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MTSS & RTI: Multi-Tiered Support (Workshop)

Not every student needs the same amount of support, and waiting for a student to fail before helping does not work. MTSS is a proactive, tiered system: strong instruction for all, targeted support for some, and intensive support for a few, driven by data.

Key takeaway

MTSS gives all students strong core instruction and adds targeted and intensive support based on data, so students get help early rather than after they fail.

Format
PLC / team meeting
Length
45 minutes
Group size
Any (works 4-40)
Who can run it
A teacher-leader or coach
You will need
Slides (5)Printed handoutYour core instruction in mindA timer
Aligned to
Learning Forward: Transformational ProcessesInTASC 7: Planning for InstructionMTSS / RTI framework
Share / assign

Why it works

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, and the academic subset Response to Intervention, are built on prevention: a strong universal tier reaches most students, data identifies those who need more, and targeted and intensive tiers add support before small gaps grow. The research emphasizes strong core instruction first, reliable screening, and matching the intensity of support to need.

The research: Research on RTI and MTSS; the prevention logic of tiered support.

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

    The core activity: strengthen tier one and spot who needs more

    Teams leave with a reflection on tier one and a plan to use data and add targeted support.

    Fix tier one firstIf core instruction is not reaching most students, no amount of intervention will keep up. Strong tier one is the foundation of the whole system.

    Facilitator notes

    Intervention cannot fix weak core instructionIf too many students need tier two, the problem is usually tier one. Strengthen core instruction before scaling intervention.

    Adapt it

    Participant handout

    One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

    K12 Academics · Professional Learning

    MTSS & RTI: strong tier one, data, targeted help

    <b>Prevention, tiered by need:</b> strong core instruction, data to spot need, targeted and intensive support.

    1. My reflection on tier-one instruction:
    2. How I use data to spot who needs more:
    3. A tier-two support for a common gap:
    4. How I decide to intensify or involve the team:
    5. Who my MTSS collaborators are:

    Make it stick

    Tier one first, data always:

    Common questions

    Isn't MTSS just a path to special education referral?
    No. Its purpose is to support students early so many never need a referral. It is prevention, not a referral pipeline.
    What is tier one, and why does it matter most?
    Tier one is the strong core instruction all students receive. If tier one is weak, too many students fall into intervention. Fixing core instruction is the first move.
    What is my role as a classroom teacher?
    Deliver strong tier-one instruction, use screening and progress data to spot students who need more, and collaborate on targeted supports.

    Go deeper

    Build it into a bigger day

    Workshop
    Data-Driven Instruction
    Workshop
    Differentiation
    Workshop
    Accommodations, IEPs & 504s