This Innovation Configuration can serve as a foundation for strengthening existing preparation programs so that educators exit with the ability to use various forms of assessment to make data-based educational and instructional decisions within an MTSS. The expectation is that these skills can be further honed and supported through inservice as practicing teachers.

This guide was developed by Melanie Kowalick an MTSS Curriculum Specialist in Wichita Falls Independent School District. This planning guide may be used for planning short intervention activities, review and practice activities, or progress monitoring checks. During school closures, we learned that virtual intervention does not look the same as face-to-face intervention. Parent support and planning are going to be the key to helping our students who have difficulties with reading and mathematics. For educators or parents, part of this support includes simple ways to monitor student progress.

This tool was developed by Krystal Uricchio a special education teacher at Narragansett High School in Rhode Island. Choice making is a common goal for students with significant disabilities. However, conducting activities that involve choice making and collecting subsequent data about choice can be difficult, especially in a virtual or at-home setting. This challenge can be compounded when students are nonverbal or have areas of need related to expressive communication. This tool provides a method for collecting data about choice making using a Google Form or a Word Document. For each opportunity, the educator or family member will record the two choices provided and the level of support the student needed to identify the correct choice. A video example is provided to support parents in the successful implementation of the tool.

NCII partnered with Project STAIR (Supporting Teaching of Algebra: Individual Readiness) to host a series of three webinars focused on implementing data-based individualization (DBI) with a focus on mathematics during COVID-19 restrictions.   Webinar 1: Don't Panic, Pivot! Tips for Implementing Data-Based Individualization (DBI) for the Synchronous and Asynchronous Learner    

This guide is a set of strategies and key practices with the ultimate goal of supporting students with the most intensive behavioral needs, their families, and educators in their transitions back to school during and following the global pandemic in a manner that prioritizes their health and safety, social and emotional needs, and behavioral and academic growth.

This presentation was delivered by Dr. Tessie Rose Bailey as part of the Colorado Multi-Tiered System of Support Virtual Summit 2020. In the presentation, Dr. Bailey focused on considerations for providing virtual intervention and progress monitoring and highlights resources developed by the National Center on Intensive Intervention. Related Resources Find additional resources for educators and families support students at home Using Sample Lessons to Support Continuity of Learning During COVID-19: Tips for Educators & Parents

This resource developed by Sarah Thorud, Elementary Reading Specialist ​from Clatskanie School District in Oregon focuses on implementing screening and progress monitoring virtually. It includes guiding questions and considerations for implementation, video examples, and a sample sign-up sheet for screening and progress monitoring students virtually.

In this Voices from the Field piece, we talk to Dr. Chrissy Brown, a recent National Center for Leadership in Intensive Intervention (NCLII) scholar. Dr. Brown discusses the NCLII program and how it has guided her in preparing educators to implement intensive interventions. 

    Successful implementation of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) and, specifically, intensive intervention through the data-based individualization (DBI) process, demands the collection and analysis of data. As teams consider data collection, challenges may occur with assessment administration, scoring, and data entry (Taylor, 2009). This resource reviews three data collection and entry challenges and strategies to ensure data about risk status and responsiveness accurately represent student performance and minimize measurement errors.  

Progress monitoring is an essential part of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) and, specifically, the data-based individualization (DBI) process. It allows educators and administrators to understand whether students are responding to intervention and if adaptations are needed. In addition, these data are often used to set high-quality academic and behavioral goals within the individualized education program (IEP) for students with disabilities. With the closure of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic, educators and administrators need to rethink how they collect and analyze progress monitoring data in a virtual setting. This collection of frequently asked questions is intended to provide a starting place for consideration.