A SYSTEM
OF SUPPORT
88
WORDS: Manatee County School Social Workers and Psychologists
A Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a framework to
provide high quality instruction and support to maximize
the success of all students. This article will provide a brief
overview to increase the mutual understanding between family
members and schools.
Manatee County schools believe that when we form family and
community partnerships to support our students, the potential
to reach learning goals is attainable. We all want our students to
be successful in school and life.
MTSS is a set of ideas focused on how to help all children be
successful in school. It is not a strategy or a program, but rather
a way of thinking and problem solving. MTSS is a framework to
gure out what kind of instruction each student responds to best.
The goal is to provide whatever the student needs and responds
to positively, in order to learn.
If a child is having trouble meeting grade level expectations,
you as his or her parent, will be informed. You may be invited to
a meeting to decide what intervention will be provided to help
your child be more successful. You will be part of the decision
making as to the intervention your child receives and whether to
increase or decrease these supports.
The school uses screening data to determine which students are
meeting grade level standards and which students may need
support. A problem-solving model is used to make instructional
decisions to plan interventions and monitor students’ progress.
MTSS organizes interventions into three tiers or levels of support.
The three tiers are not categories of students or stepping stones
toward special education programs but describe different levels
of student support.
Tier 1 is high quality teaching and behavior support for all
students in the school. Tier 2 is in addition to Tier 1 and provides
interventions for small groups of students who need specic
skills. Tier 3 interventions are more intense and are designed to
address the unique needs of individual students.
The purpose of the tiers is to provide effective classroom
environments, so all students can meet grade level standards.
Tiers allow schools to organize their resources to provide help
that matches student needs. Essential components of MTSS are
screening, progress monitoring and data-based decision making.
If your child is not meeting grade level expectations based on the
outcome of the screening, you will receive a letter informing you