Recently I had an opportunity to attend the Kansas MTSS Symposium in Wichita. We have various stages of MTSS implementation in our district: all the way from full-blown Math and Reading implementation to “just starting to talk about what MTSS is.”  But I believe a couple of main ideas that I saw at the symposium will apply to everyone…one relates to technology, one does not.

First the technology concept I came away with: The most important first step a school takes as it implements the MTSS process is to focus on the main, core curriculum that all students receive. Strengthen it, analyze it to make sure it addresses necessary concepts, and then look at all the ways it could be delivered. That’s where technology should first be used…not as a strategy for “fixing” problems, or even as a means for gathering data about students, but as a tool for providing a variety of instructional delivery approaches. How can technology be used to help deliver your core curriculum? Are you using video and audio to support your delivery where appropriate? Are you using motivational assignments that allow students to choose technology applications to demonstrate their understanding to you? Are you giving kids plenty of practice in ways that take advantage of technology? This should be the main role of technology in our classrooms.

The second and perhaps more important thing I think everyone in the district can benefit from being reminded is not a technology concept, but valuable none the less: MTSS is NOT about meeting AYP, earning grade level “Standard of Excellence” marks on state assessments or being awarded the Governor’s Achievement Award for building-wide excellence. All those are worthwhile building goals to have. But the MTSS process is about KIDS. Not “kids” as in “the 3rd grade class.” But “kids” as in “Johnny, Susie, and Bobby.” MTSS is about using data to help make instructional decisions for what is best for each individual student whose face you smile at each day. This is an especially hard concept to grasp when your overall grade level or building performance is already outstanding. But as I listened to some of the speakers at the symposium, I thought…this should really be about never being satisfied with “good enough.” As a teacher, I always encouraged my students to never be satisfied with less than their best work. Are we as a staff satisfied with less than our best work at helping kids become all they can? That’s really what the MTSS process is about.