MTSS Data & Early Warning System

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What is an Early Warning System?

Early Warning Systems use existing, or readily obtained, data to identify students who are at-risk or those who are likely to experience adverse outcomes. A well-implemented EWS can support school leaders with these educational challenges, identify off-track students and design and assess interventions to keep them on track to attain proficiency across the grades, and ultimately prepared for post secondary success.  

Important components of an MTSS framework include the regular screening of all students and monitoring of at-risk learners. On a system-level, screening data can identify the extent to which universal instruction meets the needs of all learners and inform resource allocation decisions by identifying student needs, between and within, buildings and classrooms. Monitoring data may help determine the effectiveness of a school’s intervention delivery or determine the impact of intensified instruction for intervention groups. At the student level, screening data helps identify specific students in need of additional support, either remedial or accelerative while monitoring data aids in evaluating if a specific student is making sufficient gains toward a goal.

Sample Questions

Sample System- and Student-Level Questions
System-LevelStudent-Level
  • What percent of our freshmen have a failing grade?
  • What percent of 3rd graders above benchmark in the fall remained above benchmark into winter?
  • To what extent was our building-wide intervention effective?
  • How are struggling learners distributed between our district’s buildings?
  • Have our total ODRs numbers improved this semester?

  • Is Mia above the fall benchmark?

  • Did Terrell stay above benchmark targets from fall to winter?

  • Did adding 5 minutes to Tony’s intervention have a measurable impact?

  • Has Micki's attendance improved this trimester?

  • Which staff member is tasked with checking in with Rita and Randy?

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Universal Screening and Progress Monitoring Assessments

A healthy MTSS system includes screening, progress monitoring, and intervention for Grades K-6, using FastBridge or other Iowa approved literacy measures that are selected by the district annually. Screening and monitoring data are collected in the appropriate assessment system(s) and transferred to the MTSS Data and Early Warning System. FastBridge K-6 literacy and myIGDIs are described below because they are provided at no charge by the state. Measures on the approved list that are not provided under state contract are also integrated into the data system, with additional setup.

FastBridge

The Iowa Department of Education provides FastBridge K-6 literacy assessments for all districts and accredited non-public schools that choose to use it. The assessments are free for schools with literacy measures approved for K-6  ELI universal screening and monitoring. Districts also have the opportunity to purchase additional K-6 (math/behavior) and 7-12th (literacy/math/behavior) assessments directly with FastBridge.

The literacy and math screening and progress monitoring scores collected in FastBridge are transferred nightly to Student Success, Iowa's MTSS and EWS data system. There, the data is used to identify and monitor at-risk students, evaluate effectiveness of instruction and to provide educators with tools supporting MTSS, such as Healthy Indicator reports.

myIGDIs

myIGDIs (Individual Growth and Development Indicators) are preschool literacy screenings offered at no cost to districts and their community partners, with an emphasis on assessing children the year before kindergarten. As an important component of a healthy MTSS system, myIGDIs is designed to identify preschoolers who may be at risk in the area of early literacy, so that future difficulties may be prevented.

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Tools for Data-based Decisions and Early Warning

Using the data collected to drive educational decisions is integral to the effectiveness of an early warning system. The Iowa Department of Education has contracted with Panorama for a customized version of their data platform Student Success.

Student Success

Student Success is designed to help schools, districts, AEAs and the Iowa Department of Education examine PK-12 system- and student-level data within an MTSS framework and K-3 literacy data for the purpose of ELI. Student Success gathers, organizes and reports screening and progress monitoring scores, grades, attendance, behavior and intervention data. The available reports, such as the examples below, support the evaluation of student risk in a number of areas, instructional effectiveness and system health. More information on these reports and others are available in the Iowa Panorama Resources knowledge base.

  • Early Warning System: student-level reports are designed to highlight students with early indications of risk, as well as evaluation of progress and instructional effectiveness.
  • Healthy Indicator reports (K-6): assist with systems level decision‐making in MTSS and continuous school improvement.
  • Early Literacy Implementation (ELI): data displays for screening, literacy risk indicator (literacy status), progress monitoring, as well as tracking interventions.

Iowa EWS Resources

Additional Resources

  • A practitioner guide to implement early warnings systems (IES) A guide that describes core ideas, recommendations, and experiences of districts and schools implementing early warning systems along with examples of practices.
  • On Track for Success (John Hopkins) Represents the first national assessment of EWS at the district, state, and national levels. It shares evidence from the research and best practices from the field so that parents, educators, and administrators can be better equipped to keep children on track to graduate and prepared for success after high school.
  • Putting Middle Grades Students on the Graduation Path (John Hopkins) A summary that draws on  research and field work illuminating key policy and practice implications of the middle grades playing a stronger role in achieving the goal of graduating all students from high school prepared for college and post secondary success.
  • Dropout Prevention Guide (IES) A guide to formulate evidence-based recommendations for use by educators addressing the challenge of reducing dropping out, a challenge that lacks developed or evaluated packaged approaches. The guide provides practical, clear information on critical topics related to dropout prevention.
  • Mathematics Universal Screening Tools (Iowa Department of Education, 2017) A state-developed list of mathematics screening and progress monitoring tools. Summarizes the properties of select screening and monitoring tools. Inclusion in this document does not suggest specific endorsement but is informative. 
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