Problem-Solving in MTSS

MTSS has a methodological way of problem-solving, utilizing a Response Protocol to make support decisions for students based on a continuum of needs.

As mentioned in the section above, a Response Protocol refers to the method and approach used when determining student needs and how to address them—it defines, “who gets what and when.” It outlines a plan for using research-based, targeted interventions and enrichment services with increasing levels of cumulative support. It also outlines the roles and responsibilities of staff and clarifies the procedures and processes within the model (e.g., requirements to intensify to a Tier 3 level of support for a student, procedures for notifying parents, etc.).

3 Types of Response Protocols

There are three types of Response Protocols:

• A Standard-Treatment Protocol (STP) is used when all students struggling with a similar area receive the same support plan.

• A Problem-Solving Protocol (PSP) is used when students receive an individual plan designed for their specific needs.

• A combined approach (ST/PSP) uses elements from both protocols to design additional support.

4-Step MTSS Problem Solving Model

The combined Standard Treatment Protocol / Problem-Solving (STP-PS) Model with Branching Minds (BRM) drives the decisions made in the MTSS system, and includes 4 steps:

1. Problem Identification (“Who and what are we concerned about?”): the difference between what learning and/or behavior is expected and what actually occurs is clearly defined.
2. Problem Analysis (“Why do we think the problem is occurring?”): multiple sources of data are used (e.g., formative and summative assessments, attendance data, the BRM Insight Surveys, etc.) to generate possible cause(s) of the problem. 
3. Plan Implementation (“What can we do about it?”): using the BRM platform, an intervention plan is developed collaboratively and implemented. The plan contains learning goals, support activities that are research-based strategies from the BRM library that maximize the likelihood of success, and a plan for monitoring progress.
4. Plan Evaluation (“Was our support successful?”): Progress data are reviewed to determine if the plan was delivered with fidelity and the extent of impact in closing the gap toward expected performance. If a positive impact is not evident, the problem-solving process begins again.

It’s critical to understand that MTSS is based on this premise: the earlier we can identify a problem, analyze it so we can best understand our learners’ needs, implement a plan providing each student the level of support they need using research-backed interventions matched to their specific challenges, and frequently monitor for fidelity and effectiveness, the higher the likelihood we can help our students achieve success more easily, more quickly, and more commonly within the general education setting. MTSS is how we provide an equitable and successful education for ALL students.

Data Systems in MTSS: What Are the Different Assessment Types Within MTSS

Instructionally relevant, valid, and reliable assessments are critical for providing proactive and reactive support. There are 3 types of assessments, which vary in administration and use: 

1. Summative Assessments

   Summative assessments are administered to all students annually to determine students’ mastery of grade-level standards and provide educators with information about adequate yearly progress at site and district levels.
   
   

2. Universal Screening Assessments

   Universal screening assessments are administered to all students three times per year to proactively and objectively identify which students are potentially in need of educational supports/enhancements to supplement the core curriculum.  Furthermore, evaluation of universal screening data is conducted to ensure the core curriculum is resulting in success for a sufficient percentage of students. These assessments should be nationally or state-normed and predictive of performance on summative assessments.
   
   

3. Progress Monitoring Assessments

   are given to students receiving intervention support and are administered weekly or every other week, depending on the intensity of need. These data should come from Curriculum-Based Measurements (CBMs), because they provide a reliable and valid measure of students’ growth in a particular skill area.

MTSS Tiers

A three-tiered service delivery system is necessary to efficiently and effectively support all children, not just those who struggle in school. The three-tiered system of service delivery is crucial in the attempt to ensure all students achieve at high levels and all students achieve college and career readiness.

The first step in building an MTSS system involves examining system effectiveness, which must occur prior to examining students individually. This section describes each tier in detail, and how to examine the effectiveness of a school’s service delivery system.

