 Hi, everyone. Thanks for joining us for what is MTSS, multi-tiered system of support. I'm Steph Lundgren from ESU 8's PD team. I'm Tony Earhart, the MTSS coordinator at the ESU 8. Welcome. So today we're going to go over these topics. We have some people who just want to know the basics of MTSS and maybe use this with a whole staff and getting everybody on the same page of what is this process and what is the structure, what are the components of it. So as we talk today, we'll work through this agenda. So multi-tiered system of support has a Nebraska definition. So particularly in Nebraska, we define MTSS as an educational framework for continuous improvement, problem-solving and decision-making. It promotes an integrated system connecting general and special education along with all teaching and learning components into a high-quality, standard-based instruction and intervention framework that can be adapted to meet students' academic, social-emotional and behavior needs from preschool to graduation. Alright, so basically when I describe it, if I could describe it in fewer words, it's this structure where we really look at kids' needs and think, are the things that we're doing for these kids right now meeting their needs or do they need more support? And if they need more support, we get them more support. And that's in all areas. So again, like it says, academic, social, emotional, behavior. And the best systems are when we're dealing with all those things all at once. So why should we use MTSS? Well, it's a powerful tool to give knowledge and provide effective instruction for all students. It's really collaborative with staff. So every member of the staff is involved in this decision-making process where you think you really analyze are our supports working for our kids. It's comprehensive and it's really preventative. We're not noticing the problem and then reacting to it as much as we're anticipating what problems could even have we could have or we could encounter and trying to solve those problems before it becomes you know, full-blown and it could be more detrimental to students. Okay, so in Nebraska, again, we have these different definitions. We hear about MTSS and RTI throughout the country. But like I said, they have different meanings in Nebraska that are pretty specific. So MTSS is a service delivery system based on a concept that some students require early and powerful general education interventions of increasing intensity. MTSS has this broader focus. It's a district or school-wide approach, building a system of supports for all students. All students fit into MTSS and its structure. Where RTI in Nebraska is defining practices used to determine eligibility for special education. So some students will qualify for special education when you're working through the MTSS system. So we'll talk a little bit more about that later and maybe have another webinar later in our series that will deal more with that. It's not something that can be immediately done, but something that once a school is really using MTSS for a while and identifying needs in a special way for a period of time that that can be accessed. So in Nebraska, the MTSS group has come up with this problem-solving model. It looks a lot like school improvement problem-solving models that you may use. You know, everything from different interventions might use a problem-solving model a lot like this. And even if your school came to some of the Nebraska MTSS trainings at the ESU, they may have developed their own problem-solving model for your school. So we always identify the problem, we analyze it, you implement an intervention, and then you reflect on that to see if it's working, and then you start that process again. So it's always continuous. We're always working through this with our teams. And MTSS really is a framework for school improvement. It's an umbrella. So you might think, oh gosh, MTSS, we're starting something new, and actually, you're not. It's just that nice framework that all the things that you are doing fit under. So listed on the screen here are lots of different initiatives that schools have in place now, have taken on over the last few years, and we can find all of those initiatives within that structure of MTSS. So whether it's a new behavior system, whether it's a quest that came along a few years ago, maybe it's an instructional model like Marzano, maybe it's working on your curriculum, all of those things fall under this umbrella. And lots of times we see a pyramid when we're describing MTSS. And the pyramid really is used to address academic and behavior systems, behavior programs with kids. When we address academics and behaviors at the same time, we see increased success for them in both areas. So tier one are those core supports. Just delivering core supports will meet the needs or should meet the needs of 80 to 90% of your students. So for instance, that could be your core reading program, and the regular core program taught in the classroom will meet the needs of 80 to 90% of your kids. But about 10 to 15% of those kids will need extra support. So we leave that core in place and we layer on another support for them. So now we're going to layer on extra help or extra intervention and intervention program. And then about one to 5% of your kids are going to need some intensive supports. So again, they get that core, but we're going to layer on those intensive supports as we go up the tiers. We never take anything away, we always add more. And again, I set a reading program, but this can be used with a behavior system. Or this can be used with math. We see that more and more schools are branching out to other areas. And again, using them at the same time. So just think a student who might be having academic problems in math might have some behaviors that follow that. And maybe they're acting out because they're so lost in the math lesson. Well, when you increase the supports for them and get them instruction at the right level and support their learning, then their behaviors increase their their behavior, the behaviors improve to with that. And as we work through this whole system, we are addressing the a quest