Over the past few weeks, we shared information about Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) in schools with you as part of our recommendations to the legislative K-12 Mental Health Task Force. MTSS isn’t a term people use often, and it sounds jargon-y, but these supports can help our children thrive at school. We want families to have the chance to learn what MTSS means and be able to find out how their children’s schools implement these supports and how they work for their children.
MTSS is a team approach (and families are part of the team) to helping all students thrive at school and address both behavior and academic problems before they start. The team bases all of its decisions on data (for example, written observations of a child’s struggles with behavior) rather than just what it thinks or feels. It chooses interventions that fit each child and have been shown to work.
There are three tiers in MTSS. All tiers apply to both academics and behavior. Tier One is a universal support layer for all students based on high-quality classroom instructions. Tier Two is targeted interventions for those students who need them. Tier Three comprises intensive, individualized interventions for those few students who need more support beyond Tiers One and Two.
Counselors told the mental health task force that it is their role to help implement MTSS for behavior, but they cannot consistently do this because there are not enough of them, and they get assigned to other duties. School psychologists told Families as Allies the same thing. We urge schools to implement MTSS for behavior and have and deploy the right employees. We also believe outside mental health providers must coordinate their work with MTSS and the school personnel overseeing it. This coordination will support both academic success and positive mental outcomes for children.
The Mississippi Department of Education has two helpful guides about MTSS. We encourage everyone to take a closer look at them. Families – these guides will help you understand how MTSS can support your child, and they may give you ideas about how you can help your child’s school strengthen MTSS.
These are the guides:
Multi-Tiered System of Supports Guidance Document
Parent and Family Guide to a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
