One of the best ways to address chronic absenteeism is through the MTSS process.  Use the information in the data sections of this toolkit to help you identify students who are potentially in need of interventions and then use the data in this section to put into place or help strengthen Tier 1 practices and Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions.  Then use BIG to help determine the effectiveness of those practices and interventions.  Questions to ask about your school's existing MTSS process or when starting a new MTSS process at your school include:

• Is attendance currently a part of the MTSS process at your school?
• Do you currently have a functioning MTSS process in place at your school?
  • How often do your MTSS teams meet?
  • What data is being reviewed at MTSS meetings?
  • Who manages the process?
    • Decides which students to discuss at each meeting
    • Invites the appropriate classroom teachers
    • Ensures that students placed in tiered interventions are reviewed for progress on an appropriate timeline
  • How are students identified as potentially in need of intervention?
  • Who is on your school MTSS teams?
  • What decision making criteria are the teams using?
  • What criteria is being used to determine tier and phase changes for moving students through the tiers?
  • What PBIS system is in place to celebrate good attendance habits?

• Recommendations from the MTSS Department for Starting an MTSS process or Strengthening an Existing One:
  • Who should attend?
    • An Administrator or Dean
    • Classroom teacher for the student being discussed
    • School Counselor
    • School Psychologist
    • School Social Workers (if applicable)
    • Grade level or content area representatives
    • A Special Education Teacher
    • An EL Teacher
    • Attendance Officers
    • Campus Monitor
    • Family Graduation Advocates
    • Other school officials as applicable to your specific site (I.E., FACE Liaison, CIS Professional, etc...)
  • What data is being discussed at MTSS meetings?
    • Attendance data
    • Academic progress
    • MAP/SBAC data
    • Reports from the classroom teacher on in-class progress
    • Behavior data (where applicable)
  • How often should MTSS meetings occur?
    • Weekly to discuss students receiving or in need of intervention
    • Monthly to review tier 1 practices
  • How are students identified for Tiered support?
    • Be sure to look at multiple data sources and multiple points from each source.  Possible sources might include:
      • The Early Warning System in BIG
      • The MTSS Data Suite in BIG
      • The Student Monitoring Tool
      • Student Profile Reports
      • SBAC/MAP/Common assessment scores
      • Behavior records
      • Attendance records
      • Current grades
      • Credit status (HS)
  • Organizational process for and MTSS Meeting
    • Create a standard referral form and make it available to all staff members.  Make sure all staff know how to complete this form and who to send it to when complete.
    • Identify roles for the members of your team.  Roles might include:
      • Meeting manger - this person manages the schedule for MTSS meetings including which students to include in each meeting.  They also send calendar invitations and updates to attendees.
      • Note taker
      • IC manager - this person enters appropriate information into the MTSS tab in IC
      • Progress monitor - this person tracks the progress of students receiving support and ensures students are brought back to the team for review on an apporpriate timeline
    • Make sure your school has an intervention bank for common Tier 2 and 3 interventions that can be offered at your site.  Include the person on people who will deliver those interventions and be sure those staff members have been trained in the intervention to be offered.
  • Maintaining Momentum
    • Remember that MTSS should be a fluid process, students should not get "stuck" at a tier or with a specific intervention if they are no longer receiving a benefit from the intervention.