Kansas Multi-Tier System of Supports and Alignment
Fellow Kansas Educators,
Please remember that we are here for you and your school(s) as you continue the Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA) process and continue to strive to provide the absolute best education possible for ALL of our Kansas students!
We want to call a couple of facts to your attention.
1. Your district can choose which content area(s) to focus on initially. Your district may choose reading and/or math and/or behavior and social content area(s). The expectation for districts is that each content area will be assessed over time.
2. Your district can choose which levels participate. It could be PreK – 12. It could be PreK – 5. It could be 6 – 12. You get the idea.
3. Our process will integrate seamlessly with the KESA process and your school Redesign work.
The ultimate goal of Kansas MTSS and Alignment remains to assist school districts in creating, implementing, and sustaining a systemic framework for all content and all students. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or if you are interested in discussing our framework and training in more detail. You may email us at josh@kansasmtss.org. We look forward to working with you as we all strive to Lead the World in the Success of EACH Student!
Sincerely,
Kansas MTSS and Alignment Team
The work of Kansas Multi-Tier System of Supports and Alignment (KS MTSS) is to scale up the professional learning for districts across Kansas looking to create a multi-tier system of supports. The training team focuses on district level systems change for integrating the academic, social emotional, and behavioral components Pre-K through 12. Through the work with districts, a sustainable multi-tier system of supports is created to enhance learning for all students. KS MTSS work emphasizes the importance of districts utilizing an evidence-based core curriculum, proven instructional strategies, and vertical alignment of processes and procedures within their system of supports.
Evidence-based implementation science was used in developing and supporting the training model for KS MTSS, and it is used to support and continue building capacity in districts across Kansas who received training in the past. All work begins at the district level and uses the integrated systems model to reach all students within the district. The training is carried out in three phases according to each school's individualized application and determined level of readiness. This is a multi-year commitment to a district from the KS MTSS project team. Training cadence with a district is determined solely on their readiness and actual starting points which are determined from an intake interview with the district's leadership team related to their application and a subsequent data day looking at their own current data, from state and local sources.
Trainings include face-to-face sessions, online support, webinars, virtual support, and onsite coaching. Through TASN Evaluation, the level of treatment integrity, social validity, family involvement, system alignment, and fidelity to the process are monitored. These measures are used to ensure continued success and fidelity to the integrated system. Each district gets a customized training that best fits their needs and enables quicker implementation of the work.
KS MTSS utilizes the training model of application, intake interview, system alignment, structuring, implementation, and sustainability. The current training model is extremely responsive to individual district needs, goals, and cadence.
The districts understand including PreK programs is a dynamic and intentional part of our training model, and is vital for their success. Community early childhood (EC) providers are also encouraged to attend district trainings. More attention on seamless transitions from EC programs to kindergarten classrooms has become a major focus for the training teams. By design, there has been a conscious attempt to braid state initiatives, such as Kindergarten Readiness, KESA, Dyslexia requirements, State Board of Education Outcomes, and Continuous School Improvement within the KS MTSS work. The continuous work with the KSDE SETS EC team has helped ensure alignment of the EC programs with State and Federal requirements through the KS MTSS training model.
Kansas MTSS has participated in external workgroups within the Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) to make sure the training model is aligned in the areas of EC, SEL, KESA, CSAS, ESI, Kindergarten Readiness, Dyslexia and several other initiatives from the KSDE. We ensure our work’s alignment with these initiatives in order to enhance KSDE initiatives and State Board of Education outcomes and not create confusion or frustration for districts with seemingly competing or conflicting messages. By closely aligning with the KSDE initiatives, KS MTSS State Trainers ensure districts currently implementing both KS MTSS and other state initiatives find seamless integration within one system.
By working closely with TASN Evaluation, using the High-Quality Professional Development checklist, districts are provided rich evidence-based professional development for staff.
Kansas MTSS and Alignment Linda R Wilkerson and Todd Wiedemann Co-Directors linda@kansasmtss.org and todd@kansasmtss.org