You watch your educators hustling at the end of the school day to create sub plans and make copies for tomorrow. You have asked your teachers to leave their classrooms in the hands of an unknown substitute to attend professional development for a new district initiative. Fast forward a few years or even months and you can’t remember what the initiative was, what the expectations were for you as an administrator or your educators, or even how to get ahold of the resources shared. Have you been there? This experience occurs far too often in education as we continue to search for the silver bullet, the initiative to end all initiatives. So much time, money, physical, and emotional investment can be saved by planning for sustainability with your professional development implementation. Fortunately, MTSS itself holds the key — it’s a framework to support all learners. What if we applied that way of thinking to our adult learners as well?
Just as a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) systematically provides universal, targeted and intensive instruction for students depending on their needs, providing systematic MTSS learning for educators depending on their needs will have an exponential impact on your MTSS efforts over time.
To create an MTSS professional development plan that is sustainable and differentiated, district and site leaders will need to consider:
→ Resource: Download Mobilization Guide for MTSS
Assess Needs
Within the MTSS model, Tier 1 is often referred to as the “differentiated core”. Meaning, the instruction that is provided is whole-class but is data-driven based on the needs of the whole population. To better understand the district’s population, a leader must first know the roles of the various staff on campuses, their time investments, current initiatives, and knowledge of MTSS practice.
💡Remember: Administrators need to be the lead learners to ensure that support for the initiative will be ongoing. This involves training designed specifically for administrators or site leads of the MTSS work, with specific resources and applications for their context. |
Professional Development Formats
In post-pandemic education, we think more broadly about how professional development is best delivered. The availability of virtual training options allows work with educators across campuses without the additional stress of logistics planning for in-person training. However, for practices involving a mindset shift and significant collaboration, in-person training could still be the most effective. Once your district team has clarity around the work for buy-in purposes, has evaluated the need for site-based training, and has considered the types of staff that will participate in various levels of training, you are then ready to consider district-wide training for all educators.
💡Professional development can be synchronous or asynchronous. A combination of both synchronous and asynchronous training can be beneficial for districts that are looking to provide information and give educators expected operating procedures for implementation practice. |
➡️ Learn more about our online PD platform, The MTSS Hub.
Synchronous Training:Scheduling and Roll-Out
Professional development time is always difficult to fit into the calendar as there are often competing initiatives and a desire to limit teachers’ time out of the classrooms. Grouping educators by their needs allows for shorter, more direct learning sessions. For example, after engaging in asynchronous work, counselors or social workers are ready to learn more about their expectations and tools for supporting students with their behavior, social-emotional, and mental health. A session dedicated to these types of educators can be tailored specifically to their expectations within MTSS practice. This will build buy-in as educators see that their time and expertise are respected by the professional development process.
→ Resource: Download our Adult Learning Toolkit
Roll-out of MTSS training will often happen over a multi-year period, starting first with leaders and interventionists who are the early adopters of the work. These lead learners can ensure the definitions fit the site’s reality and plan for the integration of MTSS within daily practice. Once the workflow is established, core content teachers, counselors, and paraprofessionals can be trained during the first year of implementation to establish a strong foundation of basic practices and prepare for the addition of more complex MTSS components.
Suggested groupings include but are not limited to:
When implementation of MTSS is expected district or site-wide, providing a platform for accountability can be the next logical step in continuing to support the practice. The Branching Minds platform creates a place where educators, both in and out of the classroom, can document their efforts to support student growth. Having a place where these efforts are tracked and documented allows district leaders to determine what is needed to further support sites and educators.
This insight helps leaders be targeted in how they support educators with MTSS:
Make your MTSS vision a reality with Branching Minds' best-in-class MTSS platform and professional learning!
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"Branching Minds transformed the way we do MTSS completely. We would not be where we are today without it, and we would not have had the good conversations. It has really transformed our district." - Pennie Graeber, RTI and At-Risk Coordinator, Waco ISD, Texas |
Morgan Goering is an MTSS Education Consultant for Branching Minds. As a former middle school math teacher, climate and culture coach, and assistant director of student support services, she has over 10 years of experience working with students, teachers, staff members, and administrators. Her passion for PBIS and MTSS implementation have allowed her to support the creation of student support systems in various schools across the country. She holds a Bachelor’s in Mathematics, a Master’s degree in Instruction and Curriculum Development, and a Specialist Degree and Licensure in K-12 Principal Leadership. Her desire to be a lifelong learner is evident as she pursues her Doctorate in Teaching and Learning. She is a passionate educator seeking a platform for creating positive change in education.
Tagged: Instituting MTSS, Leadership in MTSS
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