District staff detail year‑three MTSS rollout; district-wide data shows gains but math interventions limited

Minda (MTSS coordinator) updated the board on the district’s third year of implementing a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), saying the district is moving from initial training to broader, district‑wide implementation supported by a Minnesota Department of Education grant.

Minda described MTSS as a framework that aligns instruction, assessment and interventions. She said district leaders have designated an MTSS lead in each building, created MTSS building and intervention teams and launched a district MTSS advisory group. The district uses EduCLIMBER to visualize data and FastBridge universal screeners to identify students needing extra support.

Minda told the board the district’s target for Tier 1 (universal instruction adequate for most students) is 80 percent, and that the district is "around 60 percent" overall now, with small discrepancies among buildings. She described Tier 2 as small-group interventions and Tier 3 as individualized, intensified support. She said the team uses diagnostic assessments to match interventions to student needs and progress monitors students in intervention.

On assessments and results: staff presented fall‑to‑winter FastBridge data showing growth in some early‑reading measures and middle‑school variability; the presentation noted a known mismatch between some FastBridge sight-word items and the district curriculum, which can skew certain scores. Minda said the district is prioritizing literacy and behavior interventions in current grant cycles and has limited systematic math intervention; math supports exist but are not yet delivered with the same systematic, progress‑monitored framework as reading interventions.

Minda said parents are notified when students move to Tier 2 or 3 and that the district plans a written MTSS handbook to explain the process and family communication. She said the handbook should be complete by summer and that the district will supply building‑level counts of students receiving Tier 2 services upon request.

Board members asked for building-level breakdowns and for the handbook when it is finished. Several board members praised the intentionality of the work and noted the investment of staff time. The board received the update; no formal board action was required.