Newton Public Schools

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

The Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a framework of core components for multi-tiered academic, behavioral, and social-emotional supports designed to promote personalized learning, student achievement, success, and response to intervention.

Purpose

The core mission of Newton Public Schools is to educate the whole child according to their inherent right to access an equitable education that meets their individual needs.

To maintain the dignity of every learner, Newton Public Schools abides by the MTSS three-tiered instructional model. Specifically, the model underpins interventions along a continuum based on individual student needs that are constantly changing rather than labeling students as “Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3 students” or “MTSS" students.”

District Overview

Accordingly, our district utilizes a response-to-intervention approach to identify and support students who may experience barriers to learning or require enrichment to acquire academic, behavioral, or social-emotional skills. Fundamentally, the MTSS framework is a multi-tier approach that enables early identification for students with learning, behavioral, and social-emotional needs so that the staff can offer appropriate care and support.

New Jersey Tiered System of Supports Model

Newton Public Schools is committed to educating the whole child for success. One essential strategy to meet our mission is a multi-tiered system of support. Therefore, all district schools will utilize this framework to ensure total coverage of the students' academic needs and social-emotional well-being. Please review the basic breakdown below.

Tier 1

All students in the classroom participate in universal screening to identify students who may be at risk academically or behaviorally. There should be multiple formative assessments, several formats for students to demonstrate their learning, and various means of delivering instruction to the child.

Tier 2

When diagnostic assessments indicate that students have not met benchmark expectations, the instructional team at each school supplements Tier 1 instruction and curricula with Tier 2 strategies.
Staff support teams utilize research-based best practices to provide small-group interventions in addition to core instruction (Tier 1) focused on specific academic or social-emotional needs.
While these situations transpire, problem-solving teams review data to create instructional and intervention plans. Accordingly, a student may move in and out of Tier 2 interventions throughout the year based on progress monitoring data.

Tier 3

The district/school establishes and trains collaborative problem-solving team members and others to use data-driven decision-making criteria that govern when students begin and exit a Tier 3 intervention setting.

Special Education

If a student has not made sufficient progress in Tier 3, a referral to I&RS or Special Education may occur. Students who qualify for Special Education will move to a higher level of service under Special Education and related services and receive an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Consequently, intervention services at Tier 3 will discontinue; a student's IEP will provide for modifications and/or Special Education services implemented by a certified Special Education teacher, Speech/Language Specialist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), and/or appropriate Child Study Team member.

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