The Ultimate MTSS Progress Monitoring
Guide and Toolkit

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF MTSS

Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a data-driven, prevention-based framework for enhancing school-wide teaching and learning.

At its core, MTSS promotes early identification of student needs, allowing for timely intervention. MTSS is the opposite of “wait to fail!” The system is structured with three layers (or “tiers”) of support to meet the unique needs of each student. The first tier focuses on high-quality universal instruction for all students. Targeted Tier 2 interventions are layered in for students who need additional support. Tier 3 then provides even more intensive interventions for students with significant challenges. Students can and should move between levels of support as needs are addressed, and new challenges arise.

In the context of MTSS, data is more than numbers.

Data analysis drives the entire approach to teaching and intervention. Educators need regular, reliable data to see if their instruction is working as intended. This is where progress monitoring comes in. The consistent use of progress monitoring tools not only allows for the identification of students at risk but also serves as a means to validate the effectiveness of the interventions in place.

Progress monitoring provides real-time insight into:

  Which skills students are mastering

Which strategies are effective

How to tailor instruction to individual needs

A robust MTSS framework hinges on two critical components: a dynamic teaming structure and a systematic problem-solving process. By emphasizing collaborative teamwork among diverse stakeholders and implementing a structured approach to problem-solving, MTSS ensures that progress monitoring is not just a periodic checkpoint but a continuous and integral part of the educational process.

Whether it's in analyzing data to inform instruction, designing interventions, or adjusting support strategies, the collective wisdom of a well-coordinated team is invaluable.

This collaborative spirit not only enhances the problem-solving process but also ensures that decisions are made based on a comprehensive understanding of the student’s experiences and needs.

Teaming

For MTSS to function optimally, a dedicated and diverse monitoring team is essential. Essential stakeholders include administrators, general and special education teachers, school psychologists, counselors, and support staff. Additionally, involving parents and community members can provide invaluable insights and foster a sense of shared responsibility.

The composition and specific roles within the MTSS team can vary based on the school's resources and student population. However, the goal remains the same: to collaborate and make decisions that best support student success (Eber, Weist, & Barrett, 2013). Teams should meet regularly to review progress monitoring data, evaluate outcomes, and determine next steps.

Problem-Solving

The process is iterative, meaning that teams revisit and revise based on the student’s response to the intervention. And, these components ensure that MTSS is not onesize-fits-all but instead is tailored to the unique needs of each student (Fuchs & Fuchs, 2006).

This MTSS Progress Monitoring Guide provides practical strategies and user-friendly templates to optimize your monitoring efforts and foster a culture of continuous improvement. Check out the flowchart below for a step-by-step visual of how a data-driven practice fits into MTSS. You’ll see that progress monitoring is central to the process!

Identify the Skill Deficit Clearly:

Before choosing a progress monitoring tool, it's vital to have a clear understanding of the specific skill deficit. Whether it's reading comprehension, mathematical problem solving, or any other skill, a precise definition is crucial. For example, “struggling in reading” is too broad; “difficulty in understanding the main idea in a passage” is more specific.

Match the Granularity:

Ensure the tool you choose measures progress at the same level of granularity as the deficit. If you're targeting a very specific skill, like recognizing phonemes, then the tool should monitor that exact skill and not a broader one, like general reading ability.

Choose a Sensitive Tool:

The progress monitor should be sensitive enough to detect small changes in the learner's performance. This ensures that even slight improvements or regressions are caught, allowing for timely interventions or instructional changes.

Research Validity and Reliability:

Always select a tool that has been researched and proven to be valid (measures what it claims to measure) and reliable (gives consistent results over time). This ensures the data you collect is trustworthy.

Ensure Relevance:

Consider if the tool is appropriate for the age, grade, or developmental level of the learner. An instrument designed for early elementary students might not be suitable for middle schoolers, even if it targets the same skill deficit.

Ease of Administration:

While this shouldn't be the primary factor, it's essential to consider how easy it is to administer the monitoring tool. Take into consideration the frequency, time, and size (individual or group) of administration.

If the progress monitoring tool is too complicated or time-consuming, there's a higher likelihood that it might not be used consistently, which can affect the integrity of the data.

Review Sample Items or Questions:

Before settling on a tool, review some sample items or questions. This will give you a clear picture of what's being assessed and ensure it aligns with the targeted skill deficit.

Seek Feedback:

Connect with other educators or specialists who might have experience with the tool you're considering. Their insights can be invaluable in determining if a particular progress monitor is the right fit for your needs. PLCs can provide a collaborative and focused environment for educators to collectively analyze student data, share expertise, and explore select progress monitoring tools that are precisely aligned with identified skill deficits.

Consider Piloting the Tool:

Before fully committing to a tool, pilot it with a small group of learners. This will give you firsthand experience of its efficacy and whether it aligns well with the skill deficit in question.

Stay Updated:

Educational tools and strategies are continuously evolving. Make it a point to stay updated with the latest research and trends in progress.

Use the most up-to-date versions of probes and norms tables.

CBMs stand out as exceptional tools for progress monitoring for several compelling reasons.

• CBMs are directly aligned with skills taught, ensuring the assessments are relevant and indicative of a student's grasp of the material. This direct alignment fosters meaningful, real-time feedback for educators, allowing them to identify specific areas of strength and weakness in a student's performance.

