School Psychologists’ Role in MTSS and RTI in School

Angela Cuccio

Co-Presenters: Maria Karwowski

College: College of Health Professions and Human Services

Major: MA.SPEECH-LNGPATH

Faculty Research Mentor: Jacob, Melissa  

Abstract:

Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a framework that provides academic, behavioral, and social-emotional support to students through tiered intervention and data-based decision-making. Research demonstrates that MTSS is effective in improving student outcomes through early identification, intervention, and progress monitoring. Literature suggests that collaboration within MTSS occurs inconsistently across school settings. Barriers include time constraints, administrative demands, and personal beliefs about professional roles. Despite evidence supporting MTSS as a framework that benefits students, inconsistent professional engagement may limit its overall effectiveness. Guided by Goodson’s Educational Change Model, which emphasizes the interaction of personal, internal, and external factors during systems-level change, this study seeks to examine factors influencing MTSS engagement among school-based SLPs and school psychologists. Specifically, this study explores perceptions related to internal factors (e.g., workload), external factors (e.g., training opportunities), and personal factors (e.g., beliefs about MTSS and collaboration). A 24-item survey was distributed to school-based SLPs and psychologists. Twenty-one Likert-scale items ranging from disagree to agree were provided to measure perceptions of internal, external, and personal factors. Three open-ended questions were included to capture participants’ experiences with MTSS and Response to Intervention (RTI) implementation. Planned analyses include correlational analyses to examine relationships on internal and external factors within each professional group, as well as Independent-samples (t-tests) to compare factor ratings between SLPS and psychologists. Thematic analyses will be conducted on open-ended responses. Findings are expected to identify barriers in MTSS engagement, with clinical implications for improving interdisciplinary collaboration and systems-level practices that enhance student outcomes.