
execution take
aways
3-Applying
• Consistent
understanding
and
implementation
steps taken away
along with
monitoring
componets for
effective
execution
2-Developing
• Moderate
understanding
and
implementation
steps taken
away
1-Beginning
• Little
understanding
and inconsistent
implementation
steps taken away
Summer Leadership Institute
0-Not Using
• No
understanding
or
implementatio
n steps taken
away