Hannah and Jordan chat with Cathy Emerson about the role of MTSS in improving school discipline.
We love alphabet soup [in education] and have acronyms for everything! MTSS stands for multi-tiered systems of support. No matter where you are, I promise you, you’re working in a school that uses this framework.
Some states also call it PBIS (positive behavior intervention support) or RTI (response to intervention).
It's a framework for how you support students from the three-tier model. Tier three in this case means those who need the most intensive support.
MTSS has some core features or core components that really define it. One of those is that we're screening and identifying kids that may need more support. We're providing core instruction whether that's academic, behavior, or social-emotional skills.
We are then using that to identify students early on so that we can intervene and provide more intensive support.
I always like to think that this concept of a multi-tiered system came from the medical model. You know how we approach our physical health.
Tier one would be if we eat well and exercise, have regular checkups then we're less likely to have more intensive needs as we get older in the medical model.
In this way, we also need to be proactive about how we're teaching students both academic and behavioral skills. Your school culture needs a framework for being able to do that.
We then put as much energy and resources into that tier one preventative area in education so that we don't have to spend as much time in tier two and tier three intensive supports.
It has to be a team approach. Oftentimes, I think that's where it loses power because teachers can try to do it in isolation. You have to be able to build a foundation for which to delegate, operate and have those different components to where everybody is working together.
The strength and impact that you want [from MTSS] will require a team.
I think it comes down to how the federal and state government put a lot of pressure on school districts. There are a lot of moving parts on why isolation happens because there are a lot of accountability markers that are pushed on schools.
There are a lot of priorities that are beyond an individual school's control right? We don't get to choose that priority. So what happens is, to be able to carry all that, leaders look at it and go, “I need you to just do this to show the accountability for this piece.”
The purpose behind it can get lost. It's usually other factors that are impacting why those decisions get made. The end result is operating in silos for a lot of time.
I often try to shift to how you get everyone on board without it being overwhelming for just one person. You're going to have a larger impact right?
I say this in a blanket way, but the best tier two and tier three supports are ones that use data to accurately identify what type of intervention that particular student needs.
Of course, there are interventions that are going to be good for most students.
“Check in check out” is one of the most effective interventions, and I also think it's an easy lift for schools so I always say that's the first one I'm using if you need tier two level. Check-in and check-out (CICO) is great. It gives you targeted goals.
We love alphabet soup [in education] and have acronyms for everything! MTSS stands for multi-tiered systems of support. No matter where you are, I promise you, you’re working in a school that uses this framework.
Some states also call it PBIS (positive behavior intervention support) or RTI (response to intervention).
It's a framework for how you support students from the three-tier model. Tier three in this case means those who need the most intensive support.
MTSS has some core features or core components that really define it. One of those is that we're screening and identifying kids that may need more support. We're providing core instruction whether that's academic, behavior, or social-emotional skills.
We are then using that to identify students early on so that we can intervene and provide more intensive support.
I always like to think that this concept of a multi-tiered system came from the medical model. You know how we approach our physical health.
Tier one would be if we eat well and exercise, have regular checkups then we're less likely to have more intensive needs as we get older in the medical model.
In this way, we also need to be proactive about how we're teaching students both academic and behavioral skills. Your school culture needs a framework for being able to do that.
We then put as much energy and resources into that tier one preventative area in education so that we don't have to spend as much time in tier two and tier three intensive supports.
It has to be a team approach. Oftentimes, I think that's where it loses power because teachers can try to do it in isolation. You have to be able to build a foundation for which to delegate, operate and have those different components to where everybody is working together.
The strength and impact that you want [from MTSS] will require a team.
I think it comes down to how the federal and state government put a lot of pressure on school districts. There are a lot of moving parts on why isolation happens because there are a lot of accountability markers that are pushed on schools.
There are a lot of priorities that are beyond an individual school's control right? We don't get to choose that priority. So what happens is, to be able to carry all that, leaders look at it and go, “I need you to just do this to show the accountability for this piece.”
The purpose behind it can get lost. It's usually other factors that are impacting why those decisions get made. The end result is operating in silos for a lot of time.
I often try to shift to how you get everyone on board without it being overwhelming for just one person. You're going to have a larger impact right?
I say this in a blanket way, but the best tier two and tier three supports are ones that use data to accurately identify what type of intervention that particular student needs.
Of course, there are interventions that are going to be good for most students.
“Check in check out” is one of the most effective interventions, and I also think it's an easy lift for schools so I always say that's the first one I'm using if you need tier two level. Check-in and check-out (CICO) is great. It gives you targeted goals.
