ISD MTSS Capacity Building

The MiMTSS TA Center provides resources and professional learning opportunities to ISDs  working to build their internal capacity to support local districts and schools in their  MTSS implementation. Often ISD support to local districts include data coordination, facilitating professional learning at the district, school or classroom levels, coaching teams or individuals in districts and forming an ISD MTSS team to organize county-wide implementation efforts and use data for continuous improvement. MiMTSS technical assistance to ISDs includes: access to MiMTSS TA Center staff  who serve as a thought partner to support county-wide ISD MTSS Planning, as well as professional learning designed to build knowledge and skills of ISD MTSS professional learning facilitators, coaches supporting the use of MTSS systems and practices, and MTSS data coordinators. Knowing which technical assistance options to access requires an ISD to consider its needs, capacity, and goals. Below, ISDs can find guiding questions and resources to help determine  the best path for the regional context.

Considerations

Considerations

ISD Needs: What are the MTSS needs in my region?

  • What are the needs in my county?

  • What are local MICIP Plans indicating are areas of MTSS need?

  • What are the data patterns in my county that might help determine where support would be beneficial (e.g., county-wide reading or behavior data).

  • What are districts expressing as needs? If you’re not sure, a survey or focus group might be a great place to start.

  • In what areas (SEB MTSS, Reading MTSS, District Infrastructure, Early Childhood MTSS) would they like support?

  • How much support are they requesting?

  • What does that support look like? (Training, Coaching, Data Coordination)

ISD/District Fit

  • Is MTSS a framework clearly understood throughout your region?

  • How does MTSS work fit with the priorities of your ISD? (e.g. align with ISD Strategic Plan, mission, vision and/or ISD MICIP Plan and/or ISD MTSS Plan)

  • What other initiatives is my ISD supporting the implementation of? How will implementation of MTSS within a specific focus area (e.g. SEB, literacy) enhance current efforts? Conflict with other efforts? Over-extend staff?  If you’re unsure where to start, an initiative inventory might be a good place to start.

  • What other initiatives are districts in my county currently trying to implement? How might implementation of MTSS in a particular area (e.g. SEB, literacy) enhance current efforts? Conflict with other efforts? Over-extend district staff? 

ISD Capacity

  • What areas related to MTSS does the ISD have capacity to support (e.g., district infrastructure, SEB, Reading)?

  • What resources (e.g., FTE, personnel, money) can the ISD allocate to support local MTSS implementation? 

  • What professional learning do ISD staff need to build capacity to support local districts, ISD programs and/or early childhood sites with MTSS?

  • What organizational changes might need to be made to support this work?

  • Do ISD leadership support engaging and sustaining this work? Do they understand what resources it will require?

TA Options

TA Options

The TA Center offers options to fit the varying needs, capacities, and goals of ISDs. These options can be organized into the following categories: coordination, professional learning facilitation, coaching, data coordination, and training & coaching district implementation teams.

ISD MTSS Coordination

Supporting MTSS efforts at a regional level requires coordination. Attached here is a position description for an ISD MTSS Coordinator. For ISD staff serving in an ISD MTSS coordination role who wish to learn more about ways to advance MTSS implementation, technical assistance includes an ISD MTSS Coordinator community of practice where ISD staff from across the state who engage in MTSS coordination efforts connect with one another to learn, share experiences, and lift up challenges.

Registration for this networking opportunity is available from the professional learning page.

Professional Learning Facilitation

ISDs are accustomed to providing a variety of professional learning opportunities to their local districts. Professional Learning Facilitator sessions are designed to support the learning and skill development of any ISD staff member identified to serve as a local MTSS Trainer. Training topics include both MTSS systems and a variety of strategies and interventions. ISD professional learning facilitators will have the opportunity to engage in learning about how to facilitate learning around MTSS concepts while taking into consideration local contextual needs.

For ISDs who wish to develop regional training expertise, upcoming offerings for professional learning facilitators can be found on the professional learning page.

Coaching

Coaching is necessary for building implementer confidence and ensuring that implementers have the knowledge and skills necessary to apply what they have learned. ISD staff serving in a coaching role have opportunities to provide regular, embedded learning opportunities to support the implementation and use of MTSS systems and practices while also taking into consideration local contextual needs.

For ISDs who wish to develop coaching capacity to support local implementers with using MTSS systems and practices, upcoming offerings can be found on the professional learning page.

Data Coordination

Evaluation is a critical element of MTSS. Data coordinators ensure that capacity, fidelity and student outcome assessments are used properly. ISDs may identify staff to engage in professional learning to become a data coordinator and/or ISDs may support districts in assessing their local data coordination capacity. It is essential that assessments are administered by a trained facilitator. Training resources can be found on EduPaths.

For ISDs who wish to develop data coordination capacity to support local implementers with collecting and analyzing fidelity and student outcome data to inform continuous improvement, upcoming offerings can be found on the professional learning page.

Districts and schools can use Michigan’s Continuous Improvement Process (or MICIP) to guide their continuous improvement efforts. Resources to support integration of district and school MTSS efforts within the MICIP platform can be found in the MICIP drop-down on the District Capacity Building page.

Training and Coaching District Implementation Teams

To successfully install, implement and sustain MTSS data, systems and practices, districts need the infrastructure to support it. ISD Staff can provide training and coaching to District Implementation Teams in developing the needed infrastructure (e.g. process for addressing implementation challenges, district coaching system, etc.). Technical Assistance to support ISDs in learning to do this includes ISD-specific learning opportunities with time to intentionally plan training and coaching supports of a mutually-selected district partner in building infrastructure to support SEB MTSS and then expand thinking to what is needed to replicate and scale the work across districts within the county. In addition, ISD staff observe MiMTSS TA Center staff delivering the district infrastructure content to the district implementation team and an identified district coordinator.

If your ISD and a local district are exploring this work, we have resources that can be used to further explore need, fit, and capacity for this work.