Committee endorses middle‑school MTSS schedule change, will refer proposal to full board

The Kutztown Area School District policy/curriculum committee voted to forward a proposed middle‑school MTSS (multi‑tiered system of supports) schedule to the full school board for first reading, after hearing details on how the plan would use existing encore periods to deliver Tier 2 interventions without fully removing students from other offerings.

Mister Lynch, who presented the update to the committee, said the schedule is “true to the middle school schedule that we run right now,” and highlighted designated MTSS periods for sixth, seventh and eighth grades. He described using encore time to provide interventions and said the plan is designed to “phase them out of the intervention so that they're resuming their regular schedule” once students meet benchmarks.

Committee members and staff emphasized that the plan relies on a summer data review to identify which students need intervention and how intensive services must be. A presenter explained teachers will combine standardized results, end‑of‑year benchmark testing and anecdotal classroom data to build the roster of students who will receive supports and to set intervention intensity.

The discussion also covered instructional supports. A presenter described a district ‘playbook’ of structured‑literacy routines—explicit decoding and word‑study practices—to ensure interventions transfer across content areas and to improve students’ reading and writing skills. The committee also discussed algebra‑readiness work that will thread foundational standards from elementary grades into middle‑school intervention strategies.

Staff noted one concrete scheduling implication: the proposal would remove reading from the eighth‑grade core and lengthen certain periods from 40 to 48 minutes, reallocating the recovered minutes into core subjects and intervention time. Committee members said this change requires careful staffing decisions; the administration proposed designating a school‑level reading/intervention coordinator and leveraging existing staff rather than hiring new positions.

A committee member recommended moving the schedule recommendation to the full board so members can review final details before approval; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Administration plans to bring a full recommendation, including any final cost or staffing implications, to the July board meeting.

Next steps: the item will appear on the full board agenda for first reading; administration will bring detailed schedules and any budgetary impacts for the board’s review.