Implementing multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) at Valley City Junior-Senior High was recommended by AdvancEd for our district in the spring of 2013; moreover, an MTSS model is predicted to soon be federally mandated to help school systems nationwide reduce both behavioral and academic problems.

It is exciting to see our school as a place where students and staff members are supported with multiple levels of support in reading, math, and academics and to brainstorm ways to make those systems more effective with each passing year.
A school with an MTSS foundation strives for consistency throughout the building (offices, library, hallways, cafeteria, classrooms, gym, etc.), which reduces gaps for students to fall through while providing staff members with a clear understanding of available interventions and when & how to apply them.
Necessarily, doing MTSS well includes choosing the right interventions, administering them correctly, measuring their effectiveness, and adjusting them as needed in a timely manner.
Full implementation of an MTSS model within a school building or district is a multi-year endeavor. Examples of MTSS-driven changes that Valley City Junior-Senior High has made in the past two years include forming grade-level PLCs, creating major and minor referral forms, tracking behavior data for use in PLCs and parent-teacher conferences, mailing Hi-Liner High Five cards, drawing quarterly prizes for positive behavior, and adding small, guided MTSS study halls for grades 7-8.