Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Mtss Special Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
AISD reports progress and gaps in MTSS implementation under TEA agreed order; district to strengthen progress‑monitoring documentation
Summary
Austin ISD told trustees it has built MTSS foundations and trained staff districtwide under a TEA agreed order, but a random TEA verification found inconsistent documentation of intervention plans and progress monitoring; district plans new CST chair training, ECST documentation improvements and targeted coaching.
Austin Independent School District staff reported on June 12 that the district has made substantial districtwide progress implementing a multi‑tiered system of supports (MTSS) required under a TEA agreed order, but that verification by the agency revealed documentation gaps — chiefly inconsistent records of interventions and progress monitoring — that the district will address.
Assistant Superintendent Mary Anne Maxwell presented highlights of a multi‑month implementation program that included an MTSS manual, a district MTSS conference, tiered intervention resources, and classroom‑level walk‑throughs used for coaching. She said the district conducted between 75 and 80 MTSS implementation site visits and deployed a coaching cycle for teachers identified as needing additional support.
TEA verification: TEA randomly reviewed intervention plans entered in the district’s ECST system for 24 campuses and found recurring documentation Shortcomings. Presenters said common weaknesses included incomplete CST meeting records, missing specificity about interventions previously delivered, and limited evidence of regular progress monitoring attached to intervention plans. District staff said those gaps do not necessarily mean interventions were not provided, but they reduce the ability to evaluate whether interventions have been effective and to make evidence‑based decisions.
District response and next steps: Maxwell described a set of actions the district will take: required CST‑chair training (multiple sessions planned), a formal CST meeting schedule to be filed by campuses for executive‑director review, targeted coaching and continued calibration of walk‑through tools, and improved expectations and monitoring for ECST documentation. The MTSS team also plans expanded professional learning for campus‑based interventionists and closer executive‑director check‑ins on ECST entries.
Why this matters: MTSS is a districtwide system for screening, intervention and progress monitoring that affects how needed supports are delivered and how referrals to special education are made. TEA’s verification documented gaps that could lead to weaker data for making decisions about student interventions and special‑education evaluations.
Follow‑up: District staff said they will submit a comprehensive MTSS report to TEA on June 30 (part of the agreed order), complete a PEIMS reconciliation on intervention records, and continue site coaching. Trustees asked for more detail on parent communication about interventions and clearer metrics showing improvements in documentation and progress monitoring.
