MTSS Multi Tier System Support Process for Identifying Students with Special Needs Keystone AEA and South Winneshiek Community Schools are undergoing tremendous changes in responding to the evolving needs of students and schools. With the enactment of the 1997 IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) Legislation, school teams are now required to first consider interventions in the general education curriculum and setting when determining the appropriate
educational placement for students. Instructional Decision Making Teams (IDM) are in place at the elementary/middle school and high school. IDM is a process in which a teacher uses data to make decisions about student progress in a district’s curriculum. IDM is intended to be integrated with support and align with standards/benchmarks/expectations school improvement plan by helping the district systematically and systemically response to four critical questions:
1. What do we want students to learn?
2. How do we know that students are learning the curriculum?
3. How do we respond as a school wide system when students do not learn?
4. What do we do when they do know it? Problem solving procedures are used as a means for identifying students for extra instruction, supplemental and intensive interventions before special education placement is considered.
Guiding Principles
• All students are part of the general education system.
• There is shared responsibility for student achievement across the entire school community.
• Differentiating instruction is an essential part of quality instructional practices.
• Multiple sources of accurate, reliable, assessment data are essential to determine the instruction of each student.
• Instructional decisions are based on multiple sources of data.
• The effectiveness of instruction is routinely monitored; ongoing formative data are used to indicate when changes in instruction are needed.
• Teachers need adequate tools, support, and resources to meet the needs of each student.
• Parents are vital members of the team to support their child.
• Administrators provide instructional leadership and data-based decision making in all educational settings.
• Quality IPDM (Iowa Professional Development Model) is required to support implementation of a systematic effort to support instructional decision-making.
All students will get CORE instruction but some students will need supplemental intervention. Intensive Interventions happen after supplemental intervention has happened and is not successful. Supplemental Parents or teachers initiate contact about a concern the student is having at school. This can be an academic or behavioral issue. Communication can be carried out through a note or phone call to the teacher, or at a parent-teacher conference. At this point, an intervention is designed and implemented for a stated amount of time.
Intensive: Consultation with Other Resources – If the supplemental intervention was not effective, the teacher or parent may request informal assistance from other individuals. These individuals may include, but are not limited to: school staff members (regular education teachers, resource staff, coaches, and/or counselors) community resources, and/or Keystone support staff personnel (psychologists, social workers, audiologists, etc.) Communication between parent and school is continued as the intervention is designed, implemented, and evaluated for effectiveness for a stated amount of time.
Formal Problem Solving: Consultation with Extended Problem Solving Team – The formal problem solving approach will be used if the intensive intervention was not effective. This stage requires the completion of an intervention form, which includes a problem statement, goal, planned interventions, and progress monitoring.
Keystone AEA personnel are involved with the parent and school staff during this stage.
Formal Identification and IEP Implementation: If the interventions planned in supplemental and intensive do not result in sufficient improvement or maintenance of skills, then special education services may be required. Data will be reviewed and testing by Keystone support staff may occur. A team of parent(s), teachers and Keystone personnel will determine placement in the district’s special education program.