OPS Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Team

About MTSS

Mission Statement
Our mission is to use a collaborative approach to determine the needs of individual students in order to give teachers guidance and support with planning and implementing appropriate interventions to promote student success.

Defining MTSS
The MTSS team is a state mandated, multi-disciplinary team which designs, implements, and monitors intervention plans for students experiencing learning or behavior difficulties.

Purpose of the MTSS Team
The MTSS team is a school based, problem-solving group of school professionals whose purpose is to assist teachers in the development of intervention strategies for individual students in need of assistance due to academic, behavioral, or health concerns. The goal is to collaboratively design instructional interventions and/or enhance existing methods of teaching in order for all students to succeed.

Initial Request for a MTSS Meeting:

An initial request for a MTSS meeting can be initiated by the classroom teacher, the counselor, other subject area teachers, the parent, or, on occasion, the student him or herself

A written request for a MTSS referral should be completed and returned to the child's teacher or a building administrator. If you would like to make a parent request, please contact the school principal, Ms. Jennifer Boulden, at (856)858-0335.

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

Differentiated instruction is a process in which teachers learn to change their pace, style, and level of instruction in response to student differences. These include different interests and different readiness levels. They also include the different learning styles of student. There are three specific areas in which to differentiate: the content of the lesson, the process used to teach, and the final product. Differentiated instruction is used to reach the diverse needs of students. Students come to school with cultural differences, different learning styles, a variety of interests, disabilities, and varying backgrounds in learning. Meeting the needs of all of these diverse learners in a large class is not easy. It requires different methods of teaching, and constant assessment of the students and yourself to check for progress. However, when implemented properly, differentiated instruction works!

Differentiated Instruction from Internet 4 Classrooms
From learning styles inventories to instructional theory to practical tips for classrooms, check out these resources.

What is Differentiated Instruction?
At its most basic level, differentiation consists of the efforts of teachers to respond to variance among learners in the classroom. Whenever a teacher reaches out to an individual or small group to vary his or her teaching in order to create the best learning experience possible, that teacher is differentiating instruction

Information about RTI

RtI is an integrated approach to service delivery that encompasses general, remedial and special education through a multi-tiered service delivery model. More recently, it has been referred to as Multi Tiered Systems of Support, or MTSS. RtI utilizes a problem-solving framework to identify and address academic and behavioral difficulties for all students using scientific, research-based instruction. Essentially, RtI is the practice of: (a) providing high quality instruction and intervention matched to the students’ needs and (b) using learning rate over time and level of performance to make important educational decisions to guide instruction.

The Principles of RtI include:

  • Teachers who believe—and know—that all students can be effectively taught. All RtI practices are founded on the assumption and belief that all students can learn. It is then the responsibility of school staff to identify the most effective curricular, instructional, and environmental conditions that enable learning to take place and to provide the necessary resources to enable all students to learn.

  • Intervene early. It is best to intervene early when problems are relatively small and before students lag further behind their peers.

  • Use a multi-tiered model of intervention. To achieve high rates of success for all students, instruction must be differentiated in both its nature and intensity. A tiered model of intervention is one effective way to differentiate instruction.

  • Use research-based, scientifically validated interventions/instruction. NCLB requires schools to use scientifically based curricula and interventions. This approach ensures that students are exposed to curriculum and teaching that has the greatest degree of effectiveness. Reading A to Z and the Leveled Literacy Intervention are some examples.

  • Monitor student progress to inform instruction. The use of assessments that can be collected frequently and that are sensitive to small changes in a student’s performance is important in determining the effectiveness of instruction and intervention.

  • Use data to make decisions. A data-based decision regarding the students’ response to intervention is central to RtI practices. Decisions in RtI practice are based on the collective judgment of staff and parents and informed directly by student performance data. This principle requires two things: that ongoing data collection systems are in place and that resulting data are used to make informed instructional decisions.

  • Use assessment for three different purposes: a. Universal screening to determine which students need closer monitoring, differentiated instruction, or a specific intervention; b. Progress monitoring to determine if interventions are producing the desired results; and c. Diagnostics to determine what students can and cannot do in important academic areas.

Response to Intervention may be better described as a “response to instruction.” It provides a triage process that allows for progressive increases in the intensity and duration of instruction for students who continue to struggle with the general education curriculum. Through this preventive process, schools can meet the needs of all students and reduce the numbers students inappropriately identified with specific learning disability.

Introduction to RtI

Online RTI Resources

National Center on Response to Intervention
Increasingly, educators are viewing Response to Intervention (RtI) as an essential method of integrating instructional and assessment components into an effective prevention system. When educators systematically monitor students' academic and behavioral progress to make data-based instructional decisions, educators teach more effectively and their students' achievement increases considerably.

RtI Action Network
The RtI Action Network is dedicated to the effective implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI) in school districts nationwide. Our goal is to guide educators and families in the large-scale implementation of RtI so that each child has access to quality instruction and that struggling students – including those with learning disabilities – are identified early and receive the necessary supports to be successful. The RtI Action Network is a program of the National Center for Learning Disabilities, funded by the Cisco Foundation and in partnership with the nation’s leading education associations and top RtI experts.

Intervention Central
Intervention Central offers free tools and resources to help school staff and parents to promote positive classroom behaviors and foster effective learning for all children and youth. The site was created by Jim Wright, a school psychologist and school administrator from Central New York. Visit to check out newly posted academic and behavioral intervention strategies, download publications on effective teaching practices, and use tools that streamline classroom assessment and intervention.

IDEA Partnership
The IDEA Partnership is dedicated to improving outcomes for students and youth with disabilities by joining state agencies and stakeholders through shared work and learning. The IDEA Partnership reflects the collaborative work of more than 55 national organizations, technical assistance providers, and organizations and agencies at state and local level. Together with the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Partner Organizations form a community with the potential to transform the way we work.

Academic Resources

This page will serve as a collection of tools for use with students who experience difficulty in reading and mathematics. While many more resources are currently available for reading, we will update this page with math strategies as they become available.

Click here for a list of academic resources to use with students

Academic Data Collection Tools

The following tools may be used to collect data on student performance and current levels. This data may be used by the CSS Team and Interventionists to better program for the struggling student.

Click here for a list of academic data collection tools to use with students

Behavioral Data Collection Tools

Below, please find sample behavior data collection sheets. Depending on the needs of the student, one or more of these tools may be used.

Click here for a list of behavioral data collection tools to use with students.