Student Services - Prevention and Intervention Practices
General Information
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based, data-driven framework proven to reduce disciplinary incidents, increase a school’s sense of safety, improve school climate, and support improved academic outcomes for all students. It is Implementation framework for maximizing the selection and use of evidence-based prevention and intervention practices along a multi-tiered continuum that supports the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral competence of all students.
Both MTSS and PBIS are grounded in differentiated instruction. The critical factors established at the universal (or primary) level of prevention (Tier 1) include proactive core instructional practices designed to meet the needs of all students (approximately 80%). At the targeted (or secondary) level of prevention (Tier 2), evidence-based interventions that are highly efficient and effective are implemented with some (approximately 15%) students in a small group. At the intensive (or tertiary) level of prevention (Tier 3), intense and durable procedures for evidence-based interventions are implemented with a few (approximately 5%) students individually or in a very small group. The shared characteristics of these approaches to meet the needs of the “whole child” by addressing both academic and behavioral strengths and areas for further development is illustrated below.
The essentials components of MTSS, or Georgia’s Tiered System of Supports for Students, are:
• Screening – brief measures administered up to 3 times a year that are valid, reliable and evidence-based and provided to all students at a grade level; helps identify students in need of enrichment/acceleration or students at-risk of poor learning outcomes and/or challenging behaviors; MCSD uses the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) to identify behavioral and social-emotional needs and Star Early Literacy, Star Reading and Star Math to identify academic needs
• Progress Monitoring – valid, reliable and evidence-based tools used to monitor students’ response to universal instruction, or targeted or intensive intervention, to estimate rates of improvement and determine whether adjustments are needed to boost student progress; occurs at regular intervals based on the intensity of the tiered support provided
• Multi-Level Prevention System – a framework designed to provide support matched to
student needs to maximize achievement and reduce behavior problems; consists of three levels of intensity or prevention that include high-quality core instruction and evidence-based interventions and supports
• Data-based Decision Making – a process for making informed decisions about instructional
needs, the effectiveness of instruction, and level of intensity needed within a multi-level prevention system; utilizes the problem solving process (i.e., identify needs, select interventions, plan implementation, implement plan, and examine progress) which drives Georgia’s Systems of Continuous Improvement to ensure fidelity of implementation of Georgia’s Tiered System of Supports for Students
• Infrastructure and Support Mechanism - the organizational structure necessary to fully operationalize all components of Georgia’s Tiered System of Supports for Students to meet the established goals; includes leadership, professional learning, effective teaming, and family and community engagement
Some of the critical elements of PBIS are:
- PBIS Leadership Team that guides the implementation
- A Statement of purpose
- Three to five school-wide positive behavioral expectations
- Procedures for teaching the expectations, including a behavioral matrix explaining how those expectations will look in the school
- Lesson plans that incorporate the behavioral expectations
- Acknowledgement system that recognizes students using expected behavior – both within and outside the classroom
- Flowchart of detailed procedures showing how to handle student misbehaviors school-wide – both within and outside the classroom
- Data-based system for monitoring implementation, fidelity, and outcomes
Documents and Resources
Universal Screening Parent Video: How to Complete the BESS Parent Form - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUfye7oJQ64
MCSD Mental Health Wellness Short: (K-5) Diversity | Celebrating Our Differences - https://youtu.be/eVpmsQsP4VY
MCSD Mental Health Wellness Short: (6-12) Diversity | Stay Calm & Carry On - https://youtu.be/F10SpJvbc6Q
MCSD Mental Health Wellness Short: (K-5) Grief - https://youtu.be/mf3xBRBMx_Q
MCSD Mental Health Wellness Short: (6-12) Grief - https://youtu.be/GR5ZHmmBV1Q
MCSD Mental Health Wellness Short: (6-12) Depression - https://youtu.be/j4GuURZ-TX4
MCSD Mental Health Wellness Short: (K-5) Bullying - https://youtu.be/ub45G2c3GlU
MCSD Mental Health Wellness Short: (6-12) Bullying - https://youtu.be/0FOUg_8yx6U
MCSD Mental Health Wellness Short: (K-12) Self Esteem & Social Media - https://youtu.be/8GkOj2Lu0_Y
A Family Guide to Understanding MTSS
Georgia's Tiered System of Supports for Students
GaDOE Parent Mentor Partnership:MTSS and the Tiers
Parent to Parent of Georgia:MTSS for My Child
Ga DOE Strategic Plan
PBIS World
GA Department of Education PBIS Webpage
National PBIS Website
Youth Mental Health First Aid Certification Course
Community Resource Directory
Evidence-Based Classroom Strategies for Teachers
21-22 Georgia PBIS Levels of School Recognition
What is PBIS?
Universal Screening - BESS Parent Informational Letter (English)
Universal Screening - BESS Parent Informational Letter (Spanish)
Frequently Asked Questions
MTSS emphasizes the principle that all teachers can differentiate instruction to enhance the learning of all learners. The framework emphasizes early intervention and the use of a multi-tiered system of research- or evidence-based interventions. The framework also emphasizes a problem-solving and decision-making approach that depends on the use of reliable data and the progress monitoring of learners to assess the effectiveness of interventions. All schools in MCSD are implementing MTSS, also known as Georgia’s Tiered System of Supports for Students.
