Leveraging MTSS to Advance, Not Suppress, COVID-Related Equity Issues: Tier 2 and 3 Considerations

• Published in: Communiqué (National Association of School Psychologists) Vol. 49; no. 3; pp. 1 - 30-32
• Main Authors: Miller, Faith G, Sullivan, Amanda L, McKevett, Nicole M, Muldrew, Alexandria, Hansen-Burke, Annie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda National Association of School Psychologists 01.11.2020
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Academic Support Services; Analysis; At Risk Students; Behavior Problems; Bias; COVID-19; Cultural Relevance; Decision making; Disproportionate Representation; Distance Education; Distance learning; Emotional Problems; Equal Education; Evidence Based Practice; Holistic Approach; Inferences; Intervention; Needs Assessment; Nontraditional Education; Online Courses; Oppression; Pandemics; Professional Training; Program Implementation; School Closing; School Psychologists; Screening Tests; Social aspects; Social Bias; Social Justice; Special Education; Stock offerings; Student Behavior; Student Diversity; Student Needs; Students; Teaching Methods; Validity
• ISSN: 0164-775X

In the early months of 2020, it became apparent that this year would bring unprecedented challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic swiftly compelled the impromptu transition to remote instruction that required a level of triage, flexibility, and problem-solving few were prepared for. Inequities in distance education and broader structural inequities affecting learning have been laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic (Sullivan et al., 2020). The current circumstances require a challenge of persistent patterns of oppression and to ensure that issues of equity are front and center. This article is the second in a series on how to leverage multitiered systems of support (MTSS) to advance equity in schools in the wake of the pandemic. As alluded to in Part 1, MTSS in and of itself is not necessarily a framework for advancing equity and social justice absent explicit efforts to challenge the assumptions on which decision-making and practices are based and to ensure they are not perpetuating systemic oppression (Sullivan et al., 2020). Here, the authors shift focus to Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports and offer considerations for how to best meet student needs through equity-focused MTSS. [For part one, "Leveraging MTSS to Advance, Not Suppress, COVID-Related Equity Issues," see EJ1266121.]