MTSS Diagnostic

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First page of MTSS DIAGNOSTIC Assessment.

The MTSS Diagnostic assessment is intended to be used to determine current understanding of the research and theory behind the design and delivery of effective multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). This assessment can be used by individuals or teams to determine prior knowledge, uncover variability, and introduce learners to the MTSS Blueprint.

Resource Link

MTSS Diagnostic

Source

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education with Novak Educational Consulting and Rodriguez Educational Consulting Agency

 

MTSS Self-Assessment

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Cover page of MTSS Self-Assessment.

The MTSS Self-Assessment is designed to help district teams assess the systems and structures that they have (or do not have) in place to foster an effective multi-tiered system of support (MTSS). The results of the self-assessment will help illuminate current gaps and strengths and can be used for prioritization and planning purposes. This tool was designed to give a district-level perspective and should be used by a team consisting of a range of stakeholders (i.e., representation from different departments, roles, etc.). The self-assessment is aligned to the 2018 MTSS Blueprint redesign.

Resource Link

MTSS Self-Assessment

Source

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education with Novak Educational Consulting and Rodriguez Educational Consulting Agency.

 

MTSS Mobilization Guide

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Cover page for MTSS Mobilization Guide.

All students are capable of success. A Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is a framework for how school districts can build the necessary systems to ensure that each and every student receives a high quality educational experience. In order to support implementation of the MTSS Blueprint, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education welcomes educators and leaders to use MTSS Mobilization Guide to help understand the most current research on MTSS and how to get started building a system that will address the needs of all students.

Resource Links

MTSS Mobilization Guide

Source

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education with Novak Educational Consulting and Rodriguez Educational Consulting Agency

 

MTSS Blueprint

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MTSS Blueprint Imagine.

All students are capable of success. A Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) is a framework for how school districts can build the necessary systems to ensure that each and every student receives a high quality educational experience. It is designed to support schools with proactively identifying and addressing the strengths and needs of all students by optimizing data-driven decision-making, progress monitoring, and the use of evidence-based supports and strategies with increasing intensity to sustain student growth. In 2018, Massachusetts updated its MTSS Blueprint to reflect the most current research and enhance the user experience. The current blueprint more explicitly focuses on equitable access and universal design for learning (UDL) and fully integrates social emotional, behavioral, and academic learning.

Resource Links

MTSS Blueprint

Source

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education with Novak Educational Consulting and Rodriguez Educational Consulting Agency

 

The School Climate Survey Suite→

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Cover page of the School climate survey suite document.

The School Climate Survey Suite is a set of four multidimensional surveys to measure student, teacher, administrator, faculty, and family perceptions of school climate. The surveys are brief, reliable, and valid for assessing perceived school climate among students in Grades 3-12. Teams can use each survey separately or in combination to assess perceptions. Each survey includes a set of demographic questions about the participant and a number of questions related to school climate with Likert-scale response option.

Resource Links

School Climate Survey Suite

Source

OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, University of Oregon

 

Principles of Effective Practice for Integrated Student Support→

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Center for Optimized Student Support Logo.

For over half a century, it has been recognized that contexts beyond school – like health, social-emotional well-being, family, and neighborhood – can account for up to two-thirds of the variance in student achievement. Developmental systems theories and neurobiological disciplines have more recently begun to explain the link between these outside factors and educational outcomes. This research provides insight into why experiences like poverty and trauma can inhibit learning, and what can be done to counteract their effects.

Resource Links

Principles of Effective Practice for Integrated Student Support

Source

Boston College Center for Optimized Student Support

 

SEL Integration Approach for Classroom Educators

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SEL Integration Image.

Transforming Education has developed an adaptive approach for educators eager for ways to integrate SEL into their academic curricula and other classroom activities. It provides guidance around six key components that are critical to supporting the whole learner: conducive environments, strong relationships, explicit instruction, thoughtful modeling, practice opportunities, and teachable moments. Using the SEL Integration Approach, educators can integrate SEL in a way that is flexible, equitable, responsive to their students’ needs, and can be easily aligned with ongoing academic instruction in the classroom.

