The ability to read with fluency and comprehension is THE foundational academic skill that leads to all others. Despite the importance, reading performance in the U.S. has been stagnant for decades. In 2022, only 32% of 4th graders demonstrated proficiency in early literacy skills.
Students who fail to master basic reading skills by the midpoint of their elementary education are four times more likely to drop out before completing high school. This is not merely an educational concern; it correlates with a heightened likelihood of mental and physical health challenges, an increased risk of involvement in the criminal justice system, and a noticeable reduction in potential earnings over the course of a lifetime.
For all of these reasons, improving literacy outcomes is a top priority nationwide. Many states have regulations related to evidence-based reading instruction, and schools are looking for solutions that lead to growth in literacy skills and meet state requirements.
Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) provides a framework for effective reading instruction and early identification and intervention for students with reading challenges:
Systematic screening for literacy skill development
Evidence-based instruction and intervention
Progress monitoring and responsive adjustment that tailors instruction and interventions to individual needs
Effective school leadership and collaboration
Family communication and partnership
For each important aspect of early literacy growth in MTSS, Branching Minds makes the work more practical and sustainable.
Reading assessment data is brought together in the Branching Minds platform to help you identify risk for dyslexia and early reading difficulties at a glance. The next step? Group students with common reading intervention and progress monitoring needs to make the best use of intervention time.
Student support teams can easily develop reading support plans with evidence-based reading interventions tied to identified student needs using the Branching Minds library of supports. The creation of reading plans is scaffolded step-by-step in the Branching Minds platform, with all important details gathered together in one accessible place.
With the Student Overview page in the Branching Minds MTSS platform, teachers, interventionists, and student support teams can monitor literacy progress in real time. Educators can also connect reading assessment data, attendance, behavior, and intervention implementation in one place to better understand what's affecting student performance and adjust supports accordingly.
District and campus administrators work with Branching Minds professional services to build the infrastructure needed for effective MTSS implementation, including team and meeting structures, access to data, and clear protocols. School leaders can use the Implementation Health Report to track user engagement, tier breakdown by subject, support plan documentation, action item completion, utilization of normed assessments for progress monitoring, and universal screener data ingestion.
Collaboration with families to support literacy development is critical to success. Educators can generate intervention reports and letters about student support plans right from the Branching Minds platform. Other types of family communication such as phone calls, meetings, and email can also be documented, giving visibility into the amount and kind of information that educators and parents are sharing with one another.
Branching Minds' Family Communication Log
Orange County Schools strengthened its early literacy system by bringing reading assessment data, intervention planning, and progress monitoring together in the Branching Minds MTSS platform. With better collaboration between educators and literacy coaches, the district targeted reading interventions more effectively and achieved measurable gains in DIBELS reading performance.
➡️ Read how Orange County Schools improved early literacy outcomes with MTSS.
MTSS gives you the foundation for strong literacy outcomes. This guide shows you how to turn that foundation into a clear, aligned plan across your schools.
Download Improving Literacy Through MTSS: A Guide for District and School Leaders for practical strategies, real examples, and next steps you can use right away.
Reading growth is influenced by attendance, behavior, intervention implementation, and instructional consistency. Branching Minds brings all of that together in one MTSS platform so educators can make faster, more informed decisions.