In accordance with regulations of the Commissioner of Education, the School District has established administrative practices and procedures to ensure that, using a multi-tiered approach, all students in grades K-8 receive appropriate instruction in general education. Such procedures shall include, as part of its general education program, a process referred to as Multi-tiered systems of support. For students suspected of having a potential learning disability, the District will provide appropriate RtI (Response to Intervention) services pursuant to Commissioner’s Regulations prior to a referral to the Committee on Special Education (CSE) for evaluation.
RtI ensures that all students receive high-quality, research-based general education core instruction and, as appropriate, strategic and/or intensive intervention support matched to student needs. The district utilizes the core principles of the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) process which combines systematic assessment, decision-making, and multi-tiered services delivery model to improve educational, and social and emotional/behavioral outcomes for all students. Under this model, students receive support through differentiation in core classroom instruction and small group instruction in class or during additional intervention time.
The district’s process identifies student challenges early and provides appropriate protocols/procedures to ensure students are successful in the general education classroom. In implementing MTSS, the district shall apply:
A. Data-driven academic and behavioral interventions in the general education setting;
B. Measure the student’s response to intervention; and
C. Use multiple assessments and progress monitoring to inform instruction.
D. Appropriate instruction that is linguistically and culturally responsive (i.e. consider and build upon a student’s cultural background and experiences, as well as their linguistic proficiency);
The Superintendent is authorized to develop procedures to implement student interventions; and use teacher observations and classroom, school, or district assessments to identify students who are at risk of academic or behavioral problems and thereby in need of scientific research-based interventions. Intervention shall consist of three levels of assistance that increase in intensity. The three levels shall include:
A. Screening and classroom interventions;
B. Targeted small group intervention; and
C. Intensive interventions
Parent/Guardian Involvement in MTSS (which includes RtI)
The district shall post the RtI plan on its website and provide parents with a document that describes the MTSS process to inform parents/guardians about the use of scientific, research based interventions, including: a) the state’s policies regarding the amount and nature of student’s performance data collected and the general education services provided; b) strategies used to increase the student’s rate of learning; c) and the parents/guardians’ right to request a special education evaluation. The district will make every effort to communicate with parents/guardians throughout the MTSS process.
Professional Staff Development
The Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, in consultation with the Director of English Language Arts and Director of Mathematics, shall provide ongoing professional development to teachers assigned to provide students with research-based reading and math interventions on the specific intervention techniques and consistency of implementation as well as assessment administration, data collection and charting of performance data as required in accordance with this policy.
This policy shall remain in full force and effect unless modified by the Board of Education.
Adopted May 23, 2017 as Response to Intervention Process; Revised and Renamed to Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Process on June 11, 2024
Policy 7212 Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Process