Resource Links

SEL Integration Approach Quick Reference Guide

SEL Integration Approach: Teacher Self-Check Toolkit

Source

Transforming Education

 

OPTIC: Online Platform for Teaching and Informed Calibration→

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Teachers having a conversation around a table.

OPTIC is a dynamic professional learning platform that supports educators to develop and refine a shared understanding of high-quality teaching and feedback using over 100 videos of classroom instruction aligned to the MA Curriculum Frameworks and the Model Classroom Teacher Rubric.

Resource Links

OPTIC

Source

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

 

Social and Emotional Learning in Math →

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Carton image of student looking frustrated.

Resources describing connections between the Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Frameworks and development of students' social and emotional skills.

Resource Links

Social and Emotional Learning in Math

Source

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Curriculum & Instruction

 

Middle Grades Math Book Study→

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Middle grades math virtual book study home page.

A virtual book study for administrators and teachers to engage with the challenges of middle grades math. The book study consists of 8 online session modules with facilitator guides and questions that participants will go through. Each participating team will receive up to 10 copies of NCTM’s, “Putting Essential Understanding of Ratios and Proportions into Practice: 6 – 8” for their team directly from DESE at no charge.

Resource Links

Middle Grades Math Book Study

Source

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Curriculum & Instruction

 

What to Look for Observation Guides: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics→

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Image of eyeglasses from look for observation guides.

These content-specific What to Look For (WtLF) Observation Guides are designed to support observations of classroom content and practice. They highlight what the teacher and students should be doing in a standards-aligned classroom. The front page outlines content and skills from grade level standards that students will be learning in the classroom. The back page outlines key features related to the MA teacher rubric to use as a guide for collecting evidence in planning and instruction.

Resource Links

Source

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Curriculum & Instruction

 

Student Learning Experience Report→

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First page of video 1.

An EDWIN report for school and district leaders that helps them understand equity gaps in students’ learning experiences with effective educators, the report shows how often students had assignments with different types of teachers, over the past one to five years.

Resource Links

Student Learning Experience Report

Source

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

 

Aligning Curriculum to Massachusetts Standards→

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A “quick reference guide” to tailoring nationally available curriculum products for use with Massachusetts standards.

Resource Links

Aligning Curriculum to Massachusetts Standards

Source

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Curriculum & Instruction

 

The Case for Curricular Coherence →

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A “quick reference guide” to ensuring that instruction aligns across classrooms and tiers in ways that maximize student learning.

Resource Links

The Case for Curricular Coherence

Source

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Curriculum & Instruction

 

Assessing Your Curriculum Landscape→

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A “quick reference guide” to evaluating systems and structures supporting curriculum at the school or district level.

Resource Links

Assessing Your Curriculum Landscape

Source

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Curriculum & Instruction

 

CURATE Reports & Rubrics→

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"We're looking for high-quality curricular materials aligned to Massachusetts standards. Do you have any advice?"

It's an important question, and one we hear frequently. The CURATE project is our response. We convene panels of Massachusetts teachers to review and rate evidence on the quality and alignment of specific curricular materials, then publish their findings here for educators across the Commonwealth to consult. The reports outline findings from panels of Massachusetts teachers convened to review and rate comprehensive (tier 1) curriculum products.

Resource Links

Source

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Curriculum & Instruction

 

Supplement to the 2018 Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework→

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A compendium of curriculum, content, and cultural resources aligned to topics in the 2018 Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework

Resource Links

Supplement to the 2018 Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework

Source

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Curriculum & Instruction

 

Text Complexity and the Growth of Reading Comprehension→

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A “quick reference guide” explaining how to evaluate text complexity and how it impacts reading comprehension.

Resource Links

Quick Reference Guide: Text Complexity and the Growth of Reading Comprehension

Source

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Curriculum & Instruction