In today’s educational landscape, schools are constantly navigating multiple initiatives aimed at improving student outcomes. From Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to Restorative Practices, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), and academic interventions, districts often experience initiative overload. These structures are frequently implemented on a school-by-school basis using a vertical approach, which fails to leverage the benefits of horizontal integration at the district level. This fragmented approach not only drains resources but also creates inefficiencies that hinder student success.
The solution? A braided and integrated Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) that aligns various initiatives into a cohesive, sustainable framework—the Integrated Framework for Improvement (IFI).
What is the Integrated Framework for Improvement?
The Integrated Framework for Improvement (IFI) is a structured approach to organizing initiatives, funding, and resources to enhance coordination, coherence, and sustainability within a district-wide MTSS. It establishes a set of common assurances to ensure that all students—regardless of academic, behavioral, or social-emotional needs—receive the support they require without redundancy or inefficiency. By braiding multiple frameworks and resources into a unified system, schools can reduce initiative fatigue and enhance student outcomes.
Why Schools Need an Integrated MTSS Approach
1. Overcoming Initiative Overload
Many districts implement intervention programs in isolated silos, leading to overlapping efforts, inconsistent implementation, and inefficient resource use. A lack of integration among key support personnel—such as school counselors, school psychologists, and school social workers—further complicates service delivery. Without clear role definitions and a unified framework, districts risk confusion, inefficiencies, and diminished effectiveness in supporting student success.
2. Improving Student Wellness and Equity
With anxiety and depression at an all-time high, schools must integrate mental health supports within an MTSS structure. A school-based mental health system enhances access, identification, and treatment for students and families. To maximize effectiveness, districts need a framework that ensures these services are coordinated, integrated, and delivered in a way that prioritizes student well-being.
3. Maximizing Resources Through Effective Teaming Structures
Rather than maintaining separate teams for PBIS, SEL, and academic interventions, a unified MTSS approach fosters collaboration and maximizes impact. Many districts currently operate multiple teams—Guiding Coalitions, PBIS teams, Equity Committees, School Leadership Teams, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), and more—all working toward student success but often in isolation. This fragmented structure prevents educators from addressing the whole child and implementing integrated supports that target root causes rather than surface-level issues.
4. Enhancing Efficiency in Personnel Utilization
An integrated MTSS system helps districts allocate personnel, funding, and time more effectively. Key questions regarding personnel and support providers must be addressed:
Who supervises district-hired providers?
Who supervises vendor-provided supports?
Who monitors the effectiveness of evidence-based interventions?
Who trains and maintains capacity for providers hired by the district?
Often, districts allocate funds to schools for interventionists, counselors, and social workers, yet fail to establish a framework for integrating these roles into the MTSS system. This leaves the responsibility for integration to school principals resulting in extensive variance in implementation across an entire school district. This lack of horizontal coordination at the district level results in confusion, inconsistencies, inefficiencies, and suboptimal student outcomes.
5. Leveraging Data-Driven Decision Making
An integrated MTSS system utilizes comprehensive data to assess student needs holistically. Schools with integrated MTSS frameworks rely on robust data systems to monitor academic progress, behavior trends, and social-emotional indicators—ensuring proactive, targeted interventions that prevent students from being overlooked in the system.
Key Components of an Integrated MTSS Structure
Foundations and Definitions – Establishing a shared understanding of MTSS and its role in student success.
Teaming Structures – Creating leadership and implementation teams that collaborate across departments and expertise.
Common Assurances – Defining clear expectations and common assurances for student support across academic, behavioral, and social-emotional domains.
Data and Assessment – Utilizing integrated data systems to drive decision-making and measure progress.
Resource Utilization – Aligning personnel and funding to create an efficient, sustainable system across all district schools.
Conclusion
The time has come to move away from fragmented, siloed intervention structures and embrace a fully integrated and braided MTSS framework. By doing so, districts can ensure that all students receive the foundational support they need to thrive academically, behaviorally, socially, and emotionally. As educators, administrators, and policymakers, we must shift our focus toward sustainable, aligned frameworks that foster collaboration and equity for all learners.
The future of education depends on our ability to integrate and deliver effective student supports—let’s make it happen!
Dr. Jon Eyler
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