HOW A MULTI-TIER SYSTEM OF SUPPORTS CAN HELP FACILITATE STUDENT RECOVERY AFTER COVID-19
BY DEBBIE ESPOSITO AND LAUREN AGORATUS, M.A.
Many families remain concerned if their schools will be open in fall, if remote learning will continue, or if districts will use a combination of virtual and in-person learning. While some students may have thrived using one-to-one remote learning, others have suffered scholastically.
Many students have experienced trauma related to COVID-19, whether it's the loss of being with friends, or even loss of a family member. Students with disabilities were most at risk regarding COVID health-wise and struggled with learning as well. MTSS (multi-tier system of supports) can be used to address the needs of students with special needs socially, emotionally, and academically as schools reopen.
WHAT IS MTSS?
MTSS is a framework used by schools to improve outcomes for all learners by identifying needs early and modifying instruction based on identified needs. Some schools use the RTI (Response to based on identified needs. Some schools use the RTI (Response to Intervention) model. It is a system of tiers in which Tier 1 is supports for all students, Tier 2 uses targeted small group instruction, and Tier 3 provides to most intensive supports needed by students. Many districts also use tiered PBIS (Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports) to address behavioral needs.
BUILDING PYRAMIDS: (Left) MTSS is a framework that helps educators provide academic and behavioral strategies for students with various needs. (Right) Critical practices to support students' social, emotional, behavioral, and academic growth.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
- For MTSS to be effective, it must include:
- ➢ Positive School Climate
- ➢ District/School Leadership
- ➢ Family and Community Engagement
- Schools use universal screening and progress monitoring to identify individual student needs. This is essential for data-based decision-making to implement strategies and programs to address gaps in student performance.
MTSS allows schools to address not only academics, but also social/emotional needs by using behavioral screeners such as the Universal Behavior Screeners, e.g.1 "Supporting and Responding to Behavior: Evidence-Based Classroom Strategies for Teachers,"2 to identify students who may be in need of wrap-around services.
BENEFITS OF MTSS
- Benefits of utilizing an MTSS framework include:
- ➢ Improving academic outcomes
- ➢ Reducing referrals for discipline
- ➢ Reducing special education referrals
- ➢ Reduces inappropriate identification of students of color for placement in special education
- ➢ Increases placement in the Least Restrictive Environment
- (See MTSS Factsheet and SPAN webinar in Resources)
Students returning to the classroom, whether virtual or in-person, will be very different from when they left. Many families will have experienced job loss leading to food insecurity, illness and even death. Academically, the sudden school closings left districts often at a loss to address the needs of socially, economically diverse and differently-abled student populations with varying levels of success.
The return to school will necessitate an early assessment of not only students' academic, but also social emotional, status in a way that will allow districts/schools to meet the needs of those students in a timely and effective manner. The MTSS framework was created to meet such needs. By using MTSS, districts will ease the transition back to school and ensure equity for all students.•
1. pbis.org/resource/systematic-screening-tools-universal-behavior-screeners 2. pbis.org/resource/supporting-and-responding-to-behavior-evidence-based-classroom-strategies-for-teachers
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Debbie Esposito is the Co-Director of the START EPSD Project, Parent Group Specialist, and Literacy, Inclusion, and NJTSS Project Coordinator at SPAN. She currently serves on the State Special Education Advisory Council as appointed by the NJ Board of Education. Lauren Agoratus, M.A. is the parent of a young adult with multiple disabilities. She serves as the State Coordinator for Family Voices-NJ and as the central/southern coordinator in her state's Familyto-Family Health Information Center. FVNJ and F2FHIC are both housed at the SPAN Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN) at spanadvocacy.org
TIERING IT UP : RESORCES FOR MTSS
UNDERSTOOD.ORG MTSS Factsheet understood.org/~/media/31060982a1144b48b2654ec8ec49d39e.pdf What is RTI? understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/rti/understanding-response-to- intervention
CENTER FOR PARENT INFORMATION AND RESOURCES RTI/MTSS resources parentcenterhub.org/resourcelibrary/index/i/i3/i34
PBIS pbis.org "Returning to School During and After Crisis" pbis.org/resource/returning-to-school-during-and-after-crisis
SPAN PARENT ADVOCACY NETWORK WEBINAR NJTSS: A Framework for Successful School Reopening, Recovery and Beyond, Part 1 "Supporting All Students as School Reopen" youtube.com/watch?v=--lEc3PHtDg