Multi-Tiered Systems and Support Post Master’s Certificate

The Multi-tiered System of Supports model (MTSS) is a systematic way of assessing individual behavioral and academic needs in children, designing meaningful instructional and behavioral supports, for the student to learn and succeed in the classroom without having to matriculate he/she into special education. This approach to teaching targets the students who are not making academic progress because of academic or behavioral difficulties or other students unable to have their academic or behavioral needs met to ensure engagement. It is a last effort to maintain the child in the regular classroom, prevent special education identification, and avoid the negative and often stigmatizing effects of labeling or the inappropriate identification of students who are not truly manifesting special needs.

This method of meeting the needs of these students requires a special skill set that looks at both the behavioral and academic needs of all children using a three-tiered model. Tier One- includes all students. It ensures that schools are fully prepared and proactively assessing the needs of all students. All students are screened and assessed. If they require something more teachers and teacher leaders design Tier Two interventions that target this subset of students requiring ‘added assistance” to learn what others are learning through tier one strategies. The Tier Two students are assessed and if they require something more to learn what others have learned on Tier One and Tier Two, then teachers and teacher leaders design targeted strategies for this even smaller subset of students. If at the end of Tier I-II-III the student has not been able to learn adequately, then, and only then are they referred for special education evaluation and possible special education identification. This system ensures that students learn what is required while learning with their typically developing peers. This system requires team planning, building coordination of services and resources as well as expert instructors who are aware of multiple ways to teach students