Tier 1: Core Instruction

At Tier 1, all students receive scientific, research-based core instruction implemented with integrity and emphasizing grade-level standards and school-wide behavioral expectations. Instruction at Tier 1 should be explicit, differentiated, and include flexible grouping and active student engagement. High-quality instruction is essential to ensure that 80% of students’ needs are met at Tier 1. Features of high-quality, research-based instruction include (Chard et al., 2008): 

1. Standards-Based Curriculum: a curriculum based upon state standards.
2. Systematic Explicit Instruction: Skills are taught from less to more complex using direct, clear, and concise instructional language. 
3. Differentiated Instruction: Students have different levels of background knowledge and school readiness; differentiated instruction engages each student in active learning according to his/her needs. The content of instruction, delivery of instruction, and targeted level of instruction can be differentiated. (For more information, check out this blog: The Differentiation Deal: Making a Case for Differentiation in the Classroom.)
4. Flexible Grouping: A combination of whole group, small group, and individual instruction allows teachers to create fluid groups that meet the needs of all students. 
5. Active Student Engagement: Ensuring all students are actively involved during instruction and are not passive recipients; this can be accomplished with high rates of opportunities to respond, ample time to practice skills, and prompt corrective feedback. (Want Tier 1 Engagement Strategies? Check out: Top 10 Student Engagement Practices For Tier 1 in MTSS)
6. Classroom Behavior Strategies: Proactively and explicitly teaching the expected behaviors and routines, frequent use of reinforcement and praise (4:1 positive to negative feedback loop), quick and efficient transition times, and consistent instructional response to misbehavior. 

A solid Tier 1 should be sufficient to help 80% of students meet or exceed grade level expectations as measured by a standardized summative assessment. If Tier 1 instruction is not successful in meeting the needs of 80% of the school’s population, the school team should evaluate the quality of the curriculum and its delivery and also consider possible solutions to create a better match between students’ needs and the core curriculum and instruction (e.g., improving explicit instruction, differentiation strategies, use of flexible grouping, and maximizing active student engagement). 

Tier 2: Targeted Group Intervention

At Tier 2, students identified as being at-risk academically or behaviorally through universal screeners are provided scientific, research-based interventions in addition to the core. Approximately 5-15% of students will need supplemental instruction at a Tier 2 level of support to become proficient. Tier 2 interventions are implemented with groups of students demonstrating common skill deficits or social/emotional/behavioral risk characteristics. These students should be observed on a platform or a system where a collaborative intervention plan is developed, monitored, and documented.

Targeted group interventions typically involve an additional 60-90 minutes of instruction (outside of core instruction) provided each week (e.g., two to three 30-minute intervention periods). Targeted group interventions must be more explicit: more intensive than core instruction; more supportive in the form of encouragement, feedback, and positive reinforcement; carefully scaffolded; and ideally occur in groups of approximately 3 to 5 students, for elementary, and 6 to 8 students or tier 2 support classes broken into a few groups of 6 to 8 students, for middle and high schools. 

➡️ Check out: What You Need To Know About Utilizing Tier 2 in MTSS

Tier 3: Intensive Individualized Intervention

Students who have not demonstrated progress with targeted group interventions at a Tier 2 level of support require more time in more intensive interventions. Tier 3 interventions are distinguished from Tier 2 interventions because they are individualized based on data collected in individual problem solving, and occur with smaller student-teacher ratios (e.g., ideally 1-on-1, however, groups of 3 to 5 students or a larger group broken into a few groups of 3-5 students, is acceptable for middle and high schools), and possibly occur for a longer duration of time (e.g., more daily minutes or more weeks spent in intervention). About 1-5% of students will require this level of intensive support. 

Tier 3 intervention plans include more than what occurs during intervention time. They also include strategies for maximizing student outcomes during core instruction or Tier 1, as well as supports to use at home or in the community.

➡️ Check out: Building an Engaging Tier 3 Support in MTSS

Intervention Planning in MTSS

Teachers spend a lot of time and effort discussing student needs, creating plans, providing differentiated support, and documenting the work; however, without the right intervention plan, the work becomes a documentation process instead of the intended problem-solving practice.

The key components of successful intervention plans are

1. Goals

   When setting goals, a helpful acronym to use is SMART, to ensure that each goal is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. When goals include these features it makes it clear when problem-solving whether or not the goal was achieved. 
   
