Getting Started with District-wide Planning for MTSS for Behavior
Why is a District-wide Model for MTSS for Behavior Important?
MTSS for behavior is most effective when implemented at a district-wide level. District Leadership is essential for ensuring sustainable implementation of MTSS for behavior. School teams need support from the district to be able to implement MTSS for behavior on a long-term basis. There are many reasons why district-wide planning is essential.
For example, access to data for decision making requires the district to consider the types of office discipline referral (ODR) software programs/systems that are available because school teams will need to review student data at each of the three prevention tiers.
A district’s policies and procedures can make it more difficult for schools to implement MTSS for behavior. For instance, new tardy interventions or referral processes that are being implemented by a school team may not follow the current district policy for addressing tardies. Without district support, the school’s efforts may not be implemented because of the conflict with district policy.
A district team that addresses ongoing training and technical assistance for school teams implementing MTSS for behavior will increase the likelihood that those schools will implement effective interventions over time despite school staff or administrator turn-over.
The use of professional development funds and district and school in-service time can help school teams create opportunities for team-based collaboration. These are only a few examples of why district leadership is so important for MTSS for behavior.
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What Steps Are Needed to Establish MTSS for Behavior?
The figure above describes the district leadership team model and all of the major activities and responsibilities by category. The first step for a district interested in implementing MTSS for behavior is to create a district leadership team. The district leadership team will start MTSS for behavior by conducting a self-assessment. The strengths and needs of the district and each of the schools are evaluated, since the leadership team will be building an action plan based on what is already in place. Current academic and behavioral evaluation data are reviewed. Professional development efforts, resources for supporting students with individualized behavioral needs, and resources available to support MTSS for behavior are evaluated. This information is then used to design a three-year action plan.
MTSS for behavior does not follow a cookbook approach, nor is it a “package” that can be replicated in exactly the same manner across schools. Instead, MTSS for both behavior and academics involves building on the effective elements that are already in place within a district and its schools, using evidence-based practices and knowledge of systems change.
The Leadership Team Checklist is a tool used by many teams to implement MTSS for behavior. The Checklist provides a structured guide for defining the major elements in the model, and is used to conduct the district self-assessment.
Click here to see the Leadership Team Checklist.
The district-level Leadership Team Checklist addresses important elements of the implementation process, including who should attend district meetings, how often district team meetings will occur, how MTSS for behavior will be coordinated at the district level, what funding will be available, and how many schools should start implementing MTSS for behavior during the first year. Other important elements focus on establishing clear visibility for MTSS for behavior efforts in the district and community, building political support, and creating ongoing professional development and training opportunities. Click here for detailed information about each element of the MTSS for Behavior process
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How Does a District Build Capacity for MTSS for Behavior?
In many districts, a coach is identified within each school to facilitate regular school planning team meetings. These coaches form an important communication link with the district coordinator and are facilitators of the MTSS for behavior process. This does not mean that one person in the school is responsible for MTSS for behavior implementation. Instead, the coach is part of a communication network. Coaches can be any type of school professionals. Teachers, counselors, school psychologists, and social workers have served as coaches in different schools. Coaches in each school often meet as a group on a regular basis with the district coordinator. This small coach group spends time discussing problems together, sharing ideas for implementation, and summarizing data for the district evaluation process.
Evaluation is an important part of MTSS for behavior. It is important to collect information from each school about the implementation process for district level evaluation. The district coordinator works with coaches to gather and summarize these data to enable ongoing decision–making at both the district and individual school levels. Schools use the data to focus on student behavior priorities that still need to be addressed. The district coordinator uses the data to support all schools implementing MTSS for behavior, and works with the district team to improve training and evaluate progress. The data collected allows the district coordinator to assess where each school is in the MTSS for behavior implementation process.
In larger districts, external coaches are added to the MTSS for behavior infrastructure to make sure that all school teams receive support. External coaches are district personnel or school staff members that can visit more than one school and support the implementation process. Between the District Coordinator and External Coaches, the following activities should be completed:
- An External Coach or District Coordinator actively attends school team meetings;
- Coaches internal to the school meet with other Internal Coaches. These meetings are facilitated by either the District
Coordinator or External Coaches on a regular basis. The purpose of these meetings is to solve problems, summarize data and ensure
that MTSS for behavior implementation efforts are effective;
- The External Coaches and District Coordinators attend MTSS for behavior trainings and work with trainers to adapt the MTSS for behavior curriculum,
so that it can be used in a way that best fits the district’s in-service training and professional development systems. In
addition, they provide ongoing technical assistance and training, as needed, for schools; and
- The Internal Coaches, External Coaches and the District Coordinator ensure that data are collected and reported on a regular
basis so that school-level decision making and district-level decision making occurs.
Most experts in MTSS for behavior across the United States report that a half-time position (50% time, or 20 hours a week) is necessary for a District Coordinator or External Coach to support approximately five schools; e.g. attend regular school team meetings and support data-based decision making. This investment is an important consideration in the implementation process. The goal is to decrease costs for external trainers and consultants and to increase the time spent by district and school personnel in the MTSS for behavior process.
Click here for examples of district systems for MTSS for Behavior in Kansas
Training systems for MTSS for behavior developed in each district are different based on the number of schools implementing and the number of external coaches needed to support school teams. Districts identify personnel who are already providing support to schools related to behavior and assess how these individuals will become more involved in training at each of the three prevention tiers. Professionals who are identified to lead training for schools at the first tier are often different from those leading training related to Tiers 2 and 3.
Tier 1 District Trainers
The district trainer for Tier 1 provides ongoing in-service training in primary prevention, leads technical assistance for new school teams, and supports new coaches and new school team members who have become part of MTSS for behavior in schools already involved in the implementation process.
Tier 2 District Trainers
Supporting the implementation of Tiers 2 and 3 requires more knowledge and expertise related to the principles of behavior. Professionals leading district training in the Student Improvement Team are often involved in training for tiers two and three of MTSS for behavior.
District trainers at the tertiary level are responsible for supporting student improvement teams (SIT), providing district in-service training on individualized intervention strategies, and facilitating highly intensive or complex behavioral planning processes for students with chronic and/or severe problem behaviors.
Click here for an example of a district-level training plan for MTSS for Behavior
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Should MTSS for Behavior be Mandatory?
Many districts implementing MTSS for behavior invite schools to participate in training opportunities rather than making it mandatory. Michael Fullan (1993) stated it succinctly: “You can’t mandate what matters… the more complex a change effort is, the less likely you can force individuals to become involved in the process” (pp. 21).
This does not mean that districts should not have high expectations for all schools; instead, the challenge is to create a sense of moral purpose and vision for everyone within the district--a vision that emphasizes data-based decision making and school improvement. A key to successful implementation of MTSS for behavior is to give school teams the chance to identify and work on school improvement in ways that work best for each school’s unique culture and climate, and to create incentives for school faculty to participate.
Frequently Asked Questions About MTSS for Behavior
Blueprint for implementing district-wide planning
References related to District-wide Planning
References related to Educational Change
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