June, 2014

RSE-TASC reporter

L O N G I S L A N D R E G I O N A L S P E C I A L E D U C A T I O N—T E C H N I C A L A S S I S T A N C E S U P P O R T C E N T E R

Multi-Tier Systems of Support (MTSS) Bridging RtI and PBIS Frameworks By Gary Coppolino, Jr. — RSE-TASC Behavior Specialist

Educat ion research clear ly

identifies the importance of

identifying struggling learners as

early as possible. Both academic

and behavioral evidence is critical

in identifying these students. Early

identification is the first step in

helping students gain the necessary

skills that lead to both high school

graduation and positive post-high

school experiences. There has been

a considerable, often mandated,

nationwide push in recent years to

develop comprehensive, systematic

Pre-K-12 intervention models for

academics and behavior. These

interventions have been designed as

mutually exclusive systems. The

classic three-tier academic model

most recognizable in the field is

Response to Intervention (RtI). The

behavior system has been the multi

- layered t r i angle typica l ly

associated with Positive Behavior

Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

Most recently, forward thinking

educators across our nation have

begun to weave the best elements

of these once stand-alone school-

w i d e sy s t e ms o f su p p o r t

(see figure 1 on this page) into a

unified and coherent approach to

educating the whole child. Using a

unified school wide approach also

supports the learning of the entire

student body of a school. This

evolutionary model has been

referred to in the research as a Multi

-Tier System of Support (MTSS).

According to the most recent data taken

from Rhode Island College, 14 out of 50

states in the United States have begun to

bridge the academic components of RtI

with the behavioral components of PBIS

into the seamless MTSS framework. One

state that has taken the lead with regard to

the development of MTSS is Florida.

According to Florida’s MTSS

Implementation Components Handbook,

the MTSS model, like its stand-alone

predecessors, utilizes a data-based

problem solving framework which fuses

both academic and behavioral aspects of

education. This framework provides

school staff with mechanisms to make

data-driven decisions that enable key

resources to reach the appropriate

students, in the appropriate domains, at the

appropriate levels. As a result, the MTSS

model provides for the provision of highly

targeted interventions with significant

potential for improving student outcomes.

Given the research base and the

implementation of the MTSS model in a

growing number of states and school districts,

schools may find it constructive to seriously

consider adding a behavior component to their

already existing RtI models, thus creating a MTSS

framework that may help to increase students’

social-emotional well-being, and accordingly, their

academic performance at the same time. It should

be noted that the unified MTSS model is of

particular benefit to students with disabilities who

often need multiple supports in order to fully

benefit from the learning environment.

Key characteristics of any multi-tiered system of

support include: 1) supports are provided to

students early 2) once those supports are in place

progress is monitored regularly and 3)

interventions are adjusted accordingly to respond to

individual student needs (Fox et. al, 2009). A key

difference in the MTSS framework is the

composition of the district/school based MTSS

team. This team typically includes a cross-section

of stakeholders with both academic/instructional

and behavioral expertise. When both perspectives

are represented in the intervention decision making

process, the MTSS team is able to provide

responses to academic and behavioral student

difficulties, thus helping educators (cont. on pg. 2)

In this issue: The Relationship Between RtI, PBIS and MTSS ~ Page 1 Critical Features of MTSS ~ Page 2 Long Island RSE-TASC Regional Workshops ~ Page 3 Full MTSS Model and Related Resources ~ Page 4

“...forward thinking educators across our nation, understanding the symbiotic relationship between academics and behavior, have begun to weave the best elements of once stand-alone school-wide systems of support into a unified and coherent ap-proach to educating the whole child, and the entire student body…” - Gary Coppolino, Jr.

Please visit us on the web, at: http://www.esboces.org/Page/89

Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS)

Response to Intervention (RtI)

MTSS Team

Successful Student Outcomes

Figure 1

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to provide students with a level of instructional intensity and or social-

emotional support that is directly matched to their present levels of

performance. Data is then collected through progress monitoring

practices to provide the MTSS team with the information they need to

evaluate the student outcomes of both the academic and or behavioral

interventions provided (Fox et. al 2009).

As you may well recognize, the component parts of MTSS are not

revolutionary concepts. For example, identifying student difficulty early,

providing additional support and monitoring progress are tried and true

instructional approaches that have proven effective for decades. The true

power of MTSS lies in its simplicity; in the very nature of melding two

existing frameworks into one mindset that acknowledges and accounts

for the many factors that contribute to student success and progress. In

his book, “Unmistakable Impact”, Jim Knight implores educators to

consider what school improvement initiatives are the simplest to put in

place, and will have the greatest impact. It is the notion of “least effort,

greatest reward.” As the vast majority of school districts and schools

currently have RtI and or beginning elements of PBIS in place,

combining these into a coherent MTSS may prove to be a very practical

undertaking with unlimited potential to improve outcomes for students.

