Great piece, Steph. I wrote a paper on MTSS through the lens of COVID tutoring that argued from a policy perspective to invest and focus more on what was happening in Tier 1. But I hadn't quite considered what MTSS language without a Tier 1 first approach could mean for those struggling students.
Thank you for this. One of the most important distinctions here is the difference between a student receiving Tier 2 support and becoming a Tier 2 student, whatever that means.
I also thought the point about timetables subtly revealing institutional priorities was very sharp. Schools often talk about inclusion philosophically but the timetable tends to reveal what is actually protected in practice.
I’d be curious how you think schools can stop MTSS gradually becoming overly bureaucratised or label driven over time, particularly once systems scale up across larger schools or trusts? Many thanks again
I worry about this all the time. I think it just needs correcting each time we hear it. That’s definitely not enough to stop it at scale but like many definitions or appropriate terminology, we have to work hard to ensure we aren’t using these terms to unintentionally place ceilings on our students.
I also think a huge factor is implementation and the messaging around HOW schools are supposed to implement the various systems and structures needed for a robust MTSS. One-pagers can be a good starting point but if that is where the learning ends, we will have a very watered down version rolling out in schools!
Thank you for the thoughtful reply. I completely agree about the distinction between a support structure and an identity label. Once students become known primarily through the tier rather than the support they are receiving, something important has certainly gone wrong.
Your point about implementation resonates as well. It reminds me of something I've been thinking about recently after visiting a very small private school in the New Forest. One of the recurring themes in the small schools literature is that systems tend to become more bureaucratic as scale increases, simply because more formal structures are needed to coordinate larger numbers of people. It made me wonder whether some of the challenges around MTSS are ultimately challenges of scale as much as implementation.
Great piece, Steph. I wrote a paper on MTSS through the lens of COVID tutoring that argued from a policy perspective to invest and focus more on what was happening in Tier 1. But I hadn't quite considered what MTSS language without a Tier 1 first approach could mean for those struggling students.
Thanks Trisha. That paper brings such an important contribution to the discussion, as many of yours are!
Thank you for this. One of the most important distinctions here is the difference between a student receiving Tier 2 support and becoming a Tier 2 student, whatever that means.
I also thought the point about timetables subtly revealing institutional priorities was very sharp. Schools often talk about inclusion philosophically but the timetable tends to reveal what is actually protected in practice.
I’d be curious how you think schools can stop MTSS gradually becoming overly bureaucratised or label driven over time, particularly once systems scale up across larger schools or trusts? Many thanks again
I worry about this all the time. I think it just needs correcting each time we hear it. That’s definitely not enough to stop it at scale but like many definitions or appropriate terminology, we have to work hard to ensure we aren’t using these terms to unintentionally place ceilings on our students.
I also think a huge factor is implementation and the messaging around HOW schools are supposed to implement the various systems and structures needed for a robust MTSS. One-pagers can be a good starting point but if that is where the learning ends, we will have a very watered down version rolling out in schools!
Thanks for your comment. I really appreciate it 😊
Thank you for the thoughtful reply. I completely agree about the distinction between a support structure and an identity label. Once students become known primarily through the tier rather than the support they are receiving, something important has certainly gone wrong.
Your point about implementation resonates as well. It reminds me of something I've been thinking about recently after visiting a very small private school in the New Forest. One of the recurring themes in the small schools literature is that systems tend to become more bureaucratic as scale increases, simply because more formal structures are needed to coordinate larger numbers of people. It made me wonder whether some of the challenges around MTSS are ultimately challenges of scale as much as implementation.
I've actually just written a piece on small schools and 'human scale' education that touches on some of these questions indirectly. You might find it interesting. Many thanks again for getting back https://samuelkammin.substack.com/p/scale-anonymity-and-the-human-school