A Multi-Tiered System of Supports organizes instruction and intervention into tiers, or levels of support
• Tier 1 – All students receive high-quality instruction in academics and behavior/SEL
• Tier 2 – In addition to Tier 1, students needing more support also receive small-group intervention and supports. The difference is increased time, smaller groups of students and narrowed focus of instruction.
• Tier 3 – In addition to Tiers 1 and 2, students receiving Tier 3 intervention receive the most intensive supports based on individual need. The difference is increased time, much smaller groups of students and narrowed focus of instruction.
School staff rely on screening data and other state, district, local, or classroom data to identify students whose performance is outside the average range among their peers. These data might identify learners who struggle with reading and mathematics, or learners whose achievement in these areas is advanced. It can also identify students who may have behavioral and/or social-emotional challenges
Interventions are supplemental learning activities that hold a reasonable potential to accelerate learning for students who struggle. Interventions will have a research- and/or evidence base. Examples of interventions can range in intensity with regard to duration, frequency, and group size.
MTSS is not a special education program. The framework does promote early intervention for students who may struggle with core academic learning and/or behavior and attempts to close achievement gaps so that the gaps do not become pronounced as students advance through school.
Students can certainly move in and out of interventions during the course of a school year. Interventions are designed to narrow achievement gaps. When interventions are effective, students perform in a way that is more consistent with the average for their peers and they should continue to thrive within the core curriculum. In addition, signs of learners’ academic struggles may emerge as a school year progresses, and a school data team would examine the nature of these struggles and develop or identify appropriate interventions to meet students’ needs.
When a teacher recognizes that a student’s skills are significantly discrepant from his or her peers, must the student receive supplemental support before receiving intensive, Tier 3 intervention?
A teacher will collaborate with their grade level data team and a Student Support Team (SST) consultant. The team will analyze assessment results and classroom performance. The team will determine the appropriate steps to take to serve the needs of the child and inform parents/guardians about intervention plans. In some cases, the analysis might suggest that learning challenges are so significant that intensive Tier 3 interventions are necessary immediately.
Interventions should be aligned to students’ needs. It is likely that students with special needs would participate in the same interventions that are appropriate for a broader range of students.
Parents are an important part of the MTSS process. Universal screening data will be shared with parents up to three times a year. If a student is recommended to receive intervention, parents will be notified of that recommendation. In addition, student progress will be shared with parents regularly.
You may contact school administrators as well as a school Student Support Team Chair for additional information about MTSS. Additional questions may also be sent to MTSS@muscogee.k12.ga.us.
To maximize student achievement, and reduce behavior and social-emotional challenges for all students.
All ten (10) critical elements of PBIS must be fully developed and school-wide behavior data must show improvement. The ten critical elements are:
- An active and committed PBIS Team and Principal
- Monitoring of school-wide behavior data (at least monthly) and data-based decision-making
- Three to five clear/concise school-wide expectations and rules that are positively stated (ex: "walk" rather than "do not run"), posted in targeted locations throughout the school and apply to adults as well as students
- Formal and informal teaching of the school-wide behavior expectations and rules throughout the year
- An acknowledgement system to provide feedback to those following the taught and expected behaviors
- An effective discipline process that is written in narrative or flow chart form and is followed by all faculty and staff
- At least 80% of faculty and staff are committed to the framework and follow the systems and practices
- An action plan to implement and sustain the PBIS framework. This plan should be reviewed regularly. "Plan the work and work the plan."
- Classroom systems are aligned with school-wide expectations and the school-wide acknowledgement system
- Ongoing improvement through fidelity checks, self-assessment measures and walkthroughs.
Absolutely!!! Parents can find out what the school-wide expectations are at their child(ren)'s school and teach, reinforce, model the same expectations at home. Common expectations are "Respect", "Responsibility", and "Safety" but each school chooses 3-5 of their own. We encourage parents to be active PBIS participants and talk to school leaders about how you may get more involved in the framework.
Go to our Documents/Resources section of this webpage and find links to several relevant sources.
District Goals:
3 Years (2019-2020)
5 Years (2021-2022)
3 Years (2019-2020)
- Increase the number of schools trained in Tier 1 PBIS to 85% of the schools in our district
- At least 16 schools achieve "operational" level
- At least 24 schools achieve "emerging" level
- Align district discipline policies and interventions to PBIS principles
- Decrease discipline referrals in emerging & operational schools by 30%
5 Years (2021-2022)
- Increase the number of schools trained in Tier 1 PBIS to 100% of the schools in our district
- At least 26 schools achieve "operational" level
- At least 30 schools achieve "emerging" level
- Align district discipline policies and interventions to PBIS principles
- Decrease discipline referrals in emerging & operational schools by 30%
- Become nationally recognized as a PBIS district