Riverside Local rolls out MTSS screenings and new Branching Minds platform for intervention tracking

Riverside Local administrators reported completion of the district’s first round of MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports) screenings at elementary and middle school, and described how the district will use a purchased platform, Branching Minds, to assign and track interventions.

A staff member said teams grouped students using MAP and benchmark data and assigned interventions with progress monitoring that will be revisited in December. “We looked at data through Branching Minds for MAP for both ELA and for MAP. We’re able to group our students and be able to assign interventions,” a meeting participant said.

Officials described Branching Minds as an online system that preloads student data, stores intervention plans, and provides a decision tree to guide selection of interventions and progress-monitoring tools. Administrators said the platform centralizes intervention documentation and makes it easier for teachers and intervention teams to monitor student progress.

Preschool staff said they are completing an early learning assessment window that closes Nov. 14 and that the district received the Creative Curriculum goal assessment online from the state at no cost. The district said the free assessment will strengthen progress monitoring and instructional planning for preschool students.

District staff also said the preschool licensing visit is not due until March and that the district has been able to serve students on the wait list. Administrators said intervention work began earlier in the year using prior-year groupings and that the Branching Minds rollout formalizes and records interventions for ongoing MTSS meetings.