We love alphabet soup [in education] and have acronyms for everything! MTSS stands for multi-tiered systems of support. No matter where you are, I promise you, you’re working in a school that uses this framework.
Some states also call it PBIS (positive behavior intervention support) or RTI (response to intervention).
It's a framework for how you support students from the three-tier model. Tier three in this case means those who need the most intensive support.
MTSS has some core features or core components that really define it. One of those is that we're screening and identifying kids that may need more support. We're providing core instruction whether that's academic, behavior, or social-emotional skills.
We are then using that to identify students early on so that we can intervene and provide more intensive support.
I always like to think that this concept of a multi-tiered system came from the medical model. You know how we approach our physical health.
Tier one would be if we eat well and exercise, have regular checkups then we're less likely to have more intensive needs as we get older in the medical model.
In this way, we also need to be proactive about how we're teaching students both academic and behavioral skills. Your school culture needs a framework for being able to do that.
We then put as much energy and resources into that tier one preventative area in education so that we don't have to spend as much time in tier two and tier three intensive supports.
It has to be a team approach. Oftentimes, I think that's where it loses power because teachers can try to do it in isolation. You have to be able to build a foundation for which to delegate, operate and have those different components to where everybody is working together.
The strength and impact that you want [from MTSS] will require a team.
I think it comes down to how the federal and state government put a lot of pressure on school districts. There are a lot of moving parts on why isolation happens because there are a lot of accountability markers that are pushed on schools.
There are a lot of priorities that are beyond an individual school's control right? We don't get to choose that priority. So what happens is, to be able to carry all that, leaders look at it and go, “I need you to just do this to show the accountability for this piece.”
The purpose behind it can get lost. It's usually other factors that are impacting why those decisions get made. The end result is operating in silos for a lot of time.
I often try to shift to how you get everyone on board without it being overwhelming for just one person. You're going to have a larger impact right?
I say this in a blanket way, but the best tier two and tier three supports are ones that use data to accurately identify what type of intervention that particular student needs.
Of course, there are interventions that are going to be good for most students.
“Check in check out” is one of the most effective interventions, and I also think it's an easy lift for schools so I always say that's the first one I'm using if you need tier two level. Check-in and check-out (CICO) is great. It gives you targeted goals.
We love alphabet soup [in education] and have acronyms for everything! MTSS stands for multi-tiered systems of support. No matter where you are, I promise you, you’re working in a school that uses this framework.
Some states also call it PBIS (positive behavior intervention support) or RTI (response to intervention).
It's a framework for how you support students from the three-tier model. Tier three in this case means those who need the most intensive support.
MTSS has some core features or core components that really define it. One of those is that we're screening and identifying kids that may need more support. We're providing core instruction whether that's academic, behavior, or social-emotional skills.
We are then using that to identify students early on so that we can intervene and provide more intensive support.
I always like to think that this concept of a multi-tiered system came from the medical model. You know how we approach our physical health.
Tier one would be if we eat well and exercise, have regular checkups then we're less likely to have more intensive needs as we get older in the medical model.
In this way, we also need to be proactive about how we're teaching students both academic and behavioral skills. Your school culture needs a framework for being able to do that.
We then put as much energy and resources into that tier one preventative area in education so that we don't have to spend as much time in tier two and tier three intensive supports.
It has to be a team approach. Oftentimes, I think that's where it loses power because teachers can try to do it in isolation. You have to be able to build a foundation for which to delegate, operate and have those different components to where everybody is working together.
The strength and impact that you want [from MTSS] will require a team.
I think it comes down to how the federal and state government put a lot of pressure on school districts. There are a lot of moving parts on why isolation happens because there are a lot of accountability markers that are pushed on schools.
There are a lot of priorities that are beyond an individual school's control right? We don't get to choose that priority. So what happens is, to be able to carry all that, leaders look at it and go, “I need you to just do this to show the accountability for this piece.”
The purpose behind it can get lost. It's usually other factors that are impacting why those decisions get made. The end result is operating in silos for a lot of time.
I often try to shift to how you get everyone on board without it being overwhelming for just one person. You're going to have a larger impact right?
I say this in a blanket way, but the best tier two and tier three supports are ones that use data to accurately identify what type of intervention that particular student needs.
Of course, there are interventions that are going to be good for most students.
“Check in check out” is one of the most effective interventions, and I also think it's an easy lift for schools so I always say that's the first one I'm using if you need tier two level. Check-in and check-out (CICO) is great. It gives you targeted goals.
You know what they teamwork makes the dream work. These articles have been written by the wonderful members of our team.
In this interview, Cathy Emerson a licensed school psychologist, joined Jordan and Hannah on the podcast. We discussed the specifics of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support and how to use the structure to support behavior in your own school.
