[MUSIC PLAYING] Hi, I am Dr. Katie Novak, and I am here to be your virtual tour guide
in unpacking the new MTSS blueprint.
This blueprint will also come with a toolkit with numbers of tools that you can use to
help to build your own MTSS a system, and this is really helping you unpack the document
to understand how it is organized and how it will help you and your school or district
to create an MTSS system that works for all of your students.
So if you dive into the MTSS blueprint, hopefully, right now you have it either virtually or
printed out in front of you with your highlighters ready, you will notice that there are multiple
sections.
Before we dive into those sections, first we want to talk about why MTSS.
Now, the first video in this series talks about the importance of building multi-tiered
systems, but on page two of the MTSS blueprint, you'll also see why it's so critical here
in Massachusetts.
Because although many of our students do very well, and we are actually nation's best, we
have many students who are not making the same outcomes as their peers.
This is not because they can't or don't want to learn.
We have to recognize that many of our schools and districts may not be organized yet to
meet the needs of all of our learners, and this is where MTSS or Multi-Tiered Systems
of Support come in.
So section 1 unpacks what is a multi-tiered system and how it is different from RTI.
Many of you may be familiar with Response to Intervention and how we had to provide
screening for all students in order to ensure that they got what they needed to make progress,
but MTSS builds on best practices and RTI and takes this a step further by talking about
what is actually needed in a system in order to keep a robust intervention system for students.
So we have to believe in a multi-tiered system that all students are truly capable of grade
level learning when they have support.
We also are really focused on this concept of being proactive and preventing failure
as opposed to responding to it.
We focus on evidence-based practices, and also, we're very focused on data-based decision-making.
And then lastly, there is an acknowledgment that the degree of support given to students
is truly, truly based on their needs, and is really focused on all stakeholder collaboration.
When you're diving into section 2, you'll notice that the two foundational frameworks
of this blueprint are universal design for learning and a focus on equitable access.
We truly believe in Massachusetts that all students should receive tier 1 instruction
and have equitable access to universally designed academic, behavioral, and social-emotional
curriculum and instruction with their peers.
It is our duty to try to create environments that are the least restrictive environments
for all students.
And so understanding those frameworks will be important for the development of a system
that works for you.
Section 3 breaks down the different tiers of support and talks about how the tiers all
build on each other.
The tiers are not specific places, nor do students belong to only a single tier.
It is very, very flexible, and we hope that all students can access tier 1 through a general
education program, while also receiving tier 2 and tier 3 support as necessary.
A number of case studies throughout the blueprints will help to build an understanding of what
this may look like academically, behaviorally, and social-emotionally.
In section 4, we discuss the system's drivers.
Which are the implementation areas that need to be present in order to create a really
robust system?
You'll learn about the leadership drivers and go through all the different planning
stages associated with those, the competency drivers, which is all about really building
capacity, and then the implementation drivers.
And as you start going through those, you'll start thinking about what are the areas in
our system where we may be facing barriers, and we may need to have a long-term strategic
plan to address those barriers so we can build a strong MTSS system.
Last, we unpack the focus areas of how a multi-tiered system integrates academic, behavioral, and
social-emotional development so all students receive a holistic education that meets their
needs.
So looking at the visual, you'll now have a much better understanding of how all the
different pieces of a system build together to support all students in tier 1, tier 2,
and tier 3 as necessary academically, behaviorally, and social-emotionally.
These are not three separate areas, but rather areas that are integrated and work together,
and we as a system need to have shared responsibility for determining the barriers that may prevent
that from happening.
We have to determine the barriers that keep some learning environments as being too restrictive
for some students, and then over time, create a long-term theory of action and strategy
to eliminate those barriers.