Struggling Adolescent Readers: Planning for Successful Implementation of MTSS

Secondary educators are committed to building students’ knowledge of content in preparation for higher education, training, and successful post-secondary outcomes. However, there is a significant obstacle preventing secondary students from learning and acquiring content-area knowledge: Reading proficiency. According to the National Assessment of Educational Proficiency (2024), almost two-thirds of eighth grade students performed below the proficient level in reading, and one-third of students performed below the basic level. 

What does this mean for secondary teachers?  

This means two-thirds of secondary students lack the literacy skills to access complex texts critical for building knowledge of the world. As Kareem Weaver said, “Imagine being in the Stone Age and you ain’t got no stone. Imagine being in the Bronze Age and you ain’t got no bronze. We’re in the Information Age right now—and you can’t read the information.” (Mackenzie, 2023).

So, what can be done to overcome the reading gap in secondary classrooms? The answer is in the implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). Implementing this framework can ensure buildingwide systems are in place for core literacy instruction across disciplines, administration of necessary literacy assessments, data-based decision-making to inform instruction, and providing targeted and intensive interventions to teach struggling secondary students how to read.  

What is MTSS?  

MTSS is a framework for collaborative problem-solving and prevention of academic and behavioral difficulties (McIntosh & Goodman, 2016). District leaders need to have systems to provide quality core instruction and prevent students from experiencing academic and behavioral challenges (McIntosh & Goodman). At the secondary level, core instruction cannot entirely prevent reading difficulties for many students who enter middle school reading below the proficient level. These struggling secondary readers need interventions to accelerate their literacy learning (Torgeson et al., 2007). The MTSS framework utilizes data to provide targeted instruction and interventions (Burns et al., 2016). Data-based instruction in MTSS has two outcomes. It can prevent further reading difficulties for struggling adolescent readers and close the reading proficiency gap through targeted and intensive interventions that focus on specific literacy skills. 

The problem is twofold. First of all, most secondary-level educators lack complete  understanding of reading skill development, reading assessment, and the data-driven decision-making process required to plan intensive reading interventions. Despite the over use of comprehension and test-prep interventions, many struggling older readers demonstrate weaknesses in word recognition skills (Brasseur-Hock et al., 2011; Clemens et al., 2017). But secondary educators rarely address word recognition skills in interventions for secondary students. Our lowest-skilled struggling adolescent readers are not taught how to read. Second, content-area teachers do not know what they can do in core instruction to support the literacy skills of all learners, including struggling readers, while teaching the content. For successful MTSS implementation, school leaders need to bolster core instruction while also providing necessary interventions. After all, you can’t intervene your way out of a Tier one problem, even in secondary education. 

During my upcoming EDVIEW360 podcast, “Struggling Adolescent Readers: Planning for Successful Implementation of MTSS,” we will have a candid discussion addressing the similarities and differences of MTSS implementation in adolescent literacy. During our conversation, we will talk about:

• Critical components of MTSS, specifically at the secondary level
• How to leverage assessment data to determine student skill deficits
• The importance of aligning interventions with student needs
• Instructional practices that can be implemented in core instruction across content areas to prevent further reading difficulties and support struggling readers

I hope you’ll join me for the EDVIEW360 podcast!

Listen Here

 

References:

Brasseur-Hock, I. F., Hock, M. F., Kieffer, M. J., Biancarosa, G., & Deshler, D. D. (2011). Adolescent struggling readers in urban schools: Results of a latent class analysis. Learning and Individual Differences, 21, 438-452.

Burns, M., Jimerson, S., VanDerHeyden, A., Deno, S. (2016). Toward a Unified Response-to-Intervention Model: Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. In: Jimerson, S., Burns, M., VanDerHeyden, A. (eds) Handbook of Response to Intervention. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi-org.msj.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7568-3_41

Clemens, N. H., Simmons, D., Simmons, L. E., Wang, H., & Kwok, O. (2017). The prevalence of reading fluency and vocabulary difficulties among adolescents struggling with reading comprehension. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 35(8), 785–798. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282916662120

Mackenzie, J. (Director) (2023). The right to read [Film]. Artemis Rising; LeVar Burton Entertainment. 

McIntosh, K., & Goodman, S. (2016). Integrated multi-tiered systems of support: Blending RTI and PBIS. The Guilford Press.

Torgesen, J., Houston, D., Rissman, L., Decker, S., Roberts, G., Vaughn, S., Wexler, J. Francis, D., Rivera, M., Lesaux, N. (2007). Academic literacy instruction for adolescents: A guidance document from the Center on Instruction. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction.

U.S. Department of Education. Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). 2024. 2024 Reading Assessment.