Academic Support
Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
The foundation of our student culture exists within the walls of individual classrooms. This happens through building strong relationships and classroom identity, setting clear expectations and holding students accountable. Each of these Tier I supports are offered universally to all students. Chapter 1 covers how each of these come to life in classrooms through relationship-building strategies, our vision for setting expectations and how to implement our behavior systems. In general, our goal at Lumberg is that core efforts in Tier I support 90% or more of our student population.
However, we know that some students will require additional support beyond the Tier I strategies, routines and systems to be successful. For these students, Tier II interventions through social-emotional learning groups, referrals and family meetings, and initiating the MTSS process will ensure that we are meeting individual students’ needs. See Chapter 2 for more information on Tier II interventions. MTSS at Lumberg contains 2 major buckets, Culture of Safety and Culture of Connection. Both of those buckets refer to Tier I management, which refers to school-wide efforts for management, value, and response.
MTSS at Lumberg Elementary
At Lumberg we set out to meet students where they are and provide them with the support they need to reach their full potential. Not only do we support student learning with academics, but we also support growth and learning in social-emotional competence through our Multi-Tiered Support System. The first tier (Tier I) of MTSS at Lumberg is divided into two major buckets: Culture of Safety & Culture of Connection. Core efforts are made school-wide to provide students with a safe, consistent learning environment. Teachers, APs, Counselor and Dean drive Tier I and some Tier II systems, while the MH Team drives some Tier II and nearly all Tier III systems with the SWIS team’s support.
Cultures of Connection & Safety are woven into everything we do at Lumberg, and should serve 80-90% of our students. When students present consistent behaviors (3 referrals in one week, or 4 in one month) that show Tier I structures may not best support them, they may be referred to the second tier of MTSS (Tier II). When a student is moved into the second tier, there are a number of actions taken by the SWIS Team. First, data collection on the student’s behavior becomes more robust. This step helps to inform the team exactly what support that student needs in order to be successful. Next, the student will begin engaging in more focused SEL work (generally Zones of Regulation), either in small groups or 1:1 with an adult. Finally, Tier II students often receive a special behavior or regulation plan that features clear incentives, consequences, and focuses on a target behavior. These plans contain goals (based on data), and are revisited on 2-3 week cycles to determine if any changes need to be made.
The admin team will co-plan Tier II with teachers, and the teachers will drive the execution of the plan. If a Tier II plan is fully implemented, and target behaviors are not decreasing, the MTSS team will have a Tier III conversation and may decide to move a student into Tier III (after 8 weeks). The team also may refer students to Tier III on an as-needed basis. When a student is moved to Tier III, an official Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) may be created. Data collection will also be increased during this time, and the team will use data from the previous 8 weeks to inform decisions about how to best support the growth of the student. Again, the team will revisit the plan every 2-3 weeks to make adjustments based on data collection and progress. In some cases, a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) may be initiated, and students may be entered into the formal evaluation process for an IEP.
The overarching goal of the MTSS process is three fold: to provide culturally responsive approaches to behavior management, to partner closely with families, and to produce proactive and responsive strategies to behavior. While the structures below are considered ideal states, full implementation and execution will not be in place at the beginning of SY22. Therefore, the goals for implementation are listed below.
- Priority 1: Engage in consistent meetings with SWIS (admin team) to discuss data, and make informed decisions about movement between tiers. PLCs are grounding in equity tracker.
- Priority 2: Norm as an admin team on MTSS systems, so that all members are aligned on how the system works & are able to coach across all grade levels and content areas for consistent implementation.
