The Kentucky Multi-Tiered System of Supports (KyMTSS) Framework promotes system-level continuous improvement.
With the focus on improving academic, behavioral and social-emotional outcomes for every student, effective KyMTSS teams encourage celebrations of small and big wins to create synergy. In this context, synergy refers to collaborative efforts that leverage collective knowledge and resources to maximize outcomes.
KyMTSS emphasizes ongoing instruction, assessment, intervention and collaboration, making it a powerful framework for equitable and effective education for all students.
In the articles, Franklin County, Letcher County and Clinton County school districts share a portion of their work in implementing KyMTSS. While in different phases of the process, all three districts have committed to creating inclusive and supportive learning environments that prioritize the success and well-being of every student.
The districts use the technical assistance and resources provided by the regional educational cooperatives and the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE). Through the utilization of the cascading system of supports and the application of available resources, Franklin, Letcher and Clinton counties continue to advance toward the goal of meeting the needs of each student.
Franklin County Public Schools
Leaders in Franklin County Public Schools have been working to integrate KyMTSS into their district for the past seven years. Franklin County remains focused on building capacity and sustainability throughout the district. By investing in professional development opportunities and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, Franklin County is ensuring that its KyMTSS efforts are not only successful in the present, but are also sustainable for the future.
Kimberly Young, the director of assessment and program effectiveness, acknowledges the time and effort it took to develop and refine their approach.
“It’s something that took years to try and figure out, making sure it’s purposeful, making sure the communication of what it is going to be used for," she said. "It’s not a quick fix or an easy fix with MTSS. Now I feel like we’ve got a couple of years under our belt, and the high schools are starting to see that.”
Read more about the process of how Franklin County gives students flexibility with a multi-tiered system of supports.
Letcher County Public Schools
About a year ago, Letcher County started working on the early steps of KyMTSS implementation across the district.
The district and school-based teams actively work toward solidifying the teaming structure. The district recognizes the importance of dedicating time and resources to establish a strong foundation for effective MTSS implementation. They understand that building an MTSS framework requires a robust structure and foundation.
Letcher County is committed to integrating academics, behavior and social-emotional learning within its KyMTSS framework. Ronnie Goins, the director of instruction for Letcher County, emphasized the proactive approach taken by the district.
"I think if I had waited until we had everything ready, we would still be waiting to kick it off. So, we started the first meeting and we had a lot of success," Goins said.
Letcher continues to foster an effective teaming structure where members collaborate, share expertise, maximize resources and collaboratively problem solve. The structure enables members to collectively address challenges and celebrate incremental successes.
The teaming structure enhances communication among educators allowing them to share insights, strategies and best practices. The collaboration helps create a supportive learning environment that positively impacts educators and students.
For further information, read the full story on Kentucky Teacher: "Letcher County focuses on early steps with a multi-tiered system of supports."
Clinton County
Clinton County is focusing on the early steps of Kentucky’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports and is in the initial implementation phase. Supervisor of Instruction Stacey Evans reports that the district is fully committed to implementing the six essential elements of KyMTSS.
Evans said that over the years, the district has worked on each part of the MTSS process. This year will be the first year that the staff will be putting those components together in an integrated system of supports. It has been a districtwide push to support the staff and students this school year.
The district is combining initiatives and teachers are receptive to learning new strategies. As a part of the ongoing process, the district is exploring ways to provide Tier 2 support for students. Additionally, they are focusing on promoting positive behavior to promote a positive learning environment and using tools to collect data and strengthen the MTSS processes.
While this year marks the beginning of the MTSS journey, people in the district recognize this is just the beginning.
“This is going to be an ongoing process throughout the school year,” Evans said.
The district looks forward to the impact this process will have on the students in the future.
“That’s what this is about, student achievement,” Stacey said, “and that’s what we want them to do.”
Did you miss the last KyMTSS Newsletter? You can access all previous editions of the newsletter on the KyMTSS Newsletter Archive webpage.
