In a series of stories, CISD will be showcasing how the district uses Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) so that all students can experience growth. This first story is an overview of MTSS.
Coppell ISD uses a proactive framework of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), alongside Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), to work toward a common goal that CISD students experience at least one-years worth of growth each school year.
According to CISD’s Director of Accountability, Assessment and MTSS Mary Kennington, the district is committed to engaging in collaborative and transformative instruction that fosters social, emotional, and academic growth for all students. MTSS is designed to help schools meet each student’s needs. It focuses on the whole child.
"In CISD, we believe Professional Learning Communities and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support go hand-in-hand in supporting students, much like the classic pairing of coffee and donuts - you can’t have one without the other," Kennington said, emphasizing the inherent synergy between the two frameworks.
Educators work collaboratively, rather than in isolation, taking collective responsibility for student learning as part of a Professional Learning Community, which revolves around four fundamental questions:
What do we want our students to learn?
How do we know if each student has learned it?
What interventions are in place if students haven't learned it?
What extensions are available for those students who already grasp the content?
Delving into the three tiers of instruction that define MTSS, Kennington said that all students receive Tier 1 instruction, which includes a variety of supports, scaffolds, and differentiated best practices in the classroom.
Based on a variety of assessments, for students who need strategic intervention to achieve benchmarks, Tier 2 interventions provide more frequent and smaller group instruction, providing targeted interventions for those students who need additional time and support, in addition to Tier 1 instruction.
"For the students who struggle to respond to Tier 2 interventions, Tier 3 steps in for those students who continue to need increased time and intensity of instruction," Kennington said. “Tier 3 instruction emphasizes the need for intensive support tailored to individual student needs. Educators are consistently using data to identify any necessary changes to instructional delivery.”
For those students who may already know the material being taught, teachers collaborate with other subject or grade level educators or Gifted and Talented Specialists to create extension or enrichment activities to allow for deeper understanding and learning on the subject.
The proactive nature of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support diverges from the traditional Response-to-Intervention (RtI) approach and allows the opportunity to proactively provide support to students earlier to ensure learning continues. MTSS alongside PLCs ensures a more collaborative and individualized approach to grow all students academically, as well as socially and emotionally, each school year.
Kennington said the integration of the Panorama Student Success Platform emerged as a crucial tool to empower CISD educators to make informed instructional decisions to meet the needs of students.
"Ongoing, fluent use of data allows collaborative teacher teams to determine if the student is making an expected rate of progress and growth, which directly impacts current supports," Kennington stressed, stating that a variety of student assessment results are used to drive instructional decisions.
"Every child in CISD deserves a year's worth of academic growth," Kennington said. She added that CISD is committed to cultural and linguistic responsiveness, which helps distinguish the district in having both high growth and high achievement amongst its students.
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support aligns to CISD’s profound belief that education should be proactive, inclusive and tailored to each student the district serves.
“Multi-Tiered Systems of Support is more than an academic framework,” Kennington said. “It's a commitment to ensuring that every student experiences success and personal growth on their educational journey.”
Learn more at www.tinyurl.com/CoppellMTSS.