We love alphabet soup [in education] and have acronyms for everything! MTSS stands for multi-tiered systems of support. No matter where you are, I promise you, you’re working in a school that uses this framework.
Some states also call it PBIS (positive behavior intervention support) or RTI (response to intervention).
It's a framework for how you support students from the three-tier model. Tier three in this case means those who need the most intensive support.
MTSS has some core features or core components that really define it. One of those is that we're screening and identifying kids that may need more support. We're providing core instruction whether that's academic, behavior, or social-emotional skills.
We are then using that to identify students early on so that we can intervene and provide more intensive support.
I always like to think that this concept of a multi-tiered system came from the medical model. You know how we approach our physical health.
Tier one would be if we eat well and exercise, have regular checkups then we're less likely to have more intensive needs as we get older in the medical model.
In this way, we also need to be proactive about how we're teaching students both academic and behavioral skills. Your school culture needs a framework for being able to do that.
We then put as much energy and resources into that tier one preventative area in education so that we don't have to spend as much time in tier two and tier three intensive supports.
It has to be a team approach. Oftentimes, I think that's where it loses power because teachers can try to do it in isolation. You have to be able to build a foundation for which to delegate, operate and have those different components to where everybody is working together.
The strength and impact that you want [from MTSS] will require a team.
I think it comes down to how the federal and state government put a lot of pressure on school districts. There are a lot of moving parts on why isolation happens because there are a lot of accountability markers that are pushed on schools.
There are a lot of priorities that are beyond an individual school's control right? We don't get to choose that priority. So what happens is, to be able to carry all that, leaders look at it and go, “I need you to just do this to show the accountability for this piece.”
The purpose behind it can get lost. It's usually other factors that are impacting why those decisions get made. The end result is operating in silos for a lot of time.
I often try to shift to how you get everyone on board without it being overwhelming for just one person. You're going to have a larger impact right?
I say this in a blanket way, but the best tier two and tier three supports are ones that use data to accurately identify what type of intervention that particular student needs.
Of course, there are interventions that are going to be good for most students.
“Check in check out” is one of the most effective interventions, and I also think it's an easy lift for schools so I always say that's the first one I'm using if you need tier two level. Check-in and check-out (CICO) is great. It gives you targeted goals.
In this interview, Cathy Emerson a licensed school psychologist, joined Jordan and Hannah on the podcast. We discussed the specifics of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support and how to use the structure to support behavior in your own school.
We love alphabet soup [in education] and have acronyms for everything! MTSS stands for multi-tiered systems of support. No matter where you are, I promise you, you’re working in a school that uses this framework.
Some states also call it PBIS (positive behavior intervention support) or RTI (response to intervention).
It's a framework for how you support students from the three-tier model. Tier three in this case means those who need the most intensive support.
MTSS has some core features or core components that really define it. One of those is that we're screening and identifying kids that may need more support. We're providing core instruction whether that's academic, behavior, or social-emotional skills.
We are then using that to identify students early on so that we can intervene and provide more intensive support.
I always like to think that this concept of a multi-tiered system came from the medical model. You know how we approach our physical health.
Tier one would be if we eat well and exercise, have regular checkups then we're less likely to have more intensive needs as we get older in the medical model.
In this way, we also need to be proactive about how we're teaching students both academic and behavioral skills. Your school culture needs a framework for being able to do that.
We then put as much energy and resources into that tier one preventative area in education so that we don't have to spend as much time in tier two and tier three intensive supports.
It has to be a team approach. Oftentimes, I think that's where it loses power because teachers can try to do it in isolation. You have to be able to build a foundation for which to delegate, operate and have those different components to where everybody is working together.
The strength and impact that you want [from MTSS] will require a team.
I think it comes down to how the federal and state government put a lot of pressure on school districts. There are a lot of moving parts on why isolation happens because there are a lot of accountability markers that are pushed on schools.
There are a lot of priorities that are beyond an individual school's control right? We don't get to choose that priority. So what happens is, to be able to carry all that, leaders look at it and go, “I need you to just do this to show the accountability for this piece.”
The purpose behind it can get lost. It's usually other factors that are impacting why those decisions get made. The end result is operating in silos for a lot of time.
I often try to shift to how you get everyone on board without it being overwhelming for just one person. You're going to have a larger impact right?
I say this in a blanket way, but the best tier two and tier three supports are ones that use data to accurately identify what type of intervention that particular student needs.
Of course, there are interventions that are going to be good for most students.
“Check in check out” is one of the most effective interventions, and I also think it's an easy lift for schools so I always say that's the first one I'm using if you need tier two level. Check-in and check-out (CICO) is great. It gives you targeted goals.
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