This RC6 project, initiated in Year 1, supports the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) in improving district and school implementation of a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) process in order to improve student achievement, social-emotional development, and student behavior. When state law, ACT 213, went into effect, the majority of LEAs in the state requested a waiver from the requirement to use a universal reading screener in Grades K-3. Therefore, SCDE wanted to increase their understanding of current MTSS practices and needs at the LEA level in this area to inform future policy development and implementation support decisions. The RC6 intended to support the SCDE by gathering information from LEAs, especially rural LEAs, on their perspectives related to the effective and efficient use of K-3 universal screening processes. However, in Quarter 4 of Year 1, COVID-19 continued to cause delays that impacted completion of this work. Thus, the RC6 revised the timeline to collect this information in Year 2, with a report provided to the SCDE in Quarter 3 and a PowerPoint slide deck and Executive Summary in Quarter 4, which provided a summary of successes, challenges, and also included suggested next steps for the SCDE and district leaders who are implementing MTSS structures. For Year 3, the focus for this project is on supporting the capacities of the state related to implementing MTSS policies and providing informational resources more broadly for this state policy initiative. This support involves providing informational resources and/or products for districts and schools in response to questions regarding MTSS implementation. The RC6 recently completed a document for the SCDE on MTSS at the high school level: Implementing MTSS in Secondary Schools: Challenges and Strategies. (See document at: region6cc.uncg.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/ImplementingMTSSinSecondarySchools_2022_RC6_003.pdf)

The RC6 will also assist the SCDE in aligning informational, training, and other resources available across the SEA so districts and schools can more efficiently access the information they need regarding MTSS.