Scarsdale Public Schools

Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)

What is MTSS?

The purpose of MTSS is to provide adequate and objectively tiered support for all students—while also supporting educators and administrators to more effectively and efficiently help students. MTSS is fully aligned with the District’s mission statement, meaningfully supporting students academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally.

MTSS is a system-level initiative that helps districts across the country improve student outcomes through the use of screeners, a continuum of tiered support, progress monitoring, and data-based decision-making. As a system-level solution, MTSS is collaborative, involving all stakeholders in data-driven decision-making to best support students. 

MTSS vs RTI: What’s the Difference?

While there is an overlap between MTSS and RTI, it is important to note the differences in the two systems.

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-tiered, problem-solving approach that identifies general education students in grades K-5 who are struggling in the academic areas of reading and mathematics. The District has adopted relevant assessments to identify said struggles. Through on-going assessments, identified students are provided with targeted instruction at varying levels of intensity. The progress that students make at each level is closely monitored and used in further decisions regarding their instructional program.  Effective July 1, 2012, every school district in New York State was required to implement a Response to Intervention model in the elementary school grades. 

Collective collaboration is at the core of Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). Following a tiered-level, problem-solving model, MTSS coordinates support for both academic and behavioral/social-emotional needs. It unifies school culture, teacher professional development, and family and community engagement, while considering the whole child.

RTI and MTSS are similar in that each offers tiers of intervention support, uses data to both identify students requiring services and track effectiveness of services, and employs research-based strategies to help at-risk learners.

Scarsdale’s MTSS Model

Scarsdale’s MTSS model identifies, monitors, and recommends support for students across multiple disciplines or areas of need. Each of the five elementary schools has a building level MTSS intervention team. Each team is composed of the principal, assistant principal, school psychologist, speech therapist, reading specialist, learning resource center teachers, and other building professionals who may work with specific students. Classroom teachers are a key component in the identification process, and the MTSS team supports them in the design and implementation of interventions. Both Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions are reviewed every eight weeks to determine effectiveness and next steps.