However, as with any other school improvement initiative, even the

best MTSS will only be as effective as its component parts, and as

strong as its weakest link.

Figure 2 on page 4 shows an example of a fully realized MTSS system.

As indicated, the 5 key areas for MTSS team consideration include:

curriculum, instruction, technology, assessment and social-behavioral

support. These pillars stand on a foundation of: data analysis,

improving core (instruction), planning intervention tiers and progress

monitoring. It goes without saying that a district/school must have basic

operational resources and a shared vision and mission to support growth

in all of these key areas. Additionally, in much the same way that the

MTSS allows for a targeted identification and allocation of resources to

support individual children, a fully implemented MTSS system may also

be designed to meet the specific needs and or priorities of an entire

school or district. For example, if an analysis of data reveals that a

school/district must consider improving outcomes for students with

disabilities, the combination of instructional and behavior expertise

represented on the MTSS team can combine to unleash enormous

potential for student growth. To further the example, in order to improve

outcomes for students with disabilities, a school/district MTSS team

may choose to embrace Explicit Instruction (EI) as a key instructional

strategy because this approach has been research validated to improve

outcomes for students with disabilities. Of significant importance when

considering all aspects of EI are the inherent implications for improved

student social-behavioral support. To illustrate, in her book, “Explicit

Instruction—Effective and Efficient Teaching”, Anita Archer illustrates

several classroom arrangement models and dozens of teaching

techniques and strategies proven to increase student engagement, and

therefore, help improve classroom management and promote positive

student behaviors. As another example, in his book, “Explicit, Direct

Instruction” John Hollingsworth illustrates the significance of ’lesson

importance’, the notion of relating to students how the material at hand

is important for school and for life outside of school. Like EI,

incorporating EDI elements such as lesson importance into instruction is

a research validated approach proven to improve time on task and lesson

completion, while correspondingly mitigating classroom distraction and

promoting positive behavior. Further, by using EI and EDI during

instruction, we may predict student behavior during classroom activities,

and then capture those on a PBIS matrix of desired behavior, setting our

students up for a repeated cycle of success. As these brief vignettes may

illustrate, the power of one stand-alone system may be exponentially

magnified when combined into a full system MTSS; one that is

responsive to the needs of children, and that may be simultaneously

calibrated to align with school/district needs and priorities.

In order to implement the MTSS model with fidelity, there is an

implementation blueprint which may be followed to achieve student

success. The following information provides you with critical features

of the implementation process for Universal Tier 1 MTSS building

level implementation. According to (Eagle et. al 2014), the following

critical features should be addressed during the implementation

process of the MTSS framework:

Critical Feature 1 – Exploration and adoption:

Consensus Building and Commitment

Provide information and coordinate with district administration

Provide information to school staff and others about MTSS

Identify consensus level among staff—Identify next steps...

Critical Feature 2 – Installation: Building Leadership Team

Audit current RtI Team

Form building MTSS team

MTSS team should develop an action plan

MTSS team participates in appropriate ongoing training and skill

development

Critical Feature 3 – Installation and Initial Implementation:

Core Behavioral Instruction

Establish school wide expectations—Tie into instructional/

curricula

Teach school wide expectations

Develop acknowledgment system

Develop school wide system for responding to behavior

Critical Feature 4 - Installation and Initial Implementation:

Utilize Data Tools for Academic and Behavior Decision-Making

Leadership works through five basic questions to develop action

plan for school improvement

1. How effective is our core (what do we do for all students)?

2. What led to this? Drill down into data to establish precise

statement of need for your improvement plan

3. How will the needs identified be addressed? Short and Long term

4. How will effectiveness be monitored over time?

5. How will you identify students for whom the effective core has

NOT been sufficient?

Establish system for continuous review of data

Critical Feature 5 – Initial Implementation and Elaboration:

Plan for School-Wide Implementation and Sustainability

Provide structures and supports to facilitate initial and on-going

implementation of core behavior and academic practice

1. Competency drivers

2. Leadership drivers (infrastructure)

3. Organizational drivers

The establishment of a MTSS will mean, in most cases, a

collaborative evaluation of current systems and practices, and an

eventual evolution/transformation into a coherent system where the

complementary nature of existing component parts are leveraged to

speed improved outcomes for students. What amounts to highly

practical and achievable activities, using existing capital and

resources, may just be the key to sustained improvement in your

district or school. As Jim Knight would say, that’s a win-win situation.

