Ferguson-Florissant School District recognizes that there is not a “one size fits all” approach to meeting the diverse needs of students or to removing the barriers to learning that occur when these needs are not met. The district continues to take an intentional approach to developing and maintaining safe environments where teachers can teach and students can learn.  We implement a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) to meet the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs of students.

• MTSS addresses academic and the social, emotional, and behavioral development of children from early childhood to graduation.
• MTSS provides multiple levels of support for all learners (struggling through advanced).
• MTSS aligns resources and support for students receiving instruction AND for teachers and other support staff delivering the instruction.
• MTSS framework is an educational system change paradigm continuously focused on overall school improvement that is sustainable.
• MTSS models strive to ensure that practices, policies, and programs are aligned on a classroom, school, and district level.
• MTSS benefits from continued support for teachers in delivering instruction, utilizing and developing effective curriculum, administering assessments, and using data to guide instruction.
• MTSS requires a greater focus on collaboration between general education and special education within each school and between the school and the district office.
• MTSS also includes a focus on intervention but has a stronger goal of prevention than perhaps RtI does.
• MTSS is more likely to produce professional development aligned across the school and district settings.
• MTSS requires that teachers, administrators, district personnel, and student support specialists change how they have traditionally worked together to include a more collaborative and cohesive culture.  Reading Horizons MTSS framework resource

Benefits of MTSS

• MTSS provides specific types of support for teachers (professional development, technical assistance, instructional coaching)
• MTSS outlines clearly define roles, responsibilities, and accountability for teachers, building leaders, and district personnel
• MTSS provides a coherent system for continuous improvement
• MTSS ensures that a common understanding/language exists when discussing implementation and expected outcomes
• MTSS allows district policies to remove barriers to effective implementation
• Most importantly, ALL students should benefit when the model is implemented with fidelity