   

2. Progress Monitoring

   Progress monitoring is the process of tracking student growth towards the goal. These are typically short, skill-based assessments that are administered using alternate forms that are also comparable in difficulty, instead of giving the exact same assessment multiple times. The assessments should also be reliable and valid in that they are able to accurately discriminate between growth, decline, and stagnation in a specific subject area. This ultimately provides reliable and valid information that can be used in problem-solving meetings as to whether or not the student is responding to the intervention and showing improvement. 
   
   

3. Interventions

   Intervention plans always need to include the actual intervention that will be used to help students reach their goals. In MTSS/RTI, interventions are targeted instructional programs, activities, lessons, strategies, or tools used to improve a specific skill.

   It is also important to point out what strategies are NOT interventions. In MTSS homework help, test prep, and reviews of core content are not considered interventions. Although they are included in intervention plans, locations and people are not the actual interventions themselves. For example, only including in an intervention plan that the student went to the library for support or met with an academic support teacher does not identify what was done to support the student. 

Therefore, when planning these intervention activities it is important to again think about what information will be needed for future problem-solving meetings. For example, what was done? What skill was it trying to target? How long, how frequent, and where?
Many of these key pieces of information for problem-solving are not only important when developing the plan, but are also critical when selecting interventions.

How To Build the Right MTSS Team

The MTSS team is a school-based, problem-solving team; it is the engine that drives the MTSS system. The MTSS team proactively addresses system needs by reviewing school-wide data (within grade levels and classrooms) and supports individual student growth by helping to monitor progress and make decisions for students at Tier 3.

The site administrator designates the composition of the MTSS team. MTSS team membership is determined both by standing members who contribute expertise from their respective disciplines and those who may be invited to address a specific concern. Examples of standing members on the MTSS team include: administrator, general education teacher, school psychologist/counselor, dean, content area specialist, ELL teacher, special education teacher, and grade-level or department representatives.

MTSS Team Duties Are as Follows: 

Meet regularly with a structured agenda that varies throughout the month to: 

• Review universal screening data;

• Review school-wide data, consider feedback and concerns from PLCs, and make data-based decisions; 

• Provide input on professional development as it relates to the school’s MTSS system and Tier 1 needs; 

• Provide input regarding school site intervention/enrichment schedule, curriculum, and/or course offerings; 

• Support grade levels/departments in serving students during intervention blocks in collaboration with general education teachers; 

• Discuss and communicate with the site administrator on issues relevant to the MTSS process; 

• Consult and collaborate with administrators, counselors, teachers, and parents about MTSS, problem-solving process, and procedural integrity; 

• Hold problem-solving meetings (that include parents) for individual students; 

• Refer students for comprehensive special education evaluations when data indicate this step is warranted. 

The MTSS Teams: Staff, Roles, and Responsibilities 

Critical to the functioning of an effective MTSS team is communication and collaboration between all school personnel. It is important to remember as we identify roles within an MTSS system that, as educators first, we all own the success of all students.

Challenge #3: Infrastructure Alignment

Infrastructure alignment is an overlooked yet vital step in setting the stage for successful MTSS foundations. The clarity that the alignment process brings, offers a path to maximize overall effectiveness, both within the MTSS adoption itself, as well as its integration with schoolwide functionality. The objective of bringing resources to help every student meet their goals is most successful when schools have aligned the multiple layers of resources and programs that schools employ to support their students. 

Alignment, by definition, considers movement in a straight line, which we all know is the shortest distance between two points. But, alignment can also be seen as holding and honoring positions of agreement; arguably the most effective way to implement any systemic change, including moving forward with consent from all parties.

When there is a successful adoption of MTSS, each component cohesively works in a symphony; the universal pre-screen is administered and analyzed, needs analysis are completed and utilized, student strengths and growth edges are assessed, data is used to create interventions, support plans are delivered, and progress monitored with fidelity and finally plan adjustments are made to achieve success for students. When there is complete alignment, all the parties involved benefit, including the student, school community, and all initiative stakeholders.

