FCPS outlines MTSS interventions: new kindergarten screening, math policy shifts and expanded reading supports

The Frederick County Public Schools intervention team told the CNI committee that the district's multi'tiered system of supports (MTSS) guides how reading and math interventions are identified, placed and monitored across tiers.

Kim CE, supervisor of local assessment and intervention, described Tier 1 as universal instruction for most students, Tier 2 as targeted strategic supports monitored by school core teams, and Tier 3 as intensive individualized services for roughly 5% of students. She said core teams typically review assessments in three census windows per year and adjust interventions accordingly.

On math, district specialists described a continuum of elementary programs (Do the Math; Math Navigator; Number Worlds for early grades; Connecting Math Concepts as the most intensive) and highlighted Kickstart number sense, implemented systemwide for kindergarten this year and slated to expand to grades 1'5 next year. They said Algebra Readiness, a specialized Tier 3 course that previously did not require MCAP testing, will be replaced by a grade-level Algebra I course with embedded Tier 2/Tier 3 supports so students will take the Algebra I MCAP at year'end.

Reading team members described the district's universal-screening strategy: DIBELS in early grades and I-Ready diagnostics at higher grades. They used the "reading rope" framework to explain intervention placement across word recognition and language-comprehension strands, and walked the committee through a K'1 student example who progressed through reading-readiness materials and later into Language Foundations when progress was slow. The team said they are accelerating some Tier 3 placements mid'first grade in order to speed students to grade level.

Implementation capacity is a priority: staff reported training counts (235 teachers trained in reading-readiness instruction; 287 in Language Foundations; 355 Orton'Gillingham+ teachers; 25 certified academic language practitioners) and said 50 schools have completed a dyslexia-simulation awareness exercise. District totals for interventions last year were 3,863 students (Tier 2: 2,315; Tier 3: 1,539); about 1,000 students exited interventions during the year.

Board members asked whether Tier 3 always implies an IEP; staff said no, students can access Tier 3 without an IEP but many Tier 3 students do have IEPs. Members also pressed on teacher capacity for embedded supports at secondary grades; staff pointed to planned professional learning and video resources to build teacher skill. The district said students who exit interventions may re-enter if later data indicate need.

The district said it will field-test math intervention materials approved through an RFP next year and continue refining progress monitoring and implementation fidelity.