mtssaiconcierge/candi_qa_mtss huggingface dataset:
Role: School_Admin
Question: Briefly describe MTSS and the process of integrating behavioral health support into an existing academic framework.
Answer: Integrating Behavioral Health Support into an Existing Academic Framework:  Assessment and Data Collection: Start with a comprehensive assessment of current academic and behavioral systems. Gather data on student performance and behavior to identify needs and gaps in support.  Building a Collaborative Team: Form a multidisciplinary team including teachers, administrators, school psychologists, counselors, and behavioral specialists. This team will guide the integration process.  Professional Development: Train staff on MTSS principles, behavioral health strategies, and the importance of integrating academic and behavioral supports.  Developing the Tiered Support System:  Tier 1: Incorporate universal behavioral health practices into the school culture. This can include [social-emotional learning (SEL)] curricula, positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS), and school-wide expectations.  Tier 2: Identify students needing additional support through data analysis and provide targeted interventions like small group counseling, peer mentoring, or behavioral contracts.  Tier 3: Offer individualized and intensive behavioral health support. This may involve one-on-one counseling, wraparound services, or collaboration with external mental health providers.  Data-Driven Decision Making: Use continuous progress monitoring and data analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions at each tier. Adjust strategies based on student responses.  Family and Community Engagement: Involve families and community resources in the support process. This can enhance the effectiveness of interventions and provide additional resources for students.  Sustainability and Fidelity: Ensure that the integration of behavioral health support is sustainable over time. Regularly review and refine processes to maintain fidelity to the MTSS framework.  By systematically incorporating behavioral health supports within an MTSS framework, schools can create a more comprehensive approach to student well-being, leading to improved academic and behavioral outcomes.
Role: School_Admin
Question: Discuss the importance of integrating behavioral health into a tiered academic support framework.
Answer: Behavioral health concerns can greatly impact a student’s ability to be successful in school and yet we continue to work in silos. Schools play a crucial role in the overall development of children and youth and are in a unique position to detect problems early, preventing more serious concerns later in life. School communities that interconnect academic and behavioral health focus on establishing healthy environments where everyone feels a sense of connection and belonging.  Using a multi-tiered approach, content experts, families, work together on one team.  They use data to determine that the majority are experiencing success. At the first sign of need, teams are prepared to increase support for students, staff and families.   Unaddressed SEBMH issues represent barriers to student learning; when they are addressed effectively, students do better overall, including academically.     Sometimes academic challenges can also precipitate or perpetuate student mental and behavioral health difficulties. By working together, academic and behavioral health teams can support a student more holistically.  All domains are necessary to address simultaneously as they all contribute to whole human development-they are connected and cannot be separated
Role: School_Admin
Question: Discuss the barriers to implement an integrated MTSS framework.
Answer: Variability in programming across schools and districts, too many teams, failure to organize one team using core MTSS practices and focusing on SEBMH, limited school administrator buy-in and leadership for effective MTSS.  Lack of investment from district and school leadership ; too many initiatives.  Confusion about what MTSS is.  Leadership not trained in behavioral health.   Need to move from an individual focus to population focus (healthy environments with majority are health and teams making decisions together to prioritize care and align resources).  Expert model with expectation that the behavioral health /mental health leaders will fix. The magnitude of need requires systemic changes in how the system is designed  Set up the system that perpetuates academic health is somehow separate from health.   Lack of effective teaming/leadership.  Lack of skills and confidence in data interpretation.  Staffing shortages, turnover.  Expectations to work within the system, not in a position to change the system (one reason for turnover).  “Coaches” become middle managers, don’t feel supported.
Role: School_Admin
Question: What are the key concepts in implementing an effective integrated MTSS?
Answer: Co-creating with all school community members and meaningful relationships are the foundation for any key concepts that various organizations define as essential for this work- teaming, data-informed decision making, etc.    Effective teaming with commitment to MTSS at district and school levels.  Investing enough time in the process to build effective systems for your school and district.
Role: School_Admin
Question: We are just starting with MTSS. What are the core features of the framework. Where should we begin?
