Early MTSS @ CDCI

The M.T.S.S. swirl

In MTSS, decision-making for excellence and equity can be visualized as a culture of continuous improvement. It’s a systemic and comprehensive approach made up of:

  • High Quality Instruction and Intervention
  • Comprehensive Assessment
  • Effective Collaboration, and
  • Expertise

Vermont Early MTSS is a framework that includes five critical components to ensure scale up and sustainability of research and evidence-based pracitces.

Early MTSS promotes the implementation of the Pyramid Model framework of evidence-based practices for universal promotion, prevention, and intervention. These support children’s social and emotional development, well-being, competence, and confidence. Early MTSS is designed to ensure implementation and improvement sciences for sustainability of Pyramid Model practices.

About the Pyramid Model

Pyramid Model is based on an effective workforce.

An effective workforce is built on systems and policies which allow providers and administrators across the entire early childhood system to implement Pyramid Model practices.

Supports for children are then based on universal, targeted, and individualized supports which build children’s belonging in the community selected for them by their families.

The Pyramid Model framework is implemented in childcare, family home childcare, community preschools, and public preschools across the country. Pyramid Model practices support children across environments and build the workforce in all program structures. Training and coaching provided by the Pyramid Model Consortium (PMC), the Vermont Agency of Education, and the Pyramid 802+ consultants is tailored to meet the unique needs of programs across Vermont.

Families and caregivers drive program mission, policies, and processes. Staff within programs (regardless of size) receive on-going coaching based on their competence and confidence to provide responsive, affirming, and evidence-based supports for all children and families.

The History of the Pyramid Model

The Pyramid Model was developed from multiple national centers funded in the early 2000s. Over the decades, the Pyramid Model development has been funded by both the US Department of Education and the US Department of Human Services effective implementation across the entire early childhood sector.

Concerns about exclusionary discipline have been magnified since the passage of Act 35 and 283, continuous monitoring by the Agency of Education, and the increase in mental, emotional, and behavioral health issues over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

–Building Bright Futures, 2023

Implementation of Pyramid Model practices across the system reduces the use of exclusionary discipline strategies (suspension and expulsion) allowing children and families to access quality early childhood experiences and receive the supports they need to grow and develop.

A focus on culturally responsive practices transforms how providers perceive and respond to children’s behavior. Providers engage in self-reflection, which help them to examine how their perceptions of children’s behavior align with the cultural norms of BIPOC children and chidlren who are dual language learners, and reduce implicit bias.

Combined with the implementation of universal, targeted, and individualized supports for children within the Pyramid Model, Vermont Early MTSS can reduce exclusionary practices for chidlren across the early childhood system.

State Leadership Team Support

Early MTSS @ CDCI coordinates with:

  • Vermont Agency of Education
  • Building Bright Futures Vermont State Council
  • Children’s Integrated Services of Vermont
  • Head Start
  • Public Pre-K
  • Pyramid 802+ consulting group

on the Early MTSS State Leadership Team for Vermont. They meet monthly to review data and plan how best to implement MTSS in Vermont.

In February 2023, the Leadership Team gathered information on how agencies work together to support statewide implementation of Early MTSS. Based on those results, the Leadership Team established workgroups to plan implementation in specific areas.

The Early MTSS State Leadership Team worked with Pyramid 802+, to develop a strand of professional development for teachers, that was offered at the 2023 BEST/VTmtss Summer Institute.

The Early MTSS State Leadership Team reports quarterly on their activities through a newsletter.

Statewide Training

During the 2022-23 school year, the Pyramid 802+ consultants and PMC offered eight training sessions covering Pyramid Model fundamentals and how to successfully launch Pyramid Model implementation. Learners could take part in a scheduled live training, or access the training materials as recorded sessions.

Coaching

During the 2022-23 school year, Pyramid 802+ coached eight MTSS implementation sites in Vermont. Coaches helped leadership teams at sites establish processes necessary for implementing Early MTSS well. They also supported classroom teachers by providing observation and feedback sessions.

Leadership teams completed the Vermont Early MTSS System Inventory to identify strengths and gaps, and promote program-wide adoption of key components of Early MTSS.

Evaluation

Vermont Early MTSS collects data through surveys to evaluate how well MTSS implementation sites are doing, as well as getting feedback on the coaching they provide to those sites.