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Berlin Central rolls out MTSS screening and progress-monitoring; district to provide reconciliation of student counts
Summary
District staff outlined the multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), including use of IXL as the universal screener, monitoring cadences (monthly/biweekly/weekly) and early counts showing 33 elementary and 50 middle-high students receiving Tier 2/3 academic interventions; staff will return with reconciled unique counts.
MTSS presenter (staff member) told the Berlin Central School District board the district is implementing a multi-tiered system of supports to identify and monitor students—who need additional academic, behavioral or social-emotional help. "Because we must understand what level of support each student needs and why stop students from slipping through the cracks and work together to impact outcomes for all of our students," the presenter said.
The framework, the presenter said, combines universal screening, student support planning, district- and building-level MTSS teams and a problem-solving cycle. The district plans to use IXL as its universal screener this year and to collect beginning-of-year assessment data to drive referrals and interventions. The presenter summarized monitoring rhythms: Tier 1 students will be monitored monthly; Tier 2 students will be assessed biweekly; Tier 3 students will be monitored weekly.
Why it matters: MTSS is intended to make supports systematic and data-driven so staff can catch students who are falling behind or struggling with behavior and intervene before issues escalate. The presenter said MTSS also coordinates related services such as occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT) and speech-language services within the broader support framework.
Board members pressed for specifics and for a reconciled, unique count of affected students. The presenter said that as of Aug. 20 the elementary building had 33 students receiving Tier 2 or Tier 3 reading/math interventions, 11 students beginning the year with a behavior or social-emotional plan, and 15 students receiving OT/PT/speech services; at the middle-high school the presenter reported 50 students receiving reading or math interventions, 8 students with behavior/social-emotional plans and 3 students receiving OT/PT/speech. The presenter cautioned those category counts overlap and agreed to provide a unique, reconciled count that avoids double-counting.
Board members also asked about kindergarten inclusion and the presenter said only one kindergartner was counted on the August snapshot because that child is repeating kindergarten. Several members requested enrollment-based context so percentage rates could be interpreted alongside absolute counts; the presenter agreed to provide updated enrollment and unique-student figures at the district—s next meeting on Sept. 16.
The presenter described practical supports for teachers: a shared Google Drive for MTSS materials and goal sheets for tracking student progress. The board and staff discussed expanding MTSS participation among teachers and scheduling regular meetings when related-service providers are available in district.
The board did not take formal action on MTSS during the meeting; staff committed to return with reconciled student counts and more specific implementation dates and schedules for regular progress monitoring.
