MTSS is like mountain climbing

Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) can be like climbing a mountain! You’ll have much greater success with a team than a solo trek. The vocabulary and the names can be tough to navigate too. For instance, there’s confusion about all the teams and the names of the teams. I created this video to help with that. I also threw in a primer on the stages of implementation so that you can consider where your school is in the implementation process for different aspects of MTSS. In this video I use the same terms we used in the textbook I co-authored with Drs. Jim Ysseldyke and Amanda VanDerHeyden, “Assessment in Special and Inclusive Education”. We have an excellent chapter in there all about MTSS and another chapter all about teaming. This video is also an extension of an earlier blog post about MTSS 101.

Questions to ask about your MTSS teams

• What do you call your teams?

• Does each team have a clear function?

• Does everyone on the team know the purpose of the team?

• Do some of our teams overlap in staffing and in purpose?

• Is there a way to make the team more efficient and specific in their purpose?

• Is there a clear plan for how the teams communicate with each other?