Teaching and Learning

It is the job of Kansas educators to help every child in our state meet high standards for success. The Multi-Tiered System of Supports, MTSS, is a framework to help schools and teachers give every Kansas child the right type of support to learn, grow and succeed.

The framework helps schools create ways to:

• Identify each child's needs and provide support as early as possible.
• Use strategies proved to work with all students.
• Fit support to meet each student's needs.
• Regularly check a student's progress to know what works for him/her.
• Change instruction as needed to match each child's learning.

Tier 1:

• Instruction and support are provided for all students in the classroom.
• High-quality curriculum and instruction that all students receive. Progress is checked regularly to make sure students have the skills needed to succeed at their current grade and level. Students scoring below that level move to Tier 2 and are given extra help.

Tier 2:

• Small groups of students in need of extra help. 
• Each child learns differently and at different rates. Some children are identified as needing extra help, so they receive Tier 2 instruction. They receive additional help, usually in small groups that focus on specific areas of the curriculum. Progress is typically monitored every other week.

Tier 3:

• For students needing intense help in the classroom.
• Some students need more time, support, and smaller groups than Tier 2. These students receive Tier 3 support where instruction is very individualized and skill-focused. Progress is typically monitored weekly.

Individualized instructional support continues at both the middle and high school levels. Each school in USD 266 maintains a General Education Intervention (GEI) Team that meets regularly throughout the school year. This group may include administration, school counselors, regular and special education teachers, school nurses, and other contributors.

Intervention process: 

The purpose of the General Education Intervention (GEI) Team is to respond to students with identified needs as a result of referral or assessment performance by: 

• Providing initial and ongoing evaluation of students to determine individual student needs,
• Providing opportunities, strategies, and services to address individual student needs.
• Monitoring the progress of individual student needs and provide students with the tools to be successful.

The process:

• Self, parent/guardian, teacher, staff, assessment results.
• GEI team researches, collects, and analyzes data.
• GEI team recommends interventions and/or additional evaluation and notifies teachers, the involved student, and the parents.
• GEI team sets a timeline for review of the intervention plan and revises it as needed.

MTSS is a strong system of support to make sure that every child receives the help needed to be a successful learner.

There are many things that you can do to help your child succeed:

• Set the climate for learning at home. Provide a regular time and place for your child to read and complete school work.

• Talk with your child and engage your child in conversations. These are wonderful opportunities for your child to hear new words and express ideas.

• Provide experiences where your child can see and learn new things.

• Stay informed. Learn what your child should be doing to be successful. Work with the school and communicate regularly with your child's teachers.

• Support your child at home using similar strategies as what is being provided at school.