Doing a School Self-Analysis

ensures ongoing commitment to being part of the journey and energizes educators to tackle some of the bumps on the road. As authors Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer (2011) state:

These small wins matter more because they are so much more likely to occur compared to the big breakthroughs in the world. If we only waited for the big wins, we would be waiting a long time. And we would probably quit long before we see anything tangible come to fruition. What you need instead of the big wins is simply the forward momentum that small wins bring. (p. 21)

This chapter helps you get a clear picture of your current MTSS practices and guides you in determining next steps.

The notion that focusing on the areas of greatest need yields results is linked to the Pareto principle (DeFeo, 2017), which suggests that identifying and addressing the key elements impeding progress will result in the greatest impact. Ultimately, this process allows for the most efficient use of time and resources. The Pareto principle is derived from the notion that there are generally a few underlying causes that explain the majority of an organization’s difficulties (DeFeo, 2017). It’s often referred to as the 80:20 rule, suggesting that 80 percent of our challenges can be addressed by focusing on 20 percent of the causes.

The information gathered in the “MTSS Road Map Self-Analysis” (page 60) tool helps schools identify their areas of greatest need; use it to guide your school as educators determine their current realities and states of readiness. The tool is neither a checklist to ensure full coverage nor a gotcha to point out flaws. Instead, it includes statements of practice that we have helped create, or have observed, in schools throughout North America in which high levels of commitment to and success at improving student learning have been achieved, including staff practices or systems that schools create, employ, and sustain to support student needs. The reproducible “MTSS Road Map Self-Analysis” is simply a way to know where you are so that you can know where you need to go.

These next steps may involve improving school practices in the following areas.

• Culture and climate

• Reading domains • Mathematics domains

• Writing domains • Behavioral domains