What is MTSS?

In the ever-evolving landscape of education, the commitment to ensuring equity and access for all students has never been more crucial. MTSS, or Multi-Tiered System of Support, is a comprehensive framework designed to meet the individual needs and support of the whole child. It integrates academic and behavior core, supplemental, and intensive support to provide core, supplemental, and intensive support through evidence-based interventions. Let’s Go Learn, the leader in assessment and instruction,  addresses both academic and behavior with its innovative educational platform dedicated to advancing the implementation of MTSS, ensuring equity and access for all students across Tiers 1 to 3.

The tiered system approach in MTSS is a framework designed to provide various levels of instructional support and intervention to all students. The three tiers of support include:

Tier 1 – Differentiated Core:  All students receive high-quality, evidence-based instruction in the general education classroom. This tier focuses on prevention and early intervention.

Tier 2 – Supplemental Intervention: Students who require additional support beyond Tier 1 receive targeted interventions. These interventions are more specialized and focused on specific skill deficits.

Tier 3 – Intensive Intervention: Students who continue to struggle after Tier 2 interventions receive intensive, individualized support tailored to their specific needs. This tier is highly individualized and may involve more frequent progress monitoring.

Students move between tiers based on their level of response to the interventions provided. Criteria for moving between tiers are based on ongoing assessment and progress monitoring data to determine the effectiveness of interventions. This framework guarantees that all students receive the support they need to succeed academically.

 The five essential components of MTSS include a multi-tiered system of instruction and intervention, universal screening, data-based decision-making, evidence-based practices, and family and community engagement. These components provide schools and districts with an efficient way to organize resources to support educators. The multi-tiered system allows for a range of interventions to be implemented based on student needs, while universal screening helps identify students who may need additional support. Data-based decision-making and evidence-based practices make sure that interventions are effective, and that family and community engagement involve the broader community in supporting student success.  MTSS helps schools and districts to better meet the needs of all students and efficiently organize resources to support educators.

At the heart of Let’s Go Learn’s approach lies the belief that all students must participate in universal screenings to determine their academic strengths and gaps. Universal screening is essential to identify students who may need additional support, especially those falling within RtI Tier 2 and 3 categories. Traditionally, administering additional one-on-one diagnostic assessments for each student in these tiers has been a challenging and time-consuming task.

Let’s Go Learn streamlines this process by allowing teachers to provide all students with diagnostic assessments during universal screening. This innovative approach allows educators to accurately identify students in need and diagnose their challenges during a single assessment. The LGL Dyslexia Screener, available in both English and Spanish, screens for various skills such as mouse dexterity, letter identification, high-frequency words, phonics, phonemic awareness, and rapid naming, providing a comprehensive view of a student’s abilities.

Let’s Go Learn’s platform goes beyond mere assessment tools; it equips educators with granular data to determine each student’s needs across Tiers 1, 2, and 3. The platform produces narrative reports that describe each student’s strengths and weaknesses, empowering teachers to address the unique needs of every learner. This actionable data facilitates personalized learning through daily automatic flexible grouping, scaffolding for whole-class learning, and targeted interventions.

Real-time student reports provided by the platform allow teachers to adjust a student’s learning path, develop Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), and communicate progress effectively with key stakeholders. 

Let’s Go Learn’s commitment to MTSS implementation is evident in its comprehensive approach to universal screening, diagnostic assessments, and personalized learning. By overcoming implementation obstacles, Let’s Go Learn is paving the way for an education system that ensures equity and access for all students across Tiers 1 to 3.