Hello Friends!
In preparing for my annual spring term Literacy Difficulties course, I came across two excellent, recent pieces on implementing MTSS in reading that I have not used in the past (refs at bottom). Both pieces issued from a successful collaboration between a State Department of Education and researchers at a state university that focused on supporting four very high-needs schools in developing, implementing, and refining school-wide MTSS systems in reading. Significantly, the project produced the kinds of outcomes that most schools hunger for: Two years of implementation of the MTSS systems produced a +0.5 effect size in students’ reading achievement, meaning that students who received two years of supports accelerated their reading performance by 19 percentile points.
The pieces, which overlap quite a bit,
begin with the premise that most schools know, in general, what needs to
be done in terms of implementing MTSS in reading but “underestimate
the supports that schools need to
build systems and infrastructure to implement and sustain these practices.” The
authors then go into detail in terms of how the project schools “worked to
overcome the complexities inherent in implementing multitiered reading supports
in high-priority schools,” providing "examples of how schools involved with the
K–3 reading initiative delved into the details to move past barriers and build
the systems and infrastructure to implement a comprehensive MTSS framework
fully, with fidelity and consistency.” I found that pieces were highly
engaging, filled with practical insights, and extremely challenging, as they describe
many specific practices that enabled the schools to be successful but that, quite honestly, most schools typically just don’t have in place.
It would take quite a bit of
verbiage to adequately summarize the content of the pieces, and I was unable to upload a chart from the Coyne chapter that would have done it for me. So, here is the briefest of summaries. Both pieces identify a set of four common stumbling
blocks, that they present in the form of practical statements, that often trip up schools’ attempts to implement MTSS in reading in
robust ways:
- "We have an MTSS plan, but it doesn't guide our day-to-day reading practice."
- "We have identified a common approach to Tier 1, but it doesn't seem like there is consistency in reading instruction across teachers and classrooms."
- "We have useful reading data from our students, but it feels like we are not able to use it to make meaningful instructional decisions for all our students."
- "We have students who need intensive small-group instruction, but now what?"
The pieces then go on to present examples of exactly how the four schools overcame these obstacles, detailing the establishment of literacy leadership teams and the teams' long- and short-term objectives; decisions regarding planning, prioritizing, and meeting; and tools for utilizing data. Again, it is beyond the scope of this post to lay out these "solutions" in detail. But, if these stumbling blocks sound familiar and the idea of actual practical solutions is thought-provoking, email me and I can send the chapter/articles to you in PDF. They will
provide much more specific description of the practices and tools that the
project schools employed to address these issues.
Overall, I would leave you with these
following critical points:
1)
Most
schools vastly underestimate the challenges involved in implementing a robust
MTSS system in reading and greatly overestimate the degree to which MTSS
practices are implemented fully and with fidelity.
2)
Partial
implementation of MTSS systems in reading likely will not improve student
outcomes, particularly for students with, or at risk, for learning disabilities (Balu
et al., 2015). "Half way" just isn't good enough, and ends up being a waste of vitally important resources. It really takes “everything and the kitchen sink” to produce the
outcomes we desire.
3)
There
are schools out there – in extremely challenging settings – that are “getting
it right.” If they can do it, you can do it! And, if you can do it, you should
do it!
4)
These
two pieces will give you plenty of real, practical guidance in constructing a
robust MTSS system in reading. I would also be happy to “join the discussion”
if your school is genuinely interested in undertaking this process.
Implementing multitiered K–3 reading supports in high-priority schools. In B. Foorman
(Ed.), Challenges to implementing effective reading intervention in schools. New Directions for
Child and Adolescent Development, 154, 67–85.
Leonard, K., Coyne,M. D., Oldham,
A., Leonard, K., Burns, D.,& Gillis, M.B. (2019). Implementing MTSS in
Beginning Reading: Tools and Systems to Support Schools and Teachers. Learning
Disabilities Research & Practice, 34(2), 110–117
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