Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Mtss topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Madison district leaders report midyear MTSS numbers, cite comprehension as growing need
Summary
District instructional leaders presented a midyear review of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), reporting current caseloads (99 elementary math, 147 reading, 123 gifted) and saying comprehension is the primary growth area; board members pressed on screening tools and middle-school capacity.
Dr. Christy O'Connor and Donna Gallo presented the Madison Public School District's midyear update on its Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), reporting intervention caseloads, assessment tools and trends.
"For math intervention we have 99 students who are receiving support and we have 25 students who have exited," O'Connor said, and later added that the district has "147 students in reading, and 123 in gifted and talented." She and Gallo said the district uses STAR assessments, unit tests, Do the Math, LLI and Heggerty to identify needs and monitor progress.
The presenters described MTSS as a three-tier framework that provides universal instruction in tier 1, targeted small-group support in tier 2 and more intensive services in tier 3. Elementary intervention counts include newly added kindergarten students, while middle-school numbers do not yet reflect the end of the winter intervention cycle. At the middle school the district currently supports about 67 students in math and 40 in reading, and administrators said they would like to expand a formal tier 3 option there.
Board members asked whether the counts reflect recent winter screenings and whether there is a cost-effective universal math screener similar to DIBELS for reading. Gallo said some districts are discussing a mandated math screener at the state level but "there is a significant cost" associated with those tools and no mandate yet.
Presenters highlighted two trends: first, elementary students who enter as non-readers may require roughly 1.5 to 2 years of MTSS work to reach grade level; second, while decoding supports are strong, comprehension is the growing edge for many students and is being targeted with interventions, coaching and data meetings.
The presenters said exit decisions are driven by frequent data review; teachers and coaches meet regularly and individualized progress is monitored every six weeks. They also said the district provides parents with progress reports and opportunities for parent-teacher conferences when students receive intervention services.
The board did not take formal action on MTSS at the meeting; administrators said they will continue monitoring program outcomes and report back as more exit data become available.