(cont. from pg. 1)

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L ONG I S LAN D R SE -T A SC REG IO NAL W ORK SHO PS

behavior workshops • bilingual workshops • non-district workshops • regulations • transition workshops

To Register for our Regional Workshops, you may visit our new and improved website by clicking on this link: http://www.esboces.org/Page/89, or...

Please go to http://webreg.esboces.org to register online. Under “Search Options”, pull-down and check RSE-TASC and then click “Search”.

Then, simply scroll down to register for the workshop you are interested in. Clicking on the hyperlinked

workshop dates below will bring you directly to the respective MyLearningPlan® registration page.

• LONG ISLAND RSE-TASC REGIONAL CATALOGUE SAMPLE •

June

PBIS Professional Learning Community (TEAMS & PRINCIPALS) (Western Suffolk) — 6/4/14 facilitated by Ms. Michelle Levy

Understanding Disproportionality/Discrepancy in Special Education PART II (Pat Med) — 6/5/14 facilitated by Ms. Arlene Crandall, Ms. Michelle Levy, Ms. Liz DeFazio-Rodriguez (Western Suffolk) — 6/13/14 and Mr. Gary Coppolino, Jr.

IEP’s for ELLs (Nassau) — 6/11/14 facilitated by Ms. Elizabeth DeFazio-Rodriguez

The RSE-TASC would like to thank all of the readers of our Newsletters for a wonderful inaugural year! While we will take a summer respite in order to reflect on our publications, your feedback and effective editorial practices from the field, rest assured that our plan is to resume monthly publications in September, 2014… Until then, we look forward to continually providing you with the same courteous and professional service that you have come to expect from the RSE-TASC. Wishing you a successful end to the school year, and a restful summer… All the best, Mr. Vincent Leone Long Island RSE-TASC Coordinator

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• RSE-TASC STAFF • IN SUFFOLK CALL • 631.218.4197 IN NASSAU CALL • 516.396.2989

CENTRAL OFFICE (Suffolk office): Vincent Leone, Coordinator

Sharon Van Winckel, Senior Account Clerk Lynn Hayes, Senior Clerk Typist

NASSAU SPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SPECIALISTS (SESIS):

Naomi Gershman Monique Habersham

Roxane Diamond, Senior Typist Clerk

SUFFOLK SPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SPECIALISTS (SESIS): Marjorie Guzewicz

Elizabeth Silva

REGIONAL TRAINERS (Suffolk office): Arlene B. Crandall, Regional Special Education Training Specialist

Elizabeth DeFazio-Rodriguez, Bilingual Special Education Specialist Michelle Levy, Behavior Specialist

Gary Coppolino, Jr., Behavior Specialist Cathy Pantelides, Nassau Transition Specialist Matthew Jurgens, Suffolk Transition Specialist

Laurance Anderson, Non-District Specialist

Figure 2 Resources

Iowa Department of Education

University of Vermont—Multi-tiered System of Supports

Field Guide

District Administration of MTSS

Florida’s MTSS

References Archer, A., & Hughes, C. A. (2011). Explicit instruction: Efficient and

Effective Teaching. New York, NY: Guilford Publications.

Eagle, J. Eagle, S. Nkom, L. Dopke, M. (2014) No More Silos: Integrating

Academic and Behavioral Needs in a MTSS Framework. Rhode Island

College.

Fox, L., Carta, J., Strain, P., Dunlap, G., & Hemmeter, M.L. (2009). Response

to Intervention And the Pyramid Model. Tampa Florida: University of South

Florida, TechnicalAssistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for

Young Children as retrieved from http://challengingbehavior.org

Hale, J., Kaufman, A., Naglieri, J., Kavale, K., (2006). Implementation of

IDEA: Integrating Response to Intervention and Cognitive Assessment

Methods. Psychology in the Schools Vol. 43(7), 2006

Hollingsworth, J., & Ybarra, S. (2009). Explicit direct instruction: The power

of the well-crafted, well-taught lesson. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

Knight, J. (2011). Unmistakable Impact: a partnership approach for

dramatically improving instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

Shore, C., (2009). A Comprehensive Response to Intervention Model:

Integrating Behavioral and Academic Interventions. Chapter 1, A

Comprehensive Model for Response to Intervention. Corwin, Wesley

Educational Services as retrieved from http://sagepub.com

Multi-Tier System of Support

Source: http://www.misd.net/rti/