The process of evaluation for a child suspected of having an exceptionality is no secret. School teams must intervene when there's a suspected atypical development in any of their students. For most school systems, a process called Response to Intervention (RTI) is used to track these direct interventions. The RTI team has to ask itself several questions when planning appropriate interventions for struggling students. Here's a few to consider: The Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) applies to every student in Kansas public schools. When fully implemented, it applies to reading, mathematics, and behavior. MTSS has three "tiers" (levels of support) within each of these areas.
Sometimes I hear people confusing the process of RTI and MTSS. For people in many states, MTSS is not a frequently used educational term, since MTSS isn't used nationwide. Both terms are similar in concept, so I can understand why people interchange the terms; it's also why I will try to explain both concepts on the same page [this one]. It's important to remember that they are similar, but not synonymous. The quickest way to differentiate between RTI and MTSS is that RTI is a subset of services which fit under the MTSS umbrella. Let's take a closer look at the MTSS umbrella now (as it applies to Kansas schools).
MTSS is for all students in the school, regardless of whether or not they have an IEP or receive special education and related services. Federal guidelines state that a tiered system of support is to be used prior to making a determination for special education eligibility for students who may be eligible for learning disability services. Kansas guidelines indicate that the MTSS process can be used in the determination process for all areas of excpetionality. Response To Intervention (RTI)Since RTI is contained within the MTSS model, I won't delve any deeper into it here. If you want more information specifically about RTI, I recommend this resource.
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