Answer: Core features: Effective teams, using data, having formal processes for selecting evidenced based practices, using data to actively uncover strengths and needs, rigorous progress monitoring for fidelity and impact and coaching at the system and practice level.   Getting Started: Start by talking with members of your school community. What is working, what is not?  Look at data, what is going well, what is not going well.  Ask students, families and educators if they feel a sense of connection and belonging, if they have a trusted person, if they feel like they have the skills they need to be successful. We have a tendency to do big sweeping initiatives and skip the basics. All roads lead to connection and belonging, so we start that work first...and we do this with community members. This is a team sport!!  Conduct resource mapping.  Find out what supports are already in place. What is missing? Ws needed? What are next steps?  Develop leadership team if one does not already exist. Start with a self-assessment/readiness survey at district level (e.g. DSFI) and school level (e.g. TFI, SBHA Inventory, SAM) to identify strengths and needs at both district and school level. Survey staff parents and students to gauge school climate and engagement, create goals based on data analysis (note: it may be best to begin with 3 priorities and create a plan to reach these goals. Implementation is ongoing and fluid,
Role: School_Admin
Question: I need family voice that represents our diverse school community.  I have lots of input from a vocal but small minority of parents expressing concerns about integrating positive health and wellness (SEL) in our Tier 1 curriculum. I believe most families are in favor of this, but they are not as vocal. What can I do to get more diverse voices especially around positive health and wellness (SEL)?
Answer: Make connections with families naturally! Talk with parents and families at school events (back to school events, roller skating night, events at local restaurants) and during pick school pick up. Ask teachers to nominate families to join committees and extend them invitations. Host information nights (in person and virtual) to answer questions families might have about participating. Consider a virtual participation option for families to accommodate those with young children, variable work schedules, etc. For in person meetings, create a welcoming environment with food and time to socialize.    Get to know the school community.  Be present at community events.  Get to know parents/families at school and in the community.  Work to build authentic events.  Family voice can be included informally and formally.    Ask parents (at the beginning of each year) how they want to be involved, use their input to create opportunities and follow-up!
Role: School_Admin
Question: Why do schools struggle to integrate school behavioral health services into their MTSS
Answer: Academic and SEBMH agendas treated separately, with separate teams and leadership, devaluing of SEBMH relative to academic performance, concern about learning loss related to the pandemic and over-prioritizing academic subjects.   Schools and school leaders are often unfamiliar with the mental health system and its resources. There should be efforts to build relationships between leaders and staff of these systems to understand the many mutual benefits (e.g., significantly enhanced resources for schools, significantly improved accessibility and relevance of the mental health system). A critical part of this work is for there to be formal memoranda of agreement (MOAs) between the schools and the mental health system enabling mental health clinicians to be viewed as school employees and involved in all aspects of the MTSS, including team meetings, and some involvement in Tier 1 and Tier 2 programming. Optimally, these MOAs include some funding for clinicians to enable more than just Tier 3 involvement (e.g., to pay one day a week of their salary for full-time presence in the building).   There can additionally be financial or billing-related barriers. Some behavioral health agencies have strict guidelines for their behavioral health providers to only provide billable services or have a high demand on billable hours, limiting the amount of time that providers spend doing non-billable services such as collaborating on MTSS teams or providing Tier 1/Tier 2 support.  School communities often think of mental health supports as relating to DSM diagnoses only---thus refer to community partners---not a school issue  Schools often don’t know where to start when addressing student behavior issues. Some schools also tend to be reactive when problem behaviors occur, rather than taking a preventative approach. Addressing behavior problems is not as straightforward as a reading or math issue, which can be daunting.  When faced with student behavior problems, school staff and families may focus on what peers without behavior issues “should” be doing (e.g., attending school regularly, completing work and turning it in on time, etc.). Instead, we may need to back up and meet a student where they are and slowly work towards what is expected of typically performing peers.
Role: School_Admin
Question: Can you share with me, in a simple way, what RTI (Response to Intervention) is? How is it different than MTSS?
Answer: RTI and MTSS represent very similar processes. RTI was developed primarily on academic interventions, MTSS is broader and emphasizes academic and SEBMH programming. RTI was developed in response to static test and re-test models, versus continuously assessing student functioning and fluidly adjusting programming related to data on students’ response to it.
Role: School_Admin
Question: What type of data should I be pulling to inform our MTSS? Where can I find that data?
