The NC Facilitated Assessment of MTSS - School Level (FAM-S) is a tool which measures school-level progress towards full implementation of a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS). The FAM-S contains 41 items in a rubric format. The NC FAM-S was created by modifying the Self-Assessment of MTSS (SAM). The NC FAM-S measures school-level implementation of NC MTSS. The purpose of administration and its resulting data is to help school and district-level personnel identify and prioritize implementation steps. The instrument contains 41 items in 6 domains (Leadership, Building Capacity/Implementation Infrastructure, Communication and Collaboration, Problem Solving Process, Multiple Tiers of Instruction and Intervention Model, and Data/Evaluation).

Most items in the NC FAM-S were originally developed and validated in Florida as part of the Self-Assessment of MTSS (SAM). North Carolina began using the items in 2016 after a diverse group of educational professionals examined each item to determine its accuracy and validity for use in North Carolina. In 2018, stakeholders from the NC MTSS Consortium as well as a group of identified content experts from across the state again reviewed and revised the instrument to include essential features from both NC MTSS professional development and Positive Behavior Intervention and Support. This review panel included institutes of higher education professionals as well as district and school level practitioners. The revised instrument, released in 2019, provides the field with an integrated tool which assesses the breadth and depth of academic, behavior and social-emotional supports.

The FAM-S is intended to be used within a facilitated administration setting. An external facilitator allows all school MTSS team members to participate in the discussion and rating of each item actively. Typically, the facilitator is a member of the district MTSS Team.  Additional purposes of having a facilitator are to guide discussions, assist teams in problem-solving, and answer questions as they arise. NC DPI recommends an annual facilitated administration between April and June.