Integrating Sophisticated Standards and Systems of Support for Elementary Readers

This book supports elementary school teachers and other school leaders in considering the ways in which sophisticated standards (e.g., the Common Core State Standards [CCSS]) and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) can be effectively integrated to raise student reading and writing achievement. The book provides practical instructions to guide professional development for teachers and administrators to assess students for MTSS placement and develop standards-based lessons and assessments at all levels of MTSS.

The CCSS and other such standards were developed and marketed as a mechanism for raising expectations and enriching instruction for all students. MTSS offers a foundational structure for supporting children who struggle with literacy—providing increasingly intense levels of intervention for students who need it. This book argues that integration of sophisticated standards and MTSS is necessary if we expect children who struggled with less sophisticated standards to navigate these more challenging standards effectively. It reviews the two initiatives and the potential for integration, proposes professional development opportunities for crafting curriculum that reflect this integration, and offers examples of what standards-based units might look like for classroom instruction (MTSS Tier 1), small-group instruction (Tier 2), and one-on-one tutoring (Tier 3).

With examples of lessons and assessments, this book is ideal for elementary school teachers, academic coaches, school administrators, and other professionals who lead literacy initiatives.