“The California Department of Education’s (CDE) definition of Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) provides a basis for understanding how California educators can work together to ensure equitable access and opportunity for all students to achieve the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).”

The California Department of Education's definition of MTSS serves as a foundational framework for California educators to provide equitable access to education and ensure that all students have the opportunity to achieve the Common Core State Standards. By implementing MTSS, educators can better identify and address students' needs, promote early intervention and prevention, and work collaboratively to improve educational outcomes for all students, fostering a more inclusive and successful education system.

This quote really stood out to me because it stresses the importance of teamwork. Oftentimes teachers feel as if they have to figure everything out on their own. Whether the issue is behavioral, academic, or social-emotional, the MTSS approach lets teachers know that they are not alone in the intervention process, that a team is there to support when challenges arise. The MTSS framework is for all students, from the highest to the lowest. At my school, there is a structure and team is in place and ready to help when a classroom teacher feels a student needs intervention. This is important for all students to be successful, not just some of them. It is so important to have a team at your school working diligently to support all students. Collaboration starts with each classroom teacher and extends beyond that. Looking at student data helps teachers see where there might be an issue that can be addressed swiftly. Once the issues are recognized, then a plan can start to be constructed.

Based onto reading an in-depth definition onto MTSS’s relation with RTI2, the quote above was highly impactful to me, as every student deserves a chance to be educated. Historically, students with disabilities, people of color, immigrants, and even cis women has always struggled to stand their ground and fight to receive the proper education within the United States. As teachers, it is vital that we understand and create a visible lens for us to know our student’s strengths and weaknesses to ensure academic success within an equitable and equal classroom. Having to find different ways to assess students can create a large feedback for teachers to figuring out who needs the support right away and how we can encourage students to proceed with success. During my student teaching, I have always tried to ask for the assessing scores and figure out who needs the biggest booster help. With those students I begin to create connections with them based onto their cultural interests, and ethnic backgrounds. By investing high standards with their cultural interest, teachers are investing on better ways to educate their students and implement their interests onto their curriculum and lesson plans throughout the academic year.

It is important to note how comprehensive and congruent all aspects of the MTSS are, especially when applied in the classroom. Effective teaching that seeks to develop the whole student--mentally, emotionally, socially, and academically--must take into account the aforementioned variables. While teachers are responsible for their entire class and must teach to the group, they must also ensure that every student is provided with equal access to a quality education that meets their needs as best as possible. This can only be done with a framework that seamlessly integrates into and supports common general education practices and encourages students to grow in taking responsibility for their own learning. Students who have accommodations of any variety must be met where they are at, and led through their schooling at a pace that is appropriately challenging yet certainly attainable for them.

This quote became important to me because, it shows how we as an education system come together in support of the students that walk through our door. We see that a student struggles and go through our proper channels to get to a point where the student comes first in order to have them succeed in learning the curriculum. Though the process can be strenuous depending on the needs that come about for the student, we need to be sure that we still can provide them a foundation to work hard and learn in a supported environment.