Work group hears national expert: MTSS should be practical, inclusive and backed by state supports

Rebecca Zumeta Edmonds, managing researcher at the American Institutes for Research and co-director of the National Center on Intensive Intervention, told a Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) work group that Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a framework for organizing instruction, validated assessments and interventions so schools can make timely, data-driven decisions about students’ needs.

Edmonds said MTSS is not a single program but an approach that combines screening, progress monitoring and multi-level prevention. ‘‘It’s intended to help school teams and teachers and educators make more informed decisions about students to identify students who may need additional assistance sooner to intervene in a timely way,’’ she said, adding that MTSS should address academic, social, emotional and behavioral needs.

Edmonds outlined four implementation priorities: ensure ‘‘all means all’’ so students with disabilities are included in screenings and interventions; start simply and expand; leverage existing funding streams (Title I, IDEA and coordinated early intervening services); and provide multiple learning avenues to retain institutional knowledge when staff turnover occurs. She described the core MTSS components as screening, a multi-level prevention system, progress monitoring and databased decision-making.

Several work group members pressed Edmonds and MSDE staff for implementation detail. A recurring theme was that training alone is insufficient. ‘‘I don’t believe there’s probably a teacher in the state or in any state that hasn’t had training on this,’’ consultant Nate Levinson said, warning that professional development without structural supports rarely produces durable results. Edmonds echoed that point: ‘‘It’s not an easy problem to solve,’’ she said, adding that role clarity and validated interventions are essential.

Public commenter Melissa Stein, representing the Montgomery County Council of PTAs, urged deeper teacher preparation on autism and emotional disabilities and recommended widespread crisis prevention and de-escalation training so students do not reach traumatic crises and staff do not burn out. ‘‘Generic special ed certification does not require meaningful understanding of autism or of emotional disabilities,’’ Stein said.

Members discussed whether MSDE should publish an approved list of validated tiered interventions. Some participants favored a curated list with an easy process for districts to submit additional programs for review; others cautioned that having a list without implementation supports risks churn without addressing root causes. Work group participants also highlighted high‑dosage tutoring as a high-impact Tier 2/3 approach and asked how ESSER and other tutoring funds are being used.

Edmonds and participants repeatedly flagged implementation barriers: uneven data collection across districts, ambiguity about whether students with IEPs may receive tiered interventions, inconsistent master scheduling that prevents regular intervention blocks and the need for more concrete technical assistance from the state.

The session closed with a pledge from MSDE facilitators to share a proposed topic schedule and to convene voluntary small-group listening sessions where members can present specific recommendations and operational details for MSDE consideration.

The work group did not take formal votes during the meeting; members asked MSDE to retrieve and reuse prior RTI/MTSS resource materials where relevant before drafting new guidance.