Graduate Training in MTSS - Fully Online
Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) is a framework for providing interventions that are tailored to student learning or behavioral needs, and using data to inform decision making and organize resources.
Why is MTSS important?
Now, more than ever, students approach school with vastly different learning and behavioral needs. Teachers and other professionals and specialists in school settings need knowledge and tools that help them identify students’ learning needs, and implement evidence-based practices closely linked to those needs.
MTSS enables:
- Rapid, strategic identification of student needs.
- Matching intensity of interventions to the level of student need.
- Timely adjustment of treatments based on valid data.
Benefits of specialized training in MTSS:
- Become a leader in change within your school systems.
- Gain background and technical knowledge – know what to do, how to do it, and the science behind it.
- Career advancement: take on systems-level roles, leading progress in assessment, instruction, and support services in school settings.
Current MTSS Course Offerings at Rutgers
The Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) offers leading-edge graduate training for education professionals focused on Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) in K-12 settings. Offerings now include a Graduate Certificate (18 Credits), as well as a Master of Applied Psychology degree (30 credits) focused on MTSS. Developed by national leaders in disciplines of education and psychology, these courses have been designed to build MTSS expertise in K-12 settings.
Focused, Practical Professional Learning
Using an online format at Rutgers, New Brunswick, classes in the MTSS sequence have been designed for professionals in education and related fields, or for students pursuing careers in this area.
Classes taught by leading scholars in MTSS, including special expertise in coaching, psychoeducational assessment, as well as evidence-based intervention strategies for academic and social/behavioral/emotional learning needs.
MTSS Graduate Courses
Fall 2023
Prevention and Intervention in Tiered Systems (3 Credits)
The purpose of this course is to provide students an in-depth introduction to the foundational concepts and recent history of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) in primary and secondary school settings. Students will learn of the rationale behind, and intend outcomes of multi-tiered systems of support in K-12 settings; how these systems are often organized and function; and critically, how schools begin the process of designing and implementing their own MTSS.
Students will be exposed to topics of assessment, data-based decision making, and intervention strategies across contexts, as well as organizational strategies to promote implementation. Subsequent courses will cover each of these areas in greater depth, and will provide opportunities for greater development of skill and expertise. By participating in this course, students will have the foundational knowledge required to begin help their school systems begin to evaluate the range of support currently available and identify future implementation needs.
Using MTSS to Build Comprehensive School-Based Mental Health Services (3 Credits)
The purpose of this course is to provide students with the foundational knowledge and applied skills required to develop comprehensive school-based mental health (CSBMH) programs using a MTSS framework. This course will provide an overview of MTSS and facilitate students' understanding of key components of well-developed CSBMH programs. The course will highlight the importance of developing prevention and intervention programming focused on using social emotional learning to build evidence-based prevention and intervention programs. Readings and assignments will challenge students to explore issues of diversity, equity and inclusion and their influence on systemic change. Students will also begin to develop their understanding of school systems and the steps required to implement sustainable CSBMH programs. It is expected that students completing this course will be able to translate findings from research into implementation practices that guide and improve the delivery of mental health services.
Other Courses
Assessment and Data-Based Decision Making (3 Credits)
The purpose of this course is to provide students with the foundational knowledge and applied skills required to engage in multiple forms of assessment used within MTSS frameworks, and to use data collected from such assessments to guide decision making and consultation at the individual and systems levels. This course will help students learn the basics of psychometrics, assessment (focused primarily on curriculum-based, or general outcome measurement), and will familiarize students with current best-practices in data-based decision making. It is expected that students completing this course will be able to translate findings from research into data practices that guide and improve support for all learners.
Data-based Decision Making for Intervention in Early Reading Skills (3 Credits)
One of the largest barriers to effective implementation of MTSS is knowing how to intervene, and with which interventions. Informed by the latest science, as well as field-based experience, this course has been designed to offer in-depth training on reading interventions for the elementary grades. Course participants will gain expertise in the science of learning to read, and in evidence-based reading intervention. Lessons will cover how to determine which students require intervention, the nature of each student’s skill-based needs, and how to use data to find interventions that target those needs.
Inclusive Teaching in Education – MTSS (3 Credits)
The focus of this course is on the role of the inclusive classroom within the context of MTSS prevention models. The purpose is to prepare professionals to implement strategies in inclusive settings to promote school success, such as:
- · High-quality culturally-responsive instructional practices (i.e., best practice and motivationally engaging instructional strategies and evidence-based interventions) across the core content areas
- · High leverage practices to cultivate a positive inclusive classroom climate
- · Methods of identifying students who are at-risk
- · Curriculum-based measurement to monitor progress and adapt instruction and interventions effectively
Behavioral and Systems Consultation (3 Credits)
Successful implementation of MTSS often requires multiple forms of ongoing consultation by individuals with technical knowledge and skills in guiding others through a process of problem-solving and professional development. The purpose of this course is to build skills that will enable provision of consultation to enhance the quality of assessment, decision making, and intervention practices, and also to build upon developing skill in consultation around planning and initial implementation of MTSS.
Classroom Organization for Inclusive and Special Classrooms (3 Credits)
The focus of this course is on classroom and behavior management, delivered in the context of MTSS programming. Course content is drawn from a multidisciplinary research base, and covers a continuum, including:
- · Working within a range of school environments that leverage an MTSS framework to varying degrees
- · Establishing a positive and productive learning environment
- · Building and facilitating positive relationships
- · Proactive data-based assessment and management of behavioral issues
Registration Information: https://nbregistrar.rutgers.edu/grad/index.htm
Eligibility & Admissions
- Bachelor’s Degree (or advanced undergraduate), or higher degree in education, psychology, or related field.
- Access to reliable internet connection.
Have Questions or Need Assistance? Get in Touch!
Dr. Jennifer Foster, Director of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Programs
Email: jjfoster@gsapp.rutgers.edu
Phone: 848-445-3975
Interested in a Master’s degree in MTSS? Please visit GSAPP Master of Applied Psychology in MTSS