Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports

How do we respond when students need extra support?

Multi-Tiered System of Supports, or MTSS, is a structure that helps teachers work together more efficiently, use data more effectively, and approach our work more strategically. The overarching goal is to improve the quality of instruction that every single child receives.

Through MTSS processes, we are able to quickly identify student needs and the best methods to address those needs. These can be needs of individual students or groups of students, related to academics, behavior or both. The idea is to get each and every student – those with profound needs, those who are exceptionally gifted and all those in between – what he or she requires to be successful.

How does MTSS work?

MTSS has three levels, or tiers, of instruction and support, all aimed at giving teachers a streamlined way to provide the best instruction to all students.

Tier I includes the instruction and support provided to all children.
Tier II serves students needing more help. Extra instruction and support often are provided to these children in small groups.
Tier III is for children who need intense support in order to succeed. Extra instruction and support are provided, often in even smaller groups or one-on-one.

MTSS provides guidelines to more quickly identify both challenges and solutions. Timely data – including test scores, suspension rates, attendance and more – are used to help problem solve and identify the levels of supports needed for students.

For more information, review this Parent Guide to MTSS or reach out to your child's teacher with specific questions about your child.

Parents as Partners

One of the keys to the success of MTSS is developing strategies that are effective for a particular student. Parents are an essential part of that equation. You know your child’s interests and strengths and also know interventions tried in the past, those that worked and those that didn’t. MTSS encourages teachers and parents to effectively communicate, collaborate, and problem solve using data to best meet the needs of your child.

Enrichment and Acceleration

How do we respond when students need additional challenges?

Students who quickly master content and skills may need additional challenges to help them advance. These challenges should be different work, not just more work. When a pre-assessment determines that a student needs differentiated work, the teacher may give enrichment units to challenge the student to think differently, apply his/her knowledge, or go deeper into the standards.

Differentiation happens in our classrooms daily throughout core instruction. It may also happen during our CIE time when we focus on opportunities for Curriculum Intervention and Enrichment.

Single-Subject Acceleration

Students meeting qualifying criteria in grades K‐7 can take advanced academic content in mathematics or English Language Arts through Single Subject Acceleration (SSA). This ensures opportunities for appropriate levels of academic challenge. Only students who are currently enrolled and attending a WCPSS school during the open nomination and testing window are eligible to be considered for SSA.

Does My Child Qualify?

SSA allows students to show mastery of content in the next grade's ELA or math standards. Students who prove mastery do not have to take the course and may move on to the next level. Parents may nominate their child to skip a grade level of content in either English Language Arts or mathematics.

Students are nominated for SSA by their parents or guardians in the spring. They will be assessed here at school to determine qualification. Depending on grade level and subject, this could include a multiple-choice test and/or a writing sample.

Nominating Your Child

SSA nominations are accepted during specific times in the spring. We will post these windows on our website and let you know through our updates. Our AIG Coordinator will have more specific information about this process once your child is nominated.