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Colorado Multi-Tiered System of Supports

Detailed Information on Colorado Multi-Tiered System of Supports 

Introduction

Colorado Multi-Tiered System of Supports (COMTSS) is a framework applied at the state, district, and school level that uses implementation science to create one integrated system. This system is designed to support the needs of all students. COMTSS is defined as a prevention-based framework of team-driven data-based problem solving for improving the outcomes of every student through family, school, and community partnering, comprehensive screening and assessment, and a layered continuum of evidence-based practices applied at all levels of the educational system. Our mission is to use systems level thinking to equip staff, teachers, and families to ensure that all students are afforded the opportunity to obtain an equitable education to succeed academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally over their lifespan.

COMTSS sees our partnerships with districts as an integral collaboration to achieve five major goals: 1) increase state leadership capacity for CO-MTSS infrastructure; 2) increase regional and district COMTSS capacity and sustainability; 3) increase preschool-12, school level capacity for COMTSS through the implementation of evidence-based practices, data-based problem solving, and short-cycle action planning; 4) support improved teacher effectiveness in the classroom; and 5) increase partnering with families, schools, and the community.

COMTSS includes five Essential Components that create a more efficient and effective system of supports that benefit the outcomes of all students including those in low performing schools:

  1. Team-Driven Shared Leadership: Teaming processes and structures that focus on distributing responsibility and shared decision-making across and within regions, districts, and schools to effectively design and use systems of training, coaching, resources, implementation, and evaluation.
  2. Data-Based Problem Solving and Decision-Making: A continuous improvement process used by teams to collect, analyze, and evaluate information to inform decision making at the system and student levels.
  3. Family, School, and Community Partnering: Families, early-childhood programs, schools, and communities actively partnering to develop, implement, and evaluate effective and equitable practices to improve educational outcomes for children and youth.
  4. Comprehensive Screening and Assessment System: A Comprehensive Screening and Assessment System is the coordinated effort of gathering information across multiple measures to support decision making at the system and student level for the whole child.
  5. Layered Continuum of Supports (LCS) (Evidence Based Practices, Instruction, and Interventions): Ensuring that every student receives equitable whole child supports that are evidenced based, culturally responsive, matched to need, and developmentally appropriate through layered supports.

Program Contact Information

Kristen Brown, PhD
Director, Office of Learning Supports
(303) 910-5873 | Brown_Kristen@cde.state.co.us