Assessments are a  critical component to MTSS work. A robust assessment system has three primary components: universal screeners, curriculum-based measures, and progress monitoring systems. 

Universal screeners are the assessments we give for an entire level (elementary, middle, high), for all students. These are typically given three times a year, and are a “dipstick” measurement of where students are against national and district norms. Examples of universal screeners in practice in NPS are the iReady literacy assessment (K-8), Star Math assessment (K-8), and Panorama social-emotional assessment (K-5).

Curriculum-based measures inform how students learned the concepts of a particular curriculum unit. For example, at the end of the math unit on fractions, the curriculum-based measure would ask several questions to assess student knowledge of what they have been taught. These curriculum data points are critical to both understand the impact of our teaching of the content as well as areas for lagging skill development for students.

Progress monitoring refers to how we measure progress of students receiving Tier 2 and 3 interventions. Progress monitoring typically occurs every 1-2 weeks, allowing adjustments to intervention plans and supports as needed. Through the use of an MTSS data management system, progress monitoring data can be easily entered and viewed by educators working with students in intervention supports

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn (CAST., 2024)

By removing barriers for learning for all students,we ensure equity in accessing lesson content and how they share their knowledge through  engagement, action and representation.

Equitable access speaks to a deep commitment that all students will have access to high-quality, culturally-responsive curriculum and content. When equitable access is lived by a school district, markers of identity (race, gender, disability, ESL status, and more) are not predictors of achievement. NPS is deeply committed to closing achievement gaps for all groups of historically-marginalized student populations.