MTSS Glossary of Terms

Accommodation

An accommodation is a change to teaching or testing that removes barriers, allowing a student to demonstrate their mastery of the content.

Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP)

BIPs are typically developed for students based on teacher observations, student assessments or screeners, and data collected by teachers that indicate a need for additional behavioral support.

Core Instruction

The curriculum and teaching methods regularly implemented with all students within a general education environment are known as "core instruction."

Differentiation

Tailoring instruction for ALL student’s readiness levels, interests, strengths, and learning preferences. (Tomlinson & Moon, 2013).

Formative Assessment

Formative assessments are tools teachers use to check how well students are understanding the material during lessons. These assessments help teachers adjust their teaching and support students in their learning. Examples include quick quizzes, exit tickets where students write one thing they learned at the end of a class, or small group discussions to see if students grasp the key concepts.

Intervention

Intervention refers to a program or series of steps designed to help students improve in a specific area of need. It can address academic, behavioral, and social-emotional challenges. Effective interventions are research-based, tailored to the student's specific needs, implemented for a set period, and regularly reviewed to assess progress.

Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)

MTSS is a prevention-based framework that supports all students within a school by providing academic, behavioral, social-emotional, and attendance assistance, using collected data to address both academic and social-behavioral needs.

Progress Monitoring: Progress monitoring is used frequently to review a student’s progress to determine the effectiveness of intervention support provided to a student.

Social-Behavioral Programming

The curriculum and strategies provided are tailored to enhance students' abilities to understand and manage emotions, build resilience, solve problems, and develop healthy relationships. Students gain these skills through direct teaching and by observing the actions and behaviors of others (Sutton, 2021).

Summative Assessment

Summative assessments are like the final check-up for learning. They happen at the end of a unit or semester and show how well your child mastered the material. Examples include tests, projects like reports or presentations, and anything that shows the teacher your child's overall understanding.

Tiers

MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) serves as a foundation that organizes academic, behavioral, and social-emotional interventions into different levels of support.

Tier 1

Teachers provide differentiated core instruction to the whole class (ALL students).

Tier 2

Teachers provide differentiated core instruction to the whole class + additional targeted instruction for students related to academic standards and social skils.

Tier 3

In this level, teachers deliver differentiated core instruction to the entire class, along with additional targeted support and intensive intervention in foundational academic and social skills, which may be one-on-one or in small groups. The intensity, frequency, and duration of these interventions are tailored to the students' specific needs.

Universal Screening

Universal screeners give important insights into the health of Tier 1 "Core Instruction." Additionally, screeners help identify each student's strengths and needs and can show progress over time. These screeners are administered three times throughout the school year (fall, winter, spring). The data collected helps educators monitor changes in student learning.