Answer: There are many relevant data sources, including annual assessments of school climate being collected in almost all school districts, and academic record variables including student attendance, grades and discipline encounters. Ideally, these data are augmented with systematic screening for student SEBMH issues, with all sources of data reviewed in the lead team for SEBMH meeting, with these data facilitating progress monitoring (and the appropriate adjustment of prevention, early intervention and intervention strategies) and outcome monitoring to determine if programs are actually leading to improved student outcomes.    That’s a great question. I might start by mapping all the data resources in my school, including what data is collected, how it is stored, and who can access it. Student outcomes that are usually identified as most important to monitor schoolwide include attendance, grades and test scores, office discipline referrals and actions, and more and more school climate surveys. These are good starting points because most schools have this data in a central system already. In South Carolina, that’s typically PowerSchool. PowerSchool has the capacity to track MTSS intervention data, too. Some features to look for are customizable and standardized cut points and disaggregation capabilities (e.g., by Grade, by classroom, by level of concern, and by any population you are monitoring concerning equity). I-Ready is a popular computer diagnostic and adaptive instructional intervention software for reading and math that can produce reports. Screening data may be in a separate data system or integrated. There are many more that may be in use at your school.  You may also be able to access reports on child welfare visits, hospital and crisis center visits, and other community health service data through a Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) that specifies the terms of use in accordance with organizational, state, and federal regulations.
Role: School_Admin
Question: We do not have a significant amount of funding in our district and we need a data management system.  Can you share with me what data management systems are available as well as how to create one if we cant afford existing systems?
Answer: Most schools use a systematic data system to track student progress (e.g., PowerSchool), which will include data on student academic progress, attendance and discipline issues. These data should be augmented with screening data, and progress monitoring/outcome data using a range of measures that have strong psychometric qualities, and are free, in the public domain. Ideally, there is standardization of data collected and data collection procedures across schools within a district, and ideally across districts within a state. Districts and schools will need to build data management and evaluation infrastructure and there are many relevant examples through the national Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS, see www.pbis.org ).
Role: School_Admin
Question: We have a ton of data on our students, but we don’t know how to analyze it to support our MTSS.  What patterns and trends should we be looking for?
Answer: Data can be segmented by tiers, including tracking all programming at Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3, and assuring there are data specialists evaluating these data at each tier (for progress monitoring and student impacts) and these data and data specialists are also used in the lead team meeting for SEBMH to assure the effectiveness of programming. Data can also be segmented by grade level, involving grade level teams looking at all available relevant data, and adjusting programming based on these data.
Role: School_Admin
Question: We already use MTSS for academic support for our students.  We are trying to add mental health as a function of the MTSS.  What steps do we take to get this started?
Answer: Start with a thorough review of Tier 1 practices which should include all core functions of the MTSS, e.g., team functioning, data-based decision making, implementation of evidence-based practices, aligning practices across tiers, assuring adequate coaching supports, emphasizing cultural responsiveness and equity, and other. Evaluate potential programs that support positive student mental health functioning at each tear, empower the lead team for SEBMH, and with district support and from relevant resources (e.g., Center on PBIS, www.pbis.orgNational Center on School Mental Health,  www.schoolmentalhealth.org; Southeastern School Behavioral Health Community, www.schoolbehavioralhealth.org), choose programs from the public domain to support student mental health. Begin with Tier 1 installation and then rapidly move to Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention selection, purposefully attending to the alignment of these programs across tiers.
Role: School_Admin
Question: What is the best way to collect mental health data on our students? What types of data should we be looking at?
Answer: It is best to start with natural data sources that school communities are already collecting.  Stay focused on trends and patterns at the population level. Look at attendance patterns, academic health, office referral rates, survey data that provides information related to sense of connection and belonging. It is also important to look at data beyond the school environment. What do we know about the lives outside of school that may directly impact student success?  Look for % of families with stable food, housing and transportation, calls to crisis centers, rates of unemployment, military deployment. It is also helpful to look for areas of strengths like access to green spaces and connection to faith-based centers.   Libraries, art and culture for children, youth, and families; athletics/leisure; special interest groups
Role: School_Admin
Question: How do we know if a student needs Tier 2 services or Tier 3 services?
Answer: Any changes in MTSS services are up to the MTSS team to decide. It should be noted that behavior changes tend to happen more slowly and incrementally than academic changes. We want to implement minimally sufficient interventions; that is, we want to give enough support to our students but not too much to address their current problem. So we would usually attempt Tier 2 interventions before moving to Tier 3. Exceptions to this would include students with severe behavior problems requiring immediate, intensive intervention. Examples include, but are not limited to, being a danger to self or others, leaving the school building, or using drugs at school.
Role: School_Admin
Question: We have a team in our school that looks at Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports.  Multiple teachers have reported that they have identified students with social skills challenges that are negatively impacting the classroom environment.  What next steps should we take?
