Although educators meet frequently to discuss student needs, teacher supports, and interventions, how often is there a discussion around implementing those supports with fidelity? Our goal is to serve the needs of our students. However, without fidelity monitoring in a Multi-Tied System of Supports (MTSS), we don’t know if the student actually received the high-quality instruction or intervention that we planned! There is often a big difference between a plan on paper and what happens in the day-to-day life of a school. A consistent plan to monitor and improve the quality of your intervention implementation could be the missing ingredient in your students’ success!
Fidelity is a measure of how consistently the critical components of MTSS are implemented in the school setting, including core instruction, interventions, and assessments. The American Institute of Research states that fidelity of implementation is a crucial school infrastructure and support mechanism to ensure the effectiveness of a Multi-Tiered System of Supports. (American Institutes of Research, 2022) This blog will address the fidelity of one part of an MTSS — intervention implementation, including instruction and assessment.
Fidelity is concerned with the following critical questions around intervention implementation:
Consider the following all-too-common scenario:A student is struggling in class, needing support in one or more areas. Several teachers bring this student up in a team meeting. Assessment and performance data are requested from teachers and collected for the discussion. The team meets and creates an intervention plan for this student. The interventionist or teacher implements the plan for a few weeks or months, but the student does not make sufficient progress. The big question is…WHY? It could be that:
It is easy to assume that the first option is the reason that a student isn’t making progress, when, in fact, the other options could be in play but are not visible to the team. |
When considering interventions and support for students, measuring fidelity means gathering data to check implementation and assessment. Best practice is to have a regular system of observation and feedback for those who provide interventions and assessments. A colleague or supervisor who is trained to use a fidelity rubric can provide much-needed support for teachers and interventionists — something that can be part of the duties of the Student Support Team (SST) and MTSS team members. Fidelity monitoring can also include self-evaluation using reflection or video. A few questions to consider when thinking about the intervention fidelity for your students are the following:
Even with the best intentions, it can be challenging to keep up with fidelity monitoring. It can feel “optional” somehow, even though it is absolutely critical to the success of an MTSS. Here are a few tips to help:
HOW BRANCHING MINDS SUPPORTS FIDELITY OF IMPLEMENTATIONBranching Minds is built to provide visibility into the entire intervention process, including whether intervention plans are in place for students in need, if those intervention plans are actually being implemented, and if the student is responding.
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Without a system to check fidelity, we can't be sure that our students are receiving the best possible instruction and intervention. MTSS is about more than compliance and documentation — utilizing a fidelity rubric, direct observation, and regular training and follow-up, we can help ensure that we are providing the high-quality support that our students deserve.
Branching Minds is designed to improve the fidelity of MTSS practice! Request a demo today to see how the Branching Minds MTSS platform can support your school in providing high-quality intervention that actually works.
Key Takeaways:
Source:
American Institutes for Research. (N.D.). MTSS Infrastructure and Support Mechanisms Series. Retrieved October 28, 2022, From https://mtss4success.org