tenants as well. So this really fits in well with our school improvement efforts. So there are some components to MTSS here. One is instruction and intervention. So we use really high quality evidence based programs. And we have great delivery of those programs. And we increase the intensity and precision as kids need extra support. We also have comprehensive assessment system for database decision making. So those might be some of the data collection that you're already doing. So you already have a screener, like maybe a cadence that you're using with your students to monitor their reading throughout the year. And then you use progress monitoring data also to support them in between benchmarks. And you might use multiple data sources. So not just your screener, but you're also using map or Tony, whether the data sources are people using star reading. Maybe just data from your reading program. Yes. And those will be different as we work more with behavior and with math where we can also collect that screening data as well as data from other assessments. We know that each assessment is just one point in time. But then we really use that data in our meetings to make the decisions about the needs of students. Fidelity in a support system. So instructional data are used to inform that professional development and the support the needs of the instructional staff. So one thing with MTSS is we really focus on the adults a lot to not just the students. And we think about what needs to change with adult behavior or that the teaching methods. And so tying in your professional development and your needs for staff to all this is super important. Also continuous improvement or problem solving cycles like we just saw an example of. We really use that that cycle to help us make our decisions and not just make a decision but then think about is it working? Is this what we need? Are we getting the desired results? And teaming is very important as well. And nobody is alone in this process. But we're really we have a shared leadership and that leadership team pulls in stakeholders as needed to help make those decisions. And I think it's just nice to know you're not alone. It's not just your problem to solve but we're going to work through things together for all of our kids. And we can kind of think about this whole system by using the example of a public health model like influenza prevention, which seems to be of interest lately. So when we think about this, um, at tier one, and when we think about public health, we want everybody washing their hands and coughing or sneezing into their elbow. We know that that is a great core practice for everybody to use. The goal there is to prevent a particular condition from occurring and it's for everyone. So no matter for preventing colds or the flu or whatever it may be, we know that that's good for all. But at tier two, some people might need to layer on extra protection by getting a flu shot. Those might be people who are at increased risk of contracting the condition. They might be people with compromised immune systems. So they're going to get a flu shot every year. And that's maybe not everybody but those people who are identified at an increased risk. And then we have tier three people. These are people who need bed rest, um, medication or medical supervision. And they really need to lessen the effect or symptoms of the condition or curative possible, right? They are ill right now. So it is imperative that we get them intensive support. And if we think through this, we never took away a layer, right? We didn't say, Oh, you're sick in bed. So you don't need to wash your hands or cough or sneeze anymore. No, we still expect everyone to do that all the time. Or we didn't say, Oh, you're going to get your flu shot. So don't worry about washing your hands or, or coughing and sneezing into your elbow. We always keep the core keep tier one and just add on layers as we go. Alright, the Nebraska MTSS framework has came up with six essential elements to have in place for a successful MTSS system. So first, shared leadership is a must because MTSS is a joint problem solving effort. Secondly, communication, collaboration and partnership contribute to student success and should be tied to school and family needs. Then all curriculum instruction, intervention and assessment practices must be evidence based. Next, a solid foundation of knowledge, resources and organizational structures must be in place. All students must have access to a full layer continuum of support. And lastly, data and research must guide decision making at all support levels. And if you need more information on the essential elements, you can go to the any MTSS website. So here is what is MTSS is not. There are few common misconceptions about MTSS. These statements are not what MTSS is all about. revamping of the SAT process is actually one of the last steps of building an effective MTSS system. How the SAT works will be drastically different when effective core and intervention systems are in place. In the past, SATs have been about brainstorming intervention ideas. When you have effective core and intervention supports in place, the issues that come to the SAT should be far more complex because a number of things have already been tried, and you have much more data already. If you start by revamping the SAT, you'll just end up having to revamp it again. After you've gotten other supports in place, often schools will be in a dual system continuing with the old way of referring and identifying in sped as they're building an MTSS system. MTSS is about finding what works for students. It's not about trying something and determining if the student didn't respond, and that they must have a disability. It's not about this. It's not looking for non responders. It's looking at what we haven't done to meet the needs of students and matching the support that works for these students. Here is the MTSS website. This is a great resource to look for. If you look at the top, there are pull down tabs that you can look at the overview, why MTSS getting started, essential elements, and there are resources also available on this website. So we