Answer: At your next MTSS team meeting, look for patterns in the data together. Are there particular students that multiple teachers are concerned about? Are there a few teachers who are reporting most of the concerns? Are there patterns according to environment or time of day? Is there an uptick in school-wide problem behaviors before and after school breaks? Once you have a better understanding of what is happening in your school, you can begin to address the behavior. Depending on your data, you may need to go back to your Tier 1 services and shore up those interventions. From there, behaviors in need of further support can be addressed.
Role: School_Admin
Question: What are the types of student mental health needs that indicate Tier 2 support would be a sufficient resource? What kinds of services should they receive? Where and when do they receive them? Who can provide them?
Answer: Some mental health needs that can be addressed with Tier 2 supports are mild to moderate mood disorders like depression and anxiety, as well as ADHD and difficulty with social skills. School-based services can include small group counseling, social skills groups, check in/check out, and evidence based interventions designed for specific issues (like anxiety or depression). Skill building can also occur in vivo in the classroom or other school environments. For example, students with difficulty making friends may receive coaching at recess on how to initiate play with peers. Small groups can be seen at school during the instructional day. Depending on the availability of staff and families, groups can also be arranged before and after school. Tier 2 providers can include counselors, social workers, psychologists, and school-based community mental health providers. Teachers and other staff may be trained to assist students in natural environments where they are practicing skills, as in our recess example above.
Role: School_Admin
Question: I am an administrator on an MTSS team.  The team members are sharing that they feel overwhelmed with balancing their roles on the MTSS Team and their responsibilities in the building.  What can I do to support reducing this stress?
Answer: Start with a clear understanding of “what is overwhelming.” Then focus on strategies that may include-Defining roles and clear expectations of all team members—not just a few.  Coordinating.  Limiting meetings.  Making meetings productive.  Have an agenda for each meeting to stay focused and productive. In meetings, clearly define who is responsible for each task. Follow up on these tasks at the next meeting to keep team members accountable and make sure students are getting consistent, timely support. Appoint a team member to lead the agenda and take notes. Share notes with the team so team members can refer back to them and any tasks they are assigned.
Role: School_Admin
Question: What types of Tier 1 programs and initiatives support Mental Health. What do we need to do to get parents and youth involved in these efforts?
Answer: Mental health literacy programs, school-wide guidance lessons, character education, community building in classrooms, school-wide behavior incentives, restorative circles. To involve parents, provide options for participation with multiple modalities and varying degrees of engagement (in-person, virtual, surveys, focus groups, etc.). Specifically invite parents and caregivers who have not historically been involved. Start by building community with families and youth around fun events (such as fundraiser nights at local restaurants, skating rinks, etc.).
Role: School_Admin
Question: When a school is beginning to use their MTSS to integrate mental health supports what tools can they use for progress monitoring for each tier, fidelity, and overall implementation?
Answer: Meet with your MTSS team to review implementation and fidelity at each tier. Review each intervention (including numbers of students served in each Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention). Also examine school-wide behavior data, including attendance rates, office discipline referrals, in school and out of school suspensions, and recommendations for expulsion. School-wide fidelity tools, like the SAM or DSFI, can also help organize your school's MTSS performance by domains.
Role: School_Admin
Question: Our teachers are busy but we need classroom level data. What other strategies can we use to get classroom level data that don’t add more to the teachers?
Answer: Think of the data you already have. Do teachers use ClassDojo or similar software to track classwide behavior? Your school should also have attendance and discipline referral data readily available. You can break down this data by class and grade level and look for trends.  Defining the need for the data and how the data will be used to enhance classroom efforts and overall school climate.
Role: School_Admin
Question: How do we get our MTSS team members to meet regularly?
Answer: This starts with school leaders setting clear expectations around regular MTSS meetings and attendance by team members. At the beginning of the school year, the team should meet and agree on a standing meeting time that does not conflict with other commitments (drop off/dismissal, faculty meetings, grade level meetings, etc.). Efficiency also helps here! Having an agenda and sticking to it makes your time together more effective and can make meetings shorter.  Leaders need to be invested and MTSS needs to be linked to the strategic planning/school improvement process  Meetings are more likley to happen when they have meaning and are meaningful.
Role: School_Admin
Question: How do we follow up on all our students so no one falls through the cracks?
Answer: Taking good notes, assigning specific tasks to specific people, and following up regularly! Having an MTSS team leader to track students and follow up with team members on tasks is helpful here.  All about data (qualitative and quantitative)