Importance of Building Family and Community Engagement for Implementing a Multi-Tiered System of Support

1. Importance of Building Family and Community Engagement for Implementing a Multi-Tiered System of Support There is great power in harmony and mutual understanding.

2. Acknowledgements • Developed April, 2010 by FDOE State Transformation Team for RtI • Adapted January, 2012 by the Family and Community Engagement Workgroup of the Florida MTSS Inter-Project Collaboration

3. Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) • A term that refers to the organizational framework (the system) • A way to organize academic and behavioral help for all students • Uses students’ response to intervention data to find solutions • Student supports are based on student need; students who need intense supports are given additional help

4. Problem-Solving Process

5. Response to Intervention (RtI) • RtIrefers to the 4thstep of the planning/problem-solving process • The term RtIhas been used to refer to the framework of multi-tiered supports • Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a more accurate term that refers to one seamless framework that provides varying levels of academic and behavior supports to students based upon their need. • Schools may choose to refer to their system as an RtI framework

6. How would families in your community answer this question: What is MTSS?

7. The Main Idea: MTSS stands for a Multi-Tiered System of Support and refers to the organizational framework where resources and services are organized efficiently on a continuum of intensity based on students’ academic and behavioral needs.

8. What is Florida’s Definition of MTSS? • Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) is a term used to describe an evidence-based model of schooling that uses data-based problem-solving by teams (that include parents) to integrate academic and behavioral instruction and intervention. • Integrated instruction and intervention is delivered to students in varying intensities (multiple tiers) based on student need. • “Need driven” decision-making seeks to ensure that district resources reach the appropriate students (schools) at the appropriate levels to accelerate the performance of ALL students to achieve and/or exceed proficiency.

9. What can parents expect from the school implementing MTSS? • Frequent updates on student progress (typically 3 times per year) • Early identification of academic or behavioral concerns at the first signs of difficulty. • Help for their child that increases or decreases depending on his or her needs. • Information and involvement in planning and providing interventions to help their child. • Information about how their child is responding to the interventions being provided.

10. Let them know what to expect… …then make sure that the expectations match their experience!

11. Based on communications with school-based personnel, do your families really understand the purpose of tiers of instruction/interventions? Or do they think of tiers as categories or procedural requirements used to label (or delay help for) their child?

12. Purpose of Tier Framework • To provide high quality instruction and interventions that fit the needs of all students. • To ensure that the conditions for learning are optimal for every student. • To incorporate intervention (“help”) as a natural, ongoing part of education that doesn’t wait until the student is struggling. 

13. How do school-based personnel describe tiers to families?

14. This is how we should understand and describe the tiers to families: • High quality instruction and behavior supports through general education (Tier 1) • Targeted, supplemental intervention in addition to and aligned with general education, as needed (Tier 2) • Intensive, individualized interventions in addition to and aligned with general education, as needed (Tier 3)

15. Intensive, Individualized Tier 3 Supplemental, Targeted Tier 2 Core, Universal Tier 1

16. How do school-based personnel describe the problem-solving process to families?

17. This is how we should understand and describe the problem-solving process to families: • Step 1. Define, in objective and measurable terms, the goal(s) to be attained. • Ask: What is it we want students to know and be able to do? • Step 2. Identify possible reasons why the desired goal(s) is not being attained. • Ask: Why is the student not reaching the goal? • Step 3. Develop and implement a well-supported plan involving evidence-based strategies to attain the goal(s) (based on data that verified the reasons identified in Step 2). • Ask: What are we going to do about it? • Step 4. Evaluate the effectiveness of the plan in relation to the stated goals • Ask: Is it working?

18. Problem-Solving Process

19. Do your families know what questions should guide communications with the school? Tell them!

20. Encourage families to ask these critical questions: • Is my child successful? How do I know? If not, why and what can we do differently? • If needed, how is additional help going to be provided? By whom? How often? For how long? • What can I do to participate in problem-solving about my child? • What can I do to help with the interventions for my child at home? • How will I know if interventions are working?

21. If families believe their child is struggling, what is their course of action? Does the current course of action make sense within your MTSS implementation?

22. The course of action should be consistent with MTSS logic and promote proactive family engagement: • Talk with their child’s teacher. • Ask for regular progress reports in the areas of difficulty. • Celebrate when progress is made; ask questions when there is little or no progress. • Make a list of specific questions to ask about their child’s progress. • Ask for support to understand and participate in decisions about your child.

23. Are your families confused about MTSS and Special Education? Do they think that MTSS is a label, category or program related to special education? If so, this may indicate that the teachers also have this misunderstanding.

24. Does MTSS have anything to do with Special Education? • Every student in the school, from Kindergarten to graduation, is involved in MTSS, including students with disabilities. • Interventions are provided through a variety of resources so that all students can be successful. • For students who need ongoing intensive or individualized help to maintain progress, special education resources may be accessed by the school.

25. Clarify for All: Does MTSS have anything to do with Special Education? • All students, whether they have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or not, benefit and are involved in MTSS implementation. • Students who respond to and require intensive, individualized interventions to maintain progress may or may not receive those interventions and supports through special education. • Special education is a resource, not a place, intervention, or tier; MTSS is a framework, not a resource.

26. Does MTSS have anything to do with Special Education (cont’d)? • Schools, in collaboration with families, consider information obtained through ongoing problem-solving to determine if special education resources are needed to maintain supports for students. • Special education services are part of the MTSS continuum of services; within MTSS, the problem-solving process continues even if a student receives help through special education resources.

27. How can families learn more about MTSS, the problem-solving process, and measuring their child’s response to instruction and intervention? • Visit http://www.florida-rti.org/Partnership/involvement.htm • Access Parent Brochure: http://www.florida-rti.org/RtI-Parent-Brochure.pdf • Contact the school principal.