Now is the Time for a Comprehensive Approach to K-12 MTSS

Now is the Time for a Comprehensive Approach to K-12 MTSS

Maximizing your multi-tiered system of support requires rich, connected data

The need for a multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS)framework in K-12 schools and districts is more important than ever. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, unfinished learning has accelerated with students. An analysis of assessment resultsfor 1.6 million elementary students in 40 states showed an average of five months behind in math and four months behind in reading. Couple that with increased behavioral issues in classrooms, chronic absenteeismacross grade levels, and students are at great risk of falling further behind.

To address these needs, a comprehensive K-12 MTSS software system is needed to analyze, collaborate, and act on critical student data.

What is MTSS and why is K-12 MTSS software important?

MTSS is not a new concept, but it's gained momentum over the past couple of years as the previously mentioned challenges have escalated. Within the MTSS framework, both the academic and behavioral needs of students are addressed through three tiers. Within tier 1, educators aim to meet the needs of all students school-wide. Tier 2 support is targeted to at-risk students across multiple data points. And within tier 3, students needing a higher level of support are proactively identified and individualized intervention plans for academics, SEL, and behavior are implemented.

"MTSS helps educators provide both academic and behavior support for their students with various needs," explains Christopher Cirillo, PowerSchool Vice President of Product Management. "This grew out of response to intervention (RTI) and includes positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS). It's not just an intervention anymore. We're really meant to proactively identify students and help them and individualize their instruction."

According to the California Department of Education, an MTSS framework is made up of four core components: high-quality, differentiated classroom instruction, systemic and sustainable change, an integrated data system, and positive behavioral support.

The problem is that educators and interventionists have lacked comprehensive K-12 MTSS software in the form of a single, integrated data system. Most school districts do not have an organized, collaborative system to identify students and monitor progress through interventions at scale. This is what's needed to analyze, collaborate, and act on all the critical student data-including historical information-required for a successful MTSS practice. 

Without a comprehensive, integrated software system, districts aren't engaging in MTSS at a fully digital level. They end up using multiple, disparate solutions, sometimes including shared computer drives and folders to add data.

MTSS is more important than ever

Educators are exhausted and facing increasingly complex and difficult challenges. They desperately need the efficiencies that only rich data and comprehensive tools and workflows can provide to their MTSS practice. In short, they need K-12 MTSS software that saves them time, gives them the data most helpful to student needs, and simplifies the entire process.

In some states, including California, Texas, and Virginia, laws now require that districts create and monitor personalized student plans-something a robust MTSS system should help create-for all learners. This trend is expected to expand to additional states.

A comprehensive MTSS practice should be a key component of your approach to personalized learning, as each student has specific needs for instruction, developing social and emotional learning (SEL) skills, and response to targeted remediation.

Schools and districts are demanding more from their MTSS solutions

Today, educators require a one-stop platform providing centralized access to critical current and historical student information. This includes attendance pulled from your student information system (SIS), behavior and SEL data, academic and assessment results, positive behavior systems, response to instruction and intervention, school-based mental health supports, student engagement and attendance, school climate, and student artifacts.

Ideally, a comprehensive K-12 MTSS software system should allow educators to:

1. Identify and track student needs with an extensive range of inputs, including the ability to create student plans
2. Implement and monitor interventions
3. Access comprehensive learner profiles that centralize all student data, including interventions and student plans
4. Review the efficacy of their MTSS framework for continuous improvement
5. Communicate with parents and guardians, including sharing interventions and student plans progress

Multi-level data enables stronger MTSS practices

The practice of MTSS has a wealth of data attributed to it, and educators should have complete access to the student data that matters. PowerSchool Unified Insights™ MTSS brings together the data from your district's SIS, behavior management, SEL, and assessment solutionsin a single platform. Unified Insights MTSS is K-12's most comprehensive MTSS solution that allows you to identify and track student needs, implement and monitor interventions, and review efficacy. 

And, as the leading provider of cloud-based software in K-12 education, PowerSchool's complete line of edtech products within a larger technology ecosystem help support a school or district's comprehensive MTSS practice with secure, connected data.

"When you talk about MTSS, it's important to realize that PowerSchool has a complete MTSS ecosystem. That includes both Unified Insights MTSS, which is meant for tracking tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 supports," says Cirillo. "But there are a lot of systems that help us make sure we are feeding in the right data, like our SIS, assessment platform, behavior support systems, and more. And we also have outcomes from MTSS. We can do things like informed instruction inside of PowerSchool Unified Classroom® Schoology Learning. We can inform families through Unified Home Communication. And we can execute more formal special programs Unified Classroom® Special Programs."

PowerSchool offers a true enterprise data warehouse, maximizing all your data systems by bringing rich data together in one location to produce correlations that aren't possible with disparate systems. With PowerSchool, educators can better meet the needs of the whole child thanks to deeper student insights that support all aspects of the MTSS process.

Improve Your MTSS Process with Connected Data

Find out more about PowerSchool Unified Insights™ MTSS, a comprehensive solution adaptable to any MTSS framework.

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