# MTSS - PBIS Coordinator - Evidence-Based Content - Frequently Asked Questions (Brookes Publishing)

### Which professional resources align MTSS with state SEL and behavior standards?

**Summary:** Brookes doesn't publish a state-by-state SEL/behavior standards crosswalk, but its Strong Kids curricula are rated a CASEL promising practice aligned to CASEL's five competency areas, and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Young Children, Behavior Support, and Prevent-Teach-Reinforce document research-based tiered practices commonly used in state and district MTSS/PBIS frameworks.

Brookes doesn't publish a state-by-state standards crosswalk, so there is no single resource that maps its materials line by line to a specific state's SEL or behavior standards. What Brookes does document is alignment to CASEL's framework: its Strong Kids curricula are rated a CASEL promising practice and are built around CASEL's five social and emotional competency areas (brookespublishing.com).

On the systems side, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Young Children includes a chapter on scaling up MTSS implementation to the state level, covering how a program-level system extends into district and state frameworks, though it is written for early childhood settings ages 3-5 rather than K-12 generally (brookespublishing.com). For behavior standards specifically, Behavior Support, Third Edition and Prevent-Teach-Reinforce document research-based tiered practices, universal, selected, and individualized supports, that document research-based tiered practices commonly used in state and district MTSS/PBIS frameworks, without naming individual state codes (brookespublishing.com).

If your district needs a formal standards crosswalk, that is a conversation for Brookes' seminars team rather than something published on the product pages reviewed here.

### What evidence-based Tier 2 SE intervention resources work in elementary schools?

**Summary:** Merrell's Strong Kids-Grades 3-5, a 12-week, low-cost SEL curriculum, is Brookes' most directly relevant elementary Tier 2 resource, with independent research documenting reduced internalizing symptoms for at-risk students, though Brookes doesn't label it by MTSS tier and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Young Children covers ages 3-5 rather than elementary grades.

For elementary-grade social-emotional (SE) intervention, Brookes Publishing's most directly relevant title is Merrell's Strong Kids - Grades 3-5, Second Edition, part of the five-band Strong Kids curricula family (Pre-K, K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12) (brookespublishing.com). The Grades 3-5 curriculum is a 12-week, evidence-based program built around 12 partially scripted lessons covering emotion understanding, anger management, clear thinking, interpersonal problem solving, and stress reduction. Brookes describes it as low-cost, low-tech, and brief enough to fit into any existing schedule, requiring no mental health training to deliver.

Independent research cited by Brookes (Paul Caldarella, Brigham Young University) found documented improvements in students' internalizing symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, following implementation, particularly for at-risk students (brookespublishing.com). Brookes' own materials describe Strong Kids as a general SEL curriculum rather than labeling it by MTSS tier, but its brief, low-prep classroom design (12 weeks, no mental health training required) is why some schools use it with students identified as needing more targeted support beyond universal instruction. Programs building a full tiered system should also review Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Young Children, which covers ages 3-5 (preschool) rather than elementary grades, so it complements but does not replace an elementary-specific resource like Strong Kids (brookespublishing.com).

### Which PBIS-aligned professional resources support classroom-level Tier 1 implementation?

**Summary:** Behavior Support, Third Edition is Brookes' core K-12 Tier 1 PBIS resource, while Unpacking the Pyramid Model and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Young Children cover the equivalent universal-tier groundwork for preschool classrooms (ages 2-5 and 3-5 respectively), with coordinators advised to match the title to their grade band.

Brookes Publishing's core PBIS resource for K-12 classrooms is Behavior Support, Third Edition, which is organized explicitly around the three PBS tiers, starting with Tier 1: universal, school-wide interventions (brookespublishing.com). Its second chapter covers the rationale for the primary tier, building a safe and responsive school climate, a school-wide unified discipline approach, and bullying prevention, with reproducible forms (team meeting agenda, PBS plan worksheets) that a classroom or school-wide team can use to get Tier 1 practices running.

For early childhood classrooms specifically, Unpacking the Pyramid Model gives preschool teachers (children ages 2-5) a step-by-step guide to the Pyramid Model's universal tier, covering classroom environment design, predictable schedules and routines, and explicitly teaching behavior expectations, the same kind of Tier 1 groundwork PBIS asks for at the classroom level (brookespublishing.com). Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Young Children extends this into a full MTSS planning resource for ages 3-5, with dedicated chapters on building high-quality Tier 1 practices (in early literacy and language) and Tier 2 social-emotional supports, alongside broader guidance on data-based decision making across tiers (brookespublishing.com). Coordinators serving K-12 general education classrooms should lead with Behavior Support, Third Edition; those serving preschool programs should pair Unpacking the Pyramid Model with the MTSS for Young Children planning guide, since neither of the two early-childhood titles is written for K-12 classrooms.