By Jerome A. Steele, CASDA Assistant Director of Research and Professional Development
The 2023-24 program year saw CASDA focus on helping educators build the foundations of effective MTSS in their districts. While the State and Education Department and UAlbany School of Education’s Integrated Multi-Tiered Support Systems (MTSS-I) Center led the way sharing cutting edge research and strategies, CASDA presented several professional development sessions translating research to practice. Workshops, virtual sessions, podcasts and a newly-launched MTSS Roundtable offered educators the space for learning, reflection and collaboration in multiple formats to support their MTSS implementation efforts.
Alyssa Sabbatino, NBCT, facilitated both the inaugural MTSS Roundtable and two full-day sessions entitled “Engaging All Students Through Differentiated Instruction.” Like many CASDA roundtables, this learning community was built around being responsive to the needs and urgencies of educators in their district contexts. Sabbatino facilitated research-supported agendas to share ideas and spark discussion while also creating space for participant-driven dialog and collaboration. This allowed attendees to share successful practices and learn from one another. Sabbatino’s two full-day sessions explored Tier 1 instructional practices as the foundation of any successful MTSS program. One participant stated that this “thoughtful, well prepared presentation” was helpful in “what teachers are doing in the classroom to our interventions,” while others expressed significant interest in additional offerings in this area.
Dr. Daina Sisk, Director of Secondary Special Education at Ballston Spa Central Schools, presented “Introduction to Integrated MTSS Frameworks,” a full-day workshop aimed at systems leaders and district teams and participated in CASDA’s EdCast podcast series in an episode entitled “Aligning MTSS to Student Needs.” The podcast conversation featured highlights from her research on how principals can support successful MTSS implementation as well as a clear distillation of MTSS work more broadly. Sisk stated, “MTSS is about ensuring that our supports and interventions, whether its academic, behavior, or mental health, are centered around student needs.” Her full-day session offered a wealth of research and resources that will help educators develop and implement impactful, student-centered MTSS programs in their districts. This is supported by participants who praised “great information” and appreciated the format that allowed for collaboration with district colleagues as well as educators from other schools.
The 2023-24 offerings led by Sabbatino and Sisk represented the beginning of CASDA’s ongoing commitment to supporting educators and leaders as they work to align their MTSS efforts to the unique needs of their districts and communities. CASDA will continue to offer research-driven, and practitioner centered programming on MTSS throughout 2024-25 and beyond.
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