Building a Strong MTSS Framework: The FOUR Essential Assessment Elements

By- Brian Lovell - MTSS Specialist, INcompassing Education

The foundation of a strong Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework is the use of assessment and data to identify and plan for students in need of support.  Whether this is academic or behavioral data, the elements remain the same.  Schools and districts can establish strong systems to ensure students receive targeted instruction and support.

SCREENING - Which students are at risk?

• Purpose: Screening serves as a universal checkpoint to identify which students may require additional support, academically or behaviorally.

  
  

• What It Entails: Universal screening involves brief assessments that are administered to all students. These assessments are designed to provide a snapshot of student performance or behavior in key areas, such as foundational reading skills, math fluency, or social-emotional behavior.

  
  

• Why It's Important: Early identification through screening helps schools and districts allocate resources efficiently. It ensures that no student “falls through the cracks” by proactively identifying those at risk.

  
  

• Characteristics of Effective Screening:

  
  

  • Relatively quick and easy to administer.

  • Provides reliable and valid results.

  • Includes clear thresholds or benchmarks to identify students needing further support.

DIAGNOSTIC - What exactly should we teach next?

• Purpose: Once screening identifies at-risk students, diagnostic assessments pinpoint the specific areas of need to guide targeted instruction.

  
  

• What It Entails: Diagnostic assessments dive deeper into the skills or behaviors flagged during screening. For example:

  
  

  • In reading, diagnostics might uncover gaps in phonemic awareness, vocabulary, or comprehension.

    
    

  • In behavior, diagnostics may explore the triggers or patterns (antecedents) leading to certain behaviors.

    
    

• Why It's Important:  Broad screening results alone don’t provide enough detail for effective intervention. Diagnostics help tailor interventions to address students’ unique needs, increasing the likelihood of success.

  
  

• Characteristics of Effective Diagnostics:

  
  

  • Comprehensive but focused on areas of concern.

  • Administered to individual students or small groups.

  • Provides actionable data to design specific interventions.

PROGRESS MONITORING - Is it working?

• Purpose: Progress monitoring ensures that the interventions being implemented are effective for the student.

  
  

• What It Entails: These assessments are conducted regularly (e.g., weekly or bi-weekly) to track a student’s progress toward specific goals. Progress monitoring is aligned directly with the targeted intervention identified in the diagnostic phase.

  
  

• Why It's Important: Progress monitoring allows educators to make data-driven decisions about whether to continue, adjust, or end an intervention. This prevents wasting time on strategies that aren’t working and ensures timely adjustments.

  
  

• Characteristics of Effective Progress Monitoring:

  
  

  • Frequent and ongoing (not just at the end of a term).

  • Directly tied to intervention goals.

  • Data is used to make real-time instructional decisions.

OUTCOME EVALUATION - Did it work?

• Purpose: This final step evaluates the overall effectiveness of the intervention and determines if the student has achieved grade-level expectations or personalized goals.

  
  

• What It Entails: Outcome evaluation happens after the intervention is complete. It assesses whether the intervention successfully addressed the student's needs and whether the student has closed the gap with their peers or met their individual goals.

  
  

• Why It's Important: Outcome evaluation confirms whether the resources and efforts invested in the intervention were successful. It provides insights for improving future interventions and determines if the student requires continued or new support.

  
  

• Characteristics of Effective Outcome Evaluation:

  
  

  • Compares results against predetermined benchmarks or goals.

  • Focuses on long-term improvements rather than short-term gains.

  • Involves collaboration among educators, parents, and sometimes students.

    
    

    

    
    

By systematically implementing these categories of assessment, schools and districts can build an MTSS framework that identifies at-risk students, delivers targeted interventions, and continuously evaluates their effectiveness to ensure student success.  Educators should intentionally identify the assessments used in each category for various contents and purposes to provide systematic assessment with the MTSS framework.

Resource: Essential Components of MTSS

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