North Dakota’s Multi-Tier System of Supports (NDMTSS) is a framework to provide all students with the best opportunities to succeed academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally in school. NDMTSS focuses on providing high-quality instruction and interventions matched to student need, monitoring progress frequently to make decisions about changes in instruction or goals. Data are used to allocate resources to improve student learning and support staff implementation of effective practices.
How we got here
Several acronyms have been utilized during the development of what we now refer to as Multi-tier System of Supports (MTSS). Originally developed from a Response to Intervention (RtI) focus on early intervention services in behavior and academics, this work has been named many things: Positive Behavior Supports (PBS), Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS), RtI -Academic (RtI-A) and RtI-Behavior (RtI-B). As research continued nationally, ND shifted to a more encompassing definition of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to ensure that the infrastructure and focus on developing the system would be created that encompassed both behavior and academics.
What NDMTSS is NOT
To further clarify the definition, it is important to recognize what MTSS is NOT. MTSS (RtI) cannot be a verb, time, program, or place. It is not an identification system for special education or Title 1. It is not ‘just for some students’. It cannot be done by a small group of educators. It is not content-specific. Students cannot “be RtI’d”, “test into or exited from RtI” or be “done with RtI.”
North Dakota’s Multi-Tier System of Supports Project is led by a State Advisory Team combined of stakeholders from the North Dakota Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services, Regional Education Associations, School Districts and Private Organizations from across the state of North Dakota.