# Using Early MTSS to Combat the Pandemic’s Educational Inequities Presented by ## Judy Carta & Robin Miller Young ### University of Kansas Northern Illinois University ### May 27, 2020 --- # COVID-19 WILL EXPLODE ACHIEVEMENT GAPS IN EDUCATION --- # Reflecting on some of the ways the pandemic may affect children from families in marginalized # communities - Extreme stresses on families - Loss of wages, housing - Food insecurity - Greater likelihood of family members contracting Covid-19 - Costs of caring for sick family members - Family separations due to quarantining - Higher likelihood of families in essential jobs but limited child care availability - More densely populated households - Family stressors - Can affect family members’ mental health (depression and anxiety) - Make it more difficult for families to engage in responsive interactions with children - Increase risks for domestic violence and child abuse and neglect --- # Reflecting on some of the ways the pandemic may affect child care and early education - Child care/early education may close removing an important source of stability/predictability in some children’s lives - Children will lose important opportunities for social interaction - Children will lose out on important learning opportunities - Some children’s families will not have internet access so children will miss out on online opportunities for learning and interaction - Some children will not have access to healthy meals and health surveillance that are often available in child care/early education --- The Pandemic will affect children in poverty for a longer period of time compared to other children. - It will take longer for families to recover from the economic downturn. - It will take longer for children to get into quality child care. - The “learning gap” for children in poverty will only increase in time without intervention. --- Life Long Learning Trajectories “Catching Up is Hard to Do” Children from Mid SES --- Ready to learn Strategies to Improve Children’s Learning Outcomes Factors associated with school readiness Early Preschool --- # Not all children will be adversely affected - Family Protective factors (see Strengthening Families) - Family resilience-parents who know how to manage stress in face of adversity - Social connections-relationships that provide support - Knowledge of parenting and child development - Concrete support-parents who have access to basic needs, services and supports - Responsive interactions with children that foster development - Some children will continue to get early educational support and instruction --- # What Role Can Early Education Programs Play in Reducing the Gap? --- # Re-opening Preschool in Fall 2020: Some of the pressing questions driving decision-making - Who are the children who need urgent social-emotional support? - Are there children who need more than the Core Curriculum? - Do we need to enhance our Core Curriculum to meet the needs of all children in the program? (social-emotional and other domains)? - How do we ensure that children get the support and instruction they need in whatever type of learning environment (in-person, remote learning, hybrid)? - How do children respond to instruction -- are they making progress? - What interventions do we have for children who need more than the Core Curriculum? --- # MTSS can provide some of the tools we need to address some # of these questions. --- # What is MTSS? ## A whole-school data-driven framework for improving learning outcomes for ALL students delivered through a ## continuum of evidence-based practices and systems. --- How can an Early MTSS system reduce the pandemic’s effects? Educators can . . . • Identify young children who may be struggling to reach learning targets and perform essential adaptive skills • Intervene early so children stay on track and achieve important outcomes • Develop early academic, behavioral and social-emotional competencies --- ## How is MTSS different from typical ## early education practice? In typical early education practice: With MTSS: - We don’t usually systematically address the range of individual differences that exist across children. - One size fits all. We match children’s strengths/needs to interventions - We often wait for significant delays of varying intensities before we provide additional support - We provide interventions within a continuum of evidence-based practices within general education settings. --- Decreased individualization, intensity, and frequency of instruction Layered Continuum of Supports • Multiple tiers • Tiers are additive • Seamless boundaries • Movement through tiers Tier 1 is foundation • Tiers for different skills and/or domains --- Seven Core Components / Defining Features Shared Leadership Family, School, and Community Partnerships Emphasis on Fidelity Data-Based Decision Making --- High Quality early childhood environments promote positive outcomes for all children The Pyramid Model: Promoting Social Supportive responsive relationships among and Emotional adults and children Competence and is an essential Addressing component to promote healthy social emotional Challenging development Behavior --- Seven Core Components: Defining Features Shared Leadership Evidence-Based Practices Family, School, and Community Partnerships Emphasis on Fidelity Layered Continuum of Supports Data-Based Decision Making • Universal Screening: are students achieving targeted benchmarks? Is the Core curriculum effective? If not, what changes should be made? • Which students/families need more support and/or services? What changes should be made to ensure success? --- Universal Screening and Progress Monitoring Universal Screening Does Child Need Greater Instructional Support? Tier 1 Progress Monitoring --- ## Universal Screening - **PURPOSE: determines how well core curriculum is working for** the majority of students - **TOOLS: very brief assessments on key elements of the** curriculum; these are NOT the same as developmental screening tools - **FOCUS: all students** --- # Tier 2—how to provide additional support ## 1. Problem solving approach: Individualized approach; Students’ needs are met through targeted strategies --explicit instruction --increased opportunities to respond --more adult models --can be used to address SE or preacademic area ## 2. Standard protocol: Standard evidence-based approach that targets a specific area of need for groups of students --- Examples of Tier 2 Interventions in Early Literacy/Language --- ## Examples of Tier 2 ## Interventions in **Social-** **Emotional/Behavioral** **Areas** --- ## Progress Monitoring - **PURPOSE: monitor students’ response to instruction to find** students who are not demonstrating adequate progress - **TOOLS: brief assessments that are valid, reliable, and evidence** based - **TIMEFRAME: students are assessed at regular intervals (e.g.,** weekly, biweekly, or monthly --- # Closing Thoughts - We know some of our most vulnerable children will suffer the most and the longest from the pandemic. - We don’t know what the learning environments will be for our preschoolers but we need to be ready. - MTSS offers tools to help identify children who need more support, deliver greater instructional intensity and see if it’s working. --- ||MTSS Resources|| |---|---| |•|Carta, J., & Young, R. M. (2019). Multi-tiered Systems of Support for Young Children: Driving Change in Early Education. Paul Brookes: Baltimore. (You may be interested in videos that go along with the book.)|| |•|Webinar: [https://home.edweb.net/webinar/inclusiveeducation20190207/||](https://home.edweb.net/webinar/inclusiveeducation20190207/||) |•|PCP video: [http://www.rtinetwork.org/professional/videos/virtualvisits||](http://www.rtinetwork.org/professional/videos/virtualvisits||) --- # Examples of Interventions that can be used in MTSS - *Developing Talkers: [https://developingtalkers.org/*](https://developingtalkers.org/*) - *Dialogic Reading—Reading Rockets: [http://www.readingrockets.org/article/dialogic-*](http://www.readingrockets.org/article/dialogic-*) *reading-effective-way-read-aloud-young-children.* - *Explicit Instruction—Archer & Hughes: [https://explicitinstruction.org/.*](https://explicitinstruction.org/.*) - *Path to Literacy: [https://products.brookespublishing.com/PAth-to-Literacy-P965.aspx.*](https://products.brookespublishing.com/PAth-to-Literacy-P965.aspx.*) - *Pyramid Model—National Center for Pyramid Model Innovation:* *[http://challengingbehavior.cbcs.usf.edu/.*](http://challengingbehavior.cbcs.usf.edu/.*) - *Read It Again Pre-K: [https://earlychildhood.ehe.osu.edu/research/practice/read-it-*](https://earlychildhood.ehe.osu.edu/research/practice/read-it-*) *again-prek/* - *Story Champs: [https://www.languagedynamicsgroup.com/products/story-champs/.*](https://www.languagedynamicsgroup.com/products/story-champs/.*) - *Story Friends: [https://brookespublishing.com/product/story-friends/.*](/content/product/story-friends/.*/index.html) - *World of Words: [http://umich.edu/~rdytolrn/wow.html*](http://umich.edu/~rdytolrn/wow.html*) --- Examples of Universal Screening and Progress Monitoring Measures • CIRCLE Progress Monitoring: https://cliengage.org/public/training/support/how-toguides/circle-progress-monitoring-user-guide/. • IGDIs--http://igdi.ku.edu/. • Preschool Early Literacy Indicators: https://acadiencelearning.org/acadience-reading/prekpeli/ • Assessment of Story Comprehension: https://products.brookespublishing.com/Assessment-of-Story-Comprehension-Set- P1089.aspx. • ASQ-SE-2:https://brookespublishing.com/product/asqse-2/. --- # Giveaway ## We’re giving away 3 FREE copies of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support ## for Young Children! Three attendees will be selected at random and emailed after the webinar. --- ### Special Discount ***** # SAVE 20% #### at brookespublishing.com #### Use code ## COFFEETALK **Expires 6/30/20. Not to be combined with any other discounts or offers. Consumer orders only, please.* *Excludes BOL training, pre-discounted bundles, and online products such as ASQ Online and AEPSinteractive* --- # Coffee Chats ## Looking for more professional development opportunities? ## bit.ly/BrookesCoffeeChats *Check out our archive of chats!* --- # What are some of your concerns about how # best to provide instruction and support # to children in your preschool programs? --- # QUESTIONS?