recommend if you need more information, this is a great tool to use. Tony, I really like the resources tab. Do you feel the same? Yes. I think it has a lot of documentation and even just at this site to be able to see a calendar of some training events and things like that. It's really helpful. Yep, there's forms on there that you can use. Definitely use those. So here is the written implementation plan. We recommend all MTSS schools have a written plan. If you have a written plan, you're more apt to use this and have MTSS deeply implemented at your district level. If you need a copy of this template, you can email myself, Tony Earhart, tearhart at esu8.org, and I can get this for you. And this is something too that, you know, what help working through. So let us know if you need help working through that implementation plan, we can come out and support you through that. Definitely. Yep. Thank you. Here are also a few documents and these are found on the any MTSS website. And these will help guide your MTSS on accomplishing certain tasks. So communication often pieces get left or left behind on who was supposed to communicate the idea or task. So you would list those on the communication plan. And then anything need to accomplish like a task, you would list that on the action plan tasks. So you can find these again on the website and definitely use these documents, or you can edit them and change in the way that you like. Here is just an example of a process of MTSS. Oftentimes, we get asked on, well, how does MTSS work? Well, honestly, it works differently at each district for school. So this is just an example. This is not the guide or what you need to go off of, but it can help gear you on maybe how it looks. So the first four are the steps from the problem solving model. So you would identify, analyze, implement and reflect. So there's steps listed under each one. So for example, identify, first, you're going to look at your data and figure out what area. And Steph mentioned it's not always reading. Most districts do start in reading because reading encompasses a lot of different things. However, you would do the area that you fill your school needs to focus in on. So then you look at the core in that area, have a universal screener completed on all students, and then have progress monitoring on play in place. Then to analyze it, you would look at the core to see if supplements need to be added, add in fidelity checks to ensure the core is being implemented correctly, and complete diagnostic screener on only those students not making sufficient gains. In your school psychologists, they should be able to help you with those diagnostic screeners also. And myself and others at the ESU can help with fidelity checks too if you need help with those. The third step implementing, then you would purchase and train individuals on the research based intervention, also the core to implement the intervention time schedule and progress monitoring habit schedule for that. Having a schedule for those items will make sure that they're completed correctly. And then reflect on this. Make sure you have MPSS meetings with agendas to make sure that you're talking about the correct things in your task oriented and looking at data at those meetings. And again, looking at those data after each benchmark testing to address intervention. So this in a nutshell is just a simple process, but this is much more complex. So this is why is the ESU eight staff members were here to help you through this process in any of these areas. So please reach out to us in any of these areas if you have questions. And then once you have a solid plan in any of those areas, then you add in the behavior, the math or so forth and some tools are doing with the same time like behavior and reading. And that's great because like Steph said, if you have both of them going at the same time, then you're going to see more academic success overall. MTSS with special education verification. This process can be used to verify students for special education. And your ESU eight school psychologists can be of assistance in this process. So they'll be the ones you want to reach out to. There are some documents though on the any MTSS website and they're linked here. And they have some question and answers that you can look for answers on this. This is a good resource to use. The ESU eight has support available. I made myself and the MTSS coordinator, along with professional development from staff, and we're here to answer any questions and support you with three main things we offer our professional learning in many different ways, classroom coaching, and then collaboration and support. We also Oh, I'm sorry, your school sites are also there to help you out on to so access their support too. Yeah, definitely. You can also invite us to your MTSS meetings. I can zoom through or if you're within distance or fits in my schedule, I can also come to any of those also. So just what fits your school and what you want for support. So then we developed MTSS days also. These are two days a year in a five year period. And we give information and then give work time and on site coaching from myself on the certain tasks and help guide you through the MTSS process in the area of need for your school. So different schools are at different years. So you would go at the beginning you would start at year one and then you'd go through different levels of grade levels like you might have your junior high at year one and your elementary year two, it just depends where you're at in your school and where you're at in the MTSS process. So if you're interested in attending those, please reach out to Steph or myself when there's more information on our website. Anything else on support Steph? I know just know if you have any questions at all, give us a call, let us know. And you know, either one of us anytime you can email here's our contact information. And we can get you answers, even if we don't know them right away, we can access any extra support from the state level as well. Yep. Yeah, thank you for listening. And please email us or call us at the ESU if you have any questions. Thanks guys. Bye.