MTSS supports help elementary and middle school students grow

Across the White Plains City School District, educators are using the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework to provide targeted academic assistance and skill-building opportunities for students in elementary and middle schools. 

Through small-group instruction, specialized support classes and collaborative data review, teachers and specialists work together to ensure students receive the help they need while continuing to grow within their regular classrooms. 

In elementary schools, MTSS is embedded in daily instruction. During WIN (What I Need) time, students receive targeted, small group support tailored to their needs. Some students may continue working with their classroom teachers, while others work with reading or math specialists in small groups. 

Kristie Sherman, Learning Facilitator at Ridgeway Elementary School, works with students in grades K-5 to strengthen reading skills. Aligning her practice with the Science of Reading research, she has seen measurable progress with her students.  

“We see students responding so well and learning how to read,” Ms. Sherman said. “I had kindergartners who mostly exited Tier 2 intervention this winter because of that intentional focus on foundational reading skills.” 

One Ridgeway fifth-grader said she has benefited from additional math support with specialist Katie Hengel. 

“I like how she explains it,” the student said during a recent session. “If I don’t understand something, then I also have other people here. And then, when I do something in math, when I come here, I’ll ask a question to Ms. Hengel and she’ll answer it and explain it more.” 

Math specialists also play a significant role in elementary MTSS. At Post Road School, for example, math specialists Samantha Escobar and Michelle Alperin visit classrooms on a regular basis to support teachers by either co-teaching with them or engaging in small group instruction to reinforce concepts. 

“We closely work with the teachers whose classes we’re pushing into to make sure we’re supporting all the kids,” Ms. Alperin said. This is true for students in need of additional support as well as for those in need of extensions for learning.  

At Highlands and Eastview middle schools, students can access designated math labs to strengthen skills with the support of specialists. Collaboration among teachers, coordinators and building leaders ensures students are prepared for the transition to high school. 

“We work at such things as trying to improve instruction, whether that’s through scaffolding or finding how best to group students to meet their needs,” said Eric Baker, a middle school math specialist. “And we use data to help drive that instruction and inform those groups of how we can target the students that need any additional support.” 

Eighth-grade teacher Mary O’Sullivan leads a Highlands math lab designed to supplement students’ regular math instruction. Students are placed in the lab based on multiple data points.  

“It’s a smaller group so it allows a lot of one-on-one time and a lot more practice,” Ms. O’Sullivan said. 

 Students focus on one concept at a time and reinforce their understanding through repeated practice and online resources. 

“We just cover one topic per lesson, and then we work on IXL, which is also more practice,” she said. “It allows a video if a student gets it wrong. It allows them multiple times to get it right.” 

Additional Tier 2 support is also provided through the Support for Academic Learning (SAL) class taught by eighth-grade special education teacher Stephanie Mercado. 

“For the students who are here, they need support with their executive functioning skills,” Ms. Mercado said. 

Students in this class require Tier 2 support to organize assignments, review their grades and develop plans to complete missing work. 

Because students may be working on different subjects at the same time, the class provides a structured environment where teachers can help them stay organized and focused. 

“Everybody’s doing something different, but they’re all working on their executive functioning,” she said. 

An eighth-grader said the extra support helps him stay on track with his work. 

“It’s like someone who stays on top of me,” he said. 

The additional guidance also helps him when he returns to his other classes. 

“It makes it a lot easier, because if I don’t understand something … they’ll correct me or tell me what to do,” the student said. 

Part 3 of this series will examine how MTSS is implemented at the high school level and how the framework supports student mental health across the district.