MTSS coaches and coordinators can be thought of as the secret sauce when it comes to a successfully implemented and sustained MTSS framework. For 10 years on a statewide MTSS initiative I trained and supported district level MTSS coaches and school level coaches. We called these the MTSS Systems Coach. Each district in our project was required to have a district level person with about 20 percent of their time dedicated to MTSS implementation. But before that I was an instructional coach helping struggling schools implement MTSS for reading at the elementary level. This was Arizona during the Reading First days. But let me tell you in a year’s time I saw the 10 lowest performing schools rise to the middle of the pack of over 100 schools because of the strength of the internal coaching from school level instructional coaches which allowed teachers to deepen their skills which increased learning and student outcomes. So what do these MTSS coaches and coordinators do?

MTSS Coach: A job description

Depending on the size of the district you may have more than one person at the district level helping to coordinate the MTSS implementation. If you have a district coaching team or just one person, they will be responsible for facilitating and coordinating the district or school leadership team overseeing the MTSS framework. The coach will communicate the implementation goals through direct action, and they ensure the practices and resources are aligned with the district and school level goals. These coordinators and coaches act as a liaison to share information from school level implementers to district level decision-makers. Coaches should use a systematic process to help the teams reflect, think, act and set up systems that will bring about lasting and positive changes. Coaches will often:

• Set agendas for regular MTSS leadership meetings

• Facilitate the sharing out of data results at leadership meetings and with other stakeholders

• Support the action planning process at district, school, and/or grade levels

• Assist in data interpretation

• Guide goal setting and dissemination of district or school-level goals

• Coordinate professional learning and coaching efforts

• Listen to teachers and other instructional staff to learn how MTSS is/is not working

• Collect data on professional learning and coaching results

• Conduct regular meetings with specialists to facilitate their roles in MTSS implementation

• Support communication plan with parents/guardians about MTSS implementation

Content Knowledge and Coaching Skills for MTSS Implementation

People who are reassigned or hired into these positions are done so because they have the content knowledge needed. Maybe they were a school psychologist who led the PBIS efforts in the district or school. Perhaps they were an expert teacher who led the Title 1 reading program at their school or maybe they are a district curriculum administrator who has a firm grasp of the districtwide challenges of implementing MTSS. In all of these cases their content knowledge will serve them well. It’s important to remember that coaches also need to be supported in their knowledge of coaching skills and methods. In fact, my own research identified that coaches perceived that they needed more training in coaching skills such as providing feedback to colleagues, modeling effective instruction or data interpretation, and asking questions to promote reflective inquiry just to name a few examples (Chaparro et al., 2021).

If you are a superintendent, principal, or education administer in charge of setting up your MTSS framework it’s critical to make sure you have the role of coaches explicitly included and you have their roles and responsibilities outlined. Coaches and coordinators can act as the fuel in your motor when it comes to consistent and sustained MTSS implementation.

Chaparro, E. A., Massar, M. M., & Blakely, A. W. (2021). Examining the knowledge and skills of systems-level coaches: Supporting durable implementation of effective behavioral and instructional support systems in schools. Elementary School Journal. https://doi.org/10.1086/716909