Dear Parent/Guardian,
In Pasco County Schools, student success includes academic content, behavior success skills, and social emotional skills. Each of these are necessary in order for students to learn at high levels. Success for our system is directly connected to the ability of our school teams to deliberately plan and set goals for academic content, academic behaviors, and social emotional norms and skills. We use Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to ensure students achieve success in grade-level expectations.
All students are provided strong core instruction (Tier I) in grade-level standards and their learning is monitored and assessed throughout the year using a variety of measures such as NWEA-MAP, mid and end of module assessments, DIBELS, FSA, etc. When student assessments and/or work product demonstrate a need for additional support, students are provided “just in-time” supports (Tier II) to reteach and reinforce their learning. Many students access Tier II interventions at some point throughout the school year as student learning can develop at different rates. When on-going assessment data demonstrates that students are experiencing significant difficulties, meaning they are more than a year behind in literacy and/or math, they receive intensive interventions (Tier III) and supports in the areas of need. When students who fall into this category, the teacher notifies the family and all parties work collaboratively to create a progress monitoring plan (PMP). This plan includes specific interventions and supports that will be put in place in order to intervene, remediate and catch students up to grade level expectations.
Previously in Pasco, students receiving Tier II and Tier III supports received a PMP and some type of intervention was put in place to support students. The reality is that many students will need Tier II support at some point throughout the year. Very few students master new content the first time, every time and a certain amount of reteaching and reinforcing will always be necessary. The reteaching and reinforcement
for Tier I and Tier II occur in the classroom through differentiated instruction and can also occur through other second-chance learning opportunities such as test corrections or retakes. The on-going nature of these interventions and the rate at which students move in and out of needing Tier II supports is not conducive to establishing a formalized individual student plan.
If your student is eligible for a Progress Monitoring Plan, their teacher will send home specific information along with an invitation to join them in the co-development of a plan to support your student and improve their areas of struggle. You will then receive monthly communication from your child’s school with information on their progress and next steps for learning growth.
If your student is not eligible for a PMP it does not mean that they will not receive additional supports that they may need throughout the year, it just means that at this point in the year, their assessment data does not indicate a significant deficiency in grade level expectations. Students are continually monitored and
assessed with interventions being put in place for students when need is demonstrated. Additionally, progress is routinely monitored and communicated to families via Progress Reports, Quarterly, Semester and Year-Long grades.
If your student previously had a PMP in place and are not identified as needing the intensive layer of supports, they will not continue with their PMP, however, Tier II interventions will be provided as needed, their progress will continue to be monitored and a plan can be initiated any time that achievement data and/or grades demonstrate a significant need.
Sincerely,
Pasco County Schools
