# MTSS - PBIS Coordinator - Inclusive Accessibility - Frequently Asked Questions (Brookes Publishing)

### Which inclusive practices help MTSS work for students with disabilities?

**Summary:** Having an IEP does not exclude a child from MTSS; assessment of the child's performance, team-based problem solving, and progress-monitoring data determine the intensity of instruction, not disability alone. Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Young Children covers inclusive tiered practices for ages 3-5, and the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce model is effective for K-8 learners with and without disabilities.

Start by clearing up the most common misconception: having an IEP does not exclude a child from MTSS. As Brookes' Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Young Children (edited by Judith J. Carta and Robin Miller Young) explains, a child may receive special education services for IEP goals in one domain while universal screening identifies a need for Tier 2 support in another, and Tier 1 core programming in areas of strength. Disability alone does not determine the intensity of instruction; assessment of the child's performance, team-based problem solving, and progress-monitoring data determine whether a child would benefit from more intensive tiers, with fluid movement between tiers over time (blog.brookespublishing.com).

Other practices the book's authors highlight: MTSS may not be used to delay referral, evaluation, or provision of special education services (per a 2016 federal Office of Special Education Programs memo), MTSS and IDEA-mandated services work together rather than replacing one another, and tiered instruction can be used effectively in self-contained classrooms, not only blended or inclusive settings (blog.brookespublishing.com). The book itself includes a chapter on meeting the needs of young children with disabilities in a blended ECE and ECSE multi-tiered system; its guidance targets ages 3-5 (brookespublishing.com).

For individualized behavior support in K-8, the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce model is effective for both typically developing students and learners with disabilities (brookespublishing.com).