Gathering Data

Of course!  All students are part of MTSS.  Think of MTSS as an umbrella under which all supports for students live.  MTSS includes RtI (Response to Intervention) and PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention System) among other elements.  MTSS came about because a group of educators realized that RtI focused primarily on academic and behavioral supports which does not support the whole child.  By incorporating PBIS into the RtI framework MTSS was born - you now have a system (or framework) to support the whole child - academic, social, and emotional. 

The key to understanding MTSS is realizing that it is a framework, not a program, and it looks at assets just as much as deficits. 

Supporting a 2e Learner Within the MTSS Framework 

Using Dan Buckley's (2005) illustration about personalized learning (below) we can think of support for 2e students as stacked triangles.  In the figure, all, some, and few refer to the student population.  All students receive universal support (Tier 1).  Some students receive additional support while continuing to receive universal support (Tier 2).  A few students receive all the support represented by the bottom and middle of the triangle, but also receive the intensive support they need.  Instead of only seeing how we need to support weaknesses/deficits/disabilities, we see how we must also offer learning opportunities to develop strengths, talents, and gifts.  Twice-exceptional students are so complex because some of them might need Tier 2 or 3 support on both points of the 2 triangles!