Current literature exists centered on Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework, its components, and ways in which MTSS is intended to support all students. Yet, there is a gap in the literature that examines how elementary schools are implementing it. This dissertation study sought to understand what the MTSS framework implementation at…

Early literacy curriculum-based measures (CBMs) are widely used as universal screeners within multi-tiered systems of support in reading (MTSS-R) for (1) evaluating the overall effectiveness of the reading system and (2) assigning students to supplemental and intensive interventions. Evidence supporting CBM validity for these purposes have…

This qualitative case study was an examination of the perspectives, beliefs, and experiences of rural reservation elementary teachers' implementation of and professional development with a multitiered system of support (MTSS) framework as it relates to reading and collective teacher efficacy. Teacher participants experienced adherence to the…

Improving student outcomes in reading has been in the national spotlight for decades and a plethora of research exists to support instruction rooted in the science of reading through a multi-tiered approach. Despite this extensive body of research, there continues to be high numbers of youth not reading proficiently across the nation. In one…

This mixed methods program evaluation evaluated the implementation of the multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) framework in one North Carolina school district. It examined the perceived teacher impact of the program implementation for Tier 3 reading students in first through third grades. The vision for employing the MTSS framework in North…

Although there is a large body of research on effective early reading instructional practices, schools continue to implement instruction and intervention that is not aligned to the science. Over the past 25 years, a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework has emerged as a leading framework for advancing the reading skill development of…

Throughout history, there have been a variety of circumstances that have forced students to be away from traditional school setting for an extended period. Natural disasters, pandemics, epidemics, or simply summer breaks cause students to spend time away from in person learning that may impact their academic growth momentum. Each time a school…

Research suggests that school leaders' understanding and process of making sense of educational reform policies and/or laws is shaped by social, organizational, individual factors. This understanding can impact how a school leader understands and interprets the law/policy and ultimately may impact implementation actions. In 2016, Michigan's Read…

Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) have been increasingly implemented in schools since the re-authorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. Despite researchers' efforts to identify elements of MTSS--including evidence-based practices, leadership and communication systems and…

The purpose of this Action Research study was to examine and improve professional dialogue and collaboration on student literacy among teachers at a Pre-Kindergarten-Grade 4 elementary school serving 460 students in a small rural college town. The project focused on teachers' collaborative processes in their efforts to address the literacy needs…

This qualitative descriptive study explored which components of intervention programs, if any, influence grade retention of struggling readers at the elementary school level in one school district on the East Coast. Multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS) is the theoretical framework that guided this study. The sample group consisted of 12…

Quality instruction and teacher effectiveness matter, but there is limited research to inform how to best support teachers in their efforts to boost student reading outcomes (Clark et al., 2016). Existing research suggests that literacy coaching can be effective it is (a) content specific (e.g., coaching on a specific program) and (b) focused on…

This ethnographic case study investigated literacy instruction and intervention practices within a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework in upper elementary school. Multi-Tiered Systems of Support has been proposed as a system of schoolwide reform aimed to support students' academic and social-emotional development and is often used…

Implementation fidelity is considered an indicator of an intervention's internal validity. In reading research, while student outcome measures are often well described, measures of implementation fidelity have received far less attention. Although researchers have become interested in the relation between implementation fidelity and student…

This non-experimental, quantitative study explored how factors related to teachers' beliefs, curricular orientation, training and support received, and their identity and background experiences are associated with their use of curriculum. Specifically, this study sought to examine teachers' use of a curricular resource specifically designed to…