Behavior Screening and MTSS
What is MTSS?
MTSS stands for Multi-Tiered System of Support
Consists of a group of school professionals who work to identify students in need of additional academic and/or behavioral support
The MTSS team provides research based interventions in addition to instruction students receive in the classroom setting
What is the MTSS process?
Once students are placed in Tiers, interventions for students in Tiers 2 & 3 begin
Students in Tiers 2 & 3 are closely monitored to observe growth and progress
O Tier 2: progress monitoring occurs 2x/month
O Tier 3: progress monitoring occurs weekly
Throughout the school year, students may move in and out of Tiers as they make progress, or continue to demonstrate a need for more intensive supports
O Students move in and out of Tiers based on progress monitoring data and team discussions
Interventions may be adapted and changed when students are observed to not make adequate progress
Depending on progress, students may move in and out of any Tier throughout the school year
If a student reaches Tier 3, and after multiple interventions have been implemented, if minimal progress is made, the MTSS team may refer a student for an evaluation by the school psychologist for additional support services (i.e. Special Education), if deemed appropriate.
Universal Behavior Screenings:
The SAEBRS (Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener) is a brief and efficient tool for universal screening of student risk for social-emotional and behavioral problems for students in Grades K through 12.
Behavior and academic success are intimately connected and need to be intelligently addressed together. The SAEBRS is grounded in this conceptual model, which specifies that school success is predicated not just upon academic achievement, but also success within multiple inter-related behavioral domains. SAEBRS may be used to evaluate students’ overall general behavior, as well as risk for problems within the following specific types of behavior:
Risk for Social Behavior Problems: Student displays behaviors that limit his/her ability to maintain age appropriate relationships with peers and adults.
Risk for Academic Behavior Problems: Student displays behaviors that limit his/her ability to be prepared for, participate in, and benefit from academic instruction.
Risk for Emotional Behavior Problems: Student displays actions that limit his/her ability to regulate internal states, adapt to change, and respond to stressful/challenging events.
Screening may be conducted up to five times per year with individual students, or across a classroom, grade level, school or district. Screening is completed in approximately one to three minutes per student using an iPad, Chromebook, desktop or laptop style device.
Individual Screening: By evaluating in which of the three specific domains (i.e., academic, social, or emotional) a student may be at risk, educators may determine what type of supports are most appropriate and which problem behaviors should be prioritized through intervention. For instance, if a student is only at risk for emotional problems, than a school may decide to target the student’s emotional behaviors via the application of social-emotional learning programs.
Student Self-Screening: The mySAEBRS tool allows students to self-assess their social, academic, and emotional behavior with a simple, brief, online interface.
Group Screening: SAEBRS data is also useful in program evaluation, and in determining how groups of students may be best supported at Tier 1. For instance, data showing a significant percentage of students are at-risk in Social Behaviors could be used to indicate whether a school should invest in the support of teacher classroom management practices given the prevalence of social behavioral concerns across numerous students.
Administration
Screening is typically completed in one to three minutes by the student’s teacher via an online rating scale of 19 items. Results are electronically stored and results are instantly available.
Reports
Reports are available at the individual student and class levels to evaluate student performance against local norms and cut scores corresponding with varying levels of performance on criterion gold standard behavior rating scales.