• CBMs are designed for frequent administration, making them ideal for continuous monitoring. This frequency enables educators to promptly detect learning gaps and make instructional adjustments, reducing the risk of students falling behind.

• The standardized nature of CBMs facilitates consistent data collection and comparison across various time points, classrooms, and even schools. Such standardization is invaluable in making informed decisions about instructional effectiveness and programmatic changes.

These CBMs are instrumental in monitoring progress because they are quick to administer, provide immediate feedback, and directly align with the skills they intend to measure.

Effective tools, both digital and paper-based, ensure educators can gather, analyze, and act on the information they obtain.

Paper-Based Tools

1. Progress Monitoring Graphs: Visual charts where educators can plot student progress over time.
2. Intervention Fidelity Logs: Track the interventions provided, frequency, and duration.
3. Anecdotal Notes: Capture qualitative data like observations, student feedback, or specific incidents.

Digital Platforms

1. Google Forms and/or Sheets: A flexible tool that can be customized for various data collection needs in educational settings.
2. An MTSS Platform like Branching Minds: Our system-level MTSS platform helps teachers follow the best practices of problem-solving work efficiently, effectively, and collaboratively from the start, saving time and effort while improving outcomes for all students. Learn more about Branching Minds here to see how we can help make your MTSS vision a reality!

Visualizing and analyzing data transforms raw numbers into actionable insights. Visualization simplifies complex data sets, making patterns, trends, and anomalies more discernible. This enables educators to make informed decisions swiftly. Effective data visualization ensures that stakeholders, even those less familiar with data interpretation, can grasp key findings, accelerating collective action and understanding.

When monitoring progress within an MTSS framework, several key pieces of data visualization can be valuable:

• Universal Screening Results: Charts or graphs showing the results of screening assessments for all students, typically segmented by grade level or class. This helps to identify students at risk.

• Benchmark Comparisons: Visual comparison of student or group performance against set benchmarks or norms. This can be represented as bar graphs, scatter plots, or line graphs.

• Intervention Effectiveness: Graphs or tables showing the effectiveness of specific interventions for groups or individual students. This can help in determining which interventions are most effective and which need adjustments.

• Behavioral & Attendance Data: Visuals might include behavior incident counts, types of behaviors, locations of incidents, and/ or trends in student attendance, which can be an indicator of engagement or other underlying issues.

• Progress Monitoring Charts: Line graphs that show a student's performance data over time, typically against a benchmark or goal line. These are particularly critical for students in Tiers 2 and 3.

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• Gap Analysis: Visuals that highlight the difference (gap) between where a student is performing and where they should be, or the gap between different groups of students.

• Demographic Breakdowns: Charts or tables that break down screener, intervention, or behavioral data by demographics such as race, gender, socio-economic status, English Language Learner (ELL) status, etc. This can help in identifying any disparities or patterns that need addressing.

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• Intervention Logs: Visual representation or logs of the interventions a student has received, their frequency, and their duration. This can be valuable for ensuring fidelity and consistency in the application of support.

Remember, the goal of visualizing data within an MTSS framework is to make the data actionable. Visuals should be clear, concise, and directly related to decision-making processes.

Regularly reviewing and updating visualizations as new data becomes available ensures that interventions are timely and effective.

ONGOING PROGRESS MONITORING

Effective communication with stakeholders — parents, fellow educators, administrators, and students themselves — is paramount for the success of progress monitoring. Clear communication ensures everyone is on the same page and understands the student's needs, the interventions in place, and the progress being made.

Tips for clear, consistent communication with stakeholders:

1. Transparency: Always provide stakeholders with comprehensive data and explanations, ensuring they understand the implications.
2. Frequency: Regular updates, rather than waiting for formal review periods, help stakeholders stay informed and engaged.
3. Jargon-Free: While educators might be comfortable with technical terms, always use language that’s easy for everyone to understand.
4. Feedback Loop: Encourage stakeholders to share their insights and observations. They might provide a different perspective that can be invaluable.
5. Use Visuals: Charts, graphs, and other visual aids can make complex data more accessible and digestible (Hattie, 2009).
6. Collaborative Meetings: Organize meetings where stakeholders can discuss progress, ask questions, and offer feedback.

CONCLUSION

When approached as a source of vital information about the students we serve, the practice of progress monitoring in MTSS transcends its cold, numerical nature and becomes a guiding light — a beacon of insight illuminating the individual paths of our students. It reminds us that in every bar graph, every line chart, there is a young mind brimming with potential. Effective progress monitoring helps us reach each one, making the most of our precious time and their precious possibilities.

Stephanie Bryan

MTSS and Literacy Specialist & Branching Minds Consultant

Stephanie Bryan has a decade of experience in the education field, and 8 years of specialty experience working in MTSS and literacy. She graduated from the University of Florida in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. As former Dean of Intervention, she coached educators on MTSS best practices, intervention implementation and data analysis. Her foundation in MTSS work was laid during her time working at the Florida Center for Reading and Research. Since then, she has aided in the creation of MTSS systems and services at a first year turnaround school, selected and served as a mentor teacher for a fellow of the Xavier University Norman C. Francis Teacher Residency Program, and was twice nominated for the New Orleans Excellence in Teaching Award. Stephanie subscribes to the philosophy that all students are capable of making progress and succeeding in the general education environment under the provision of targeted, individualized and evidence based instruction.