Here are some tried and tested steps to launch the alignment of MTSS at the school and district level:

1. Name the resistance
2. Create a plan
3. Identify and name all school efforts, programs, and processes
4. Identify the stakeholders
5. Align assessment and other required data
6. Communicate concisely, and more often than you think necessary
7. Organize

Read more in this article: Infrastructural Alignment for MTSS

Challenge #4: Efficiently Find and Implement Effective Interventions and Tracking Their Progress

Intervention strategies can be easily googled and subsequently taught; however, how do teachers know if they will actually work? Interventions can have varying levels of evidence behind them—some are robust and research-based, and others may have very little evidence of success. When educators use strategies with little or no research base, valuable instructional time gets lost waiting for the support to impact student progress over time. 

To determine if a favored intervention is research-based, educators can search for ESSA (the Every Student Succeeds Act) curated interventions. ESSA was developed to help educators select interventions that are grounded in research. The duration and frequency of intervention support are based upon students’ needs and the research-driven recommendations. 

Additionally, progress monitoring assessments to measure intervention effectiveness should be administered weekly or biweekly, depending upon the students’ needs. It is critical to regularly create the time and space for reviewing progress monitoring data to determine if the intervention(s) provided needs to be adjusted/changed.

Challenge #5: Managing the Change Management Processes

Successfully managing the challenge of the change management process is critical in transitioning from a traditional support model to MTSS. You may have heard the old phrase "...if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've got." To avoid this from happening and ensure success, leadership must thoroughly think through and plan the change management process. The following tips are essential when engaging in change management in schools:

• Find exemplars for modeling best practices and collaboration;

• Concisely and frequently communicate policy changes;

• Explain the "why" behind the change (e.g., for MTSS);

• Check-in regularly through quick surveys and questionnaires to see how the new policies are going; and

• Create individual touchpoints with those that may be resistant to change

When change occurs, some may feel overwhelmed or tempted to slip back into old patterns. As a result, thoroughly thinking through the above bullets can help avoid this from happening and instead create excitement about providing a wraparound foundation to meet all students' needs.

Improve MTSS With Branching Minds

MTSS is not a new process, but it is an ever-improving & evolving research-backed process with the goal of providing adequate and equitable tiered support for all students—while also supporting educators and administrators to more effectively and efficiently help students. MTSS is a system-level initiative that helps districts across the country improve student outcomes through the use of screeners, a continuum of tiered support, progress monitoring, and data-based decision-making. And as a system-level solution, MTSS is collaborative, involving all stakeholders in data-driven decision-making to best support students. 

MTSS can help districts:

• Support every student to succeed & for every teacher to know how to help their students

• Better evaluate student needs and match instruction, resources, and interventions accordingly

• Place a strong priority on prevention

• Improve student outcomes using research

• Integrate academic, behavioral, and social-emotional supports

• Strengthen capacity among educators & administrators

• Examine systems-level data to identify variables that are producing current results

The Branching Minds MTSS/RTI system-level education platform brings together innovative, easy-to-use technology with the latest insights from the learning sciences to help drive student and school success, while making teachers' and administrators' work easier and more effective. Branching Minds connects data, systems, interventions, and stakeholders so that educators, administrators, and families can work better together to support students' holistic needs. Learn more about Branching Minds' MTSS software platform.

Top MTSS FAQs

What Are Some Examples of MTSS?

MTSS acts as an umbrella that includes a few other tiered systems of support such as Response to Intervention (RTI)—a multi-tier approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behavior needs; and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)—a preventative framework for supporting the development of positive and prosocial behaviors in schools and classrooms. 

What Is an MTSS Intervention?

An MTSS intervention is an intentional, research, or evidence-based program, instructional activity, or strategy to target a specific academic/social-emotional/behavioral skill.

Interventions are delivered with a specific frequency and duration over a defined number of weeks, depending on the level of need. Interventions may be delivered in a variety of contexts such as small groups, one on one, afterschool, and tutoring.

