Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Mtss topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District MTSS coaches brief board on rollout, fidelity and state funding
Summary
District MTSS administrators told the board that multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS) is now state-funded, described coaching and screening work with UNR, and reported six schools meeting Tier 1 fidelity while others progress toward implementation.
Molly Ravenscraftoft, the district MTSS administrator, and Jennifer Mortonson, the district’s lead school psychologist and MTSS coach, presented the Douglas County School District’s Multi‑Tiered System of Supports to the board, laying out the program’s four elements — screening, progress monitoring, prevention and data‑based decision‑making — and explaining how those pieces are being implemented across pre‑K–12 sites.
The presenters said MTSS is now supported by state funding rather than prior federal grants and that the district has re‑established a partnership with the University of Nevada Technical Assistance Center to provide coaching and training. “This is one of our shared priorities in our strategic plan,” Molly Ravenscraftoft told the board, stressing the program’s focus on academic, behavioral and social‑emotional supports.
Ravenscraftoft and Mortonson described a district coaching model and site‑based teams that include counselors, special education staff, administrators and community partners. They said district staff perform universal screening one to three times per year (examples cited included kindergarten readiness screeners and MAP benchmark testing) and apply brief behavior screeners to identify internalizing and externalizing risk. The presenters emphasized that screeners are brief and not diagnostic and that decisions should be anchored in data.
On fidelity, the administrators reported that six schools are currently implementing Tier 1 supports with fidelity: Aspire Academy; Carson Valley Middle School; Garnerville Elementary School; Jax Valley Elementary School; Minden Elementary School; and Powelloo Middle School. Three additional sites were described as within five points of meeting Tier 1 fidelity: CC Manili, Douglas High School and Scarcelli Elementary School. “We monitor fidelity and outcomes to continue continuous improvement,” Mortonson said.
Board members asked about the duration and limits of state funding and whether MTSS requires additional screening beyond existing assessments. Mortonson said the state now funds coaching and that districts must show improvement or risk loss of funding; she also said MTSS largely uses screeners the district already administers (for example MAP and short behavior measures) rather than imposing entirely new, frequent diagnostic tests. In response to privacy concerns about school displays listing student names, presenters said such recognition boards are kept in secure staff spaces and students are not informed of tier designations.
The presenters recommended continuing district‑level coaching, monthly site teams, and alignment of academic, behavioral and social‑emotional supports. They estimated that strong Tier 1 implementation typically takes about three to five years and noted the risks posed by staff turnover.
Next steps identified by the presenters include continuing the UNR partnership, sustaining coaching capacity and monitoring outcomes to improve literacy, attendance and graduation rates. The board did not take action on the MTSS presentation; the item served as information and a prompt for follow‑up questions about funding terms and local rollout details.
