Massachusetts Tiered System of Support (MTSS) & Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

1. Massachusetts Tiered System of Support (MTSS) & Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Office of Tiered System of Supports (OTSS) Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

2. Moving Upstream: A Story of Prevention and Intervention Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

3. In a small town, a group of fishermen gathered down at the river. Not long after they got there, a child came floating down the rapids calling for help. One of the group on the shore quickly dived in and pulled the child out. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

4. Minutes later another child came, then another, and then many more children were coming down the river. Soon everyone was diving in and dragging children to the shore, then jumping back in to save as many as they could. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

5. In the midst of all this frenzy, one of the group was seen walking away. Her colleagues were irate. How could she leave when there were so many children to save? After long hours, to everyone’s relief, the flow of children stopped, and the group could finally catch their breath. At that moment, their colleague came back. They turned on her and angrily shouted: “HOW COULD YOU WALK OFF WHEN WE NEEDED EVERYONE HERE TO SAVE THE CHILDREN?” Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

6. She replied, “It occurred to me that someone ought to go upstream and find out why so many kids were falling into the river. What I found is that the old wooden bridge had several planks missing, and when some children tried to jump over the gap, they couldn’t make it and fell through into the river. So I got someone to fix the bridge”. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

7. The Massachusetts Tiered System of Support (MTSS) MTSS focuses on system structures and supports across the district, school,and classroomto meet the academicandnon-academicneeds of all students, includingstudents with disabilities,English language learners,andstudents who have already demonstrated mastery of the concepts and skills being taught.  7

8. Guiding Core Values of MTSS • All students can learn and achieve at high standards as a result of effective teaching. • All students have access to a rigorous, standards-based curriculum and research-based instruction. • All students receive supports/interventions at the earliest indication of need. • A comprehensive continuum of academic and non-academic supports that are culturally and linguistically sensitive enable classrooms, schools and districts to address the full range of student needs.

9. Guiding Core Values- continued • Student results improve when ongoing academic and behavioral performance data inform instructional decisions. • Important decisions about the needs of students are made using a collaborative problem-solving process that includes classroom teachers, specialists, families, and when appropriate, students and external partners. • Ongoing and meaningful involvement of families increases student success.

10. Blueprint for the Massachusetts Tiered System of Support

11. MTSS Emphasizes Prevention for ALL Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

12. Interrelated Non-academic and Academic Supports Academic Supports Academic Non-academic Flexible Tiers within the MTSS Non-academic Supports Non related Non-academic and Academic Supports

13. 1-5% of total student population receive instruction through these intense interventions Tier 3 Intense & Core Increase progress monitoring and provide targeted instruction/supports in a more individualized way. 5-10% of total student population receive instruction through supplemental interventions Tier 2 Supplemental & Core Flexible Tiers 80-90% of total student population learn the key concepts through instruction in this tier. Robust and Responsive based on the principles of UDL Tier 1 Core Instruction/ Universal Behavior Supports The principles of UDL are applied throughout all of the tiers

14. Math problem solving Reading Comprehension Math Calculations Scientific inquiry Reading Fluency Social skills 14 Label skills and behavior… not students in specific tiers

15. Special Education in the Flexible Tiers Tier 3 Intense & Core • Tiers describe the intensity of • instruction; not a placement or steps in a process. • The type and intensity of the • instruction is determined by the data. • Data from continuous • progress monitoring drives • instructional decisions • throughout the • tiered process Tier 2 Supplemental & Core Special Education Services Tier 1 Core Instruction/ Universal Behavior Supports

16. Special Education Eligibility Specific Learning Disabilities Evaluation Method Districts MAY use a scientific, research-based intervention model as an eligibility determination process (Model of Tiered Instruction) Districts MAY use the IQ / achievement discrepancy model as an eligibility determination procedure In either instance, the principles of MTSS including universal screening, progress monitoring, and tiered levels of support yield data essential to the determination of SLD.

17. Connections MTSS UDL Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

18. Questions?