For more information about the MTSS intervention process, check out the MTSS Intervention Flowchart & Guide.

What Are the 3 Tiers of RTI?

These RTI tiers provide levels of support for students demonstrating need. The three tiers of RTI are:

Tier 1: Whole class instruction/core instruction

This tier includes all students in the general education classroom. Students in Tier 1 may work in small groups, and have learning supports that suit their needs. If a student is demonstrating a need greater than the everyday classroom can address, then this student moves onto Tier 2.

 Tier 2: Small group interventions 

Students demonstrating a need for Tier 2 will receive small group instruction/intervention outside of the everyday classroom 2-3 times a week. It’s important to note that students still continue to receive everyday core instruction in the classroom.

Educators will monitor the student’s progress in this tier and if the student shows improvement, they may move back to Tier 1. But if the student does not show improvement, educators may see a need for the student to move to Tier 3 to receive additional support.

Tier 3: Intensive interventions

Tier 3 is the most intensive level of support in RTI. Students demonstrating a need for Tier 3 support will continue to receive core instruction in the classroom and small group instruction/intervention. Additionally, they will receive a more intuitive intervention, often in the form of 1-1 lessons with an educator. 

How Do You Explain MTSS to Parents?

During the implementation of MTSS, creating a plan to share information with families and community members about the school's approach to MTSS in a clear and accessible format is essential. Make sure to define key terms needed to level-set an understanding of MTSS. Visuals such as graphs, flowcharts, and easy-to-understand flyers are great tools to get the word out on why MTSS is necessary, how MTSS will impact students, and the schedule of expected timelines/communications. The goal is to help families understand that MTSS encourages schools to plan and allocate resources so that ALL students receive the instruction they need.

Here are a few essential MTSS resources to share with families and parents:

• MTSS Glossary of Key Terms

• Download this MTSS Guide to share with them

A few guiding points to touch on when communicating with families and parents about MTSS are the student's tiered needs, curriculum and academics, MTSS data, and social-emotional learning (SEL) support for the whole child. 

For more information, check out these resources:

• MTSS Guide for Families and Community Members

• How To Speak With Families and Communities About MTSS

What Is an MTSS Assessment?

MTSS uses assessments to identify students’ needs and monitor progress. It’s important to note that there are no “MTSS assessments,” but there are many types of assessments used in the MTSS framework. The types of assessments that MTSS utilizes are below. 

Universal Screeners

Universal screeners are standardized assessments used to identify students’ areas of strength and need, and offer a snapshot of progress over time.

Diagnostic Assessments

Diagnostic assessments are assessment tools used to identify a student’s specific skills and knowledge.

Progress Monitors

Progress Monitors are standardized assessments used to assess a student’s progress towards a SMART goal, and determine the effectiveness of support provided.  

Intervention Embedded Assessments

Intervention Embedded Assessments are progress monitoring tools embedded into an intervention program. These only assess a student’s progress in the intervention, not towards a SMART goal (these are NOT progress monitors). 

Summative Assessments

Summative assessments are used to measure a student’s standard proficiency. 

Formative Assessments

Formative Assessments are periodic “check-in” assessments, such as “pop quizzes” or “exit tickets'' used to guide Tier 1 instruction and measure students’ understanding of standards. These assessments determine if the instruction is effective or needs to be adjusted during the instructional period.

Learn more in this article.

What Is the Process of MTSS?

The MTSS process consists of students receiving strong differentiated core instruction in the everyday general education classroom, consistent universal screening to identify students’ needs, and if students’ needs are identified then the creation of student support plans and intervention plans are created, while a student is receiving intervention progress is frequently monitored, and decision-makers interpret and data and adjust instruction and support plans according to a student’s need. 

What Are the Essential Elements of an Effective Intervention Program?

In MTSS, an effective intervention should be targeted, research-based, and chosen based on alignment with core instruction; be specific for individuals or students in small groups, and be coupled with an intervention plan which accounts for scheduled progress monitoring. Interventions should also be used in conjunction with SMART goals and progress monitoring.

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