State Board Policy

DESCRIPTOR TERM: Intervention
CODE: 4300
ADOPTION DATE: January 21, 2005
REVISION: May 18, 2007

MDE shall require an instructional model designed to meet the needs of every student. The model shall consist of three tiers of instruction.

Tier 1:	Quality classroom instruction based on MS Curriculum Frameworks
Tier 2:	Focused supplemental instruction
Tier 3:	Intensive interventions specifically designed to meet the individual needs of students

Teachers should use progress monitoring information to (a) determine if students are making adequate progress, (b) identify students as soon as they begin to fall behind, and (c) modify instruction early enough to ensure each and every student gains essential skills. Monitoring of student progress is an ongoing process that may be measured through informal classroom assessment, benchmark assessment instruments and large-scale assessments.

If strategies at Tiers 1 & 2 are unsuccessful, students must be referred to the Teacher Support Team. The TST is the problem-solving unit responsible for interventions developed at Tier 3. Each school must have a Teacher Support Team (TST) implemented in accordance with the process developed by the Mississippi Department of Education. The chairperson of the TST shall be the school principal as the school's instructional leader or the principal's designee. The designee may not be an individual whose primary responsibility is special education. Interventions will be:

• designed to address the deficit areas;
• research based;
• implemented as designed by the TST;
• supported by data regarding the effectiveness of interventions.

After a referral is made, the TST must develop and begin implementation of an intervention(s) within two weeks. No later than eight weeks after implementation of the intervention(s) the TST must conduct a documented review of the interventions to determine success of the intervention. No later than 16 weeks after implementation of the intervention(s), a second review must be conducted to determine whether the intervention is successful. If the intervention(s) is determined to be unsuccessful, then the student will be referred for a comprehensive assessment.

In addition to failure to make adequate progress following Tiers 1& 2, students will be referred to the TST for interventions as specified in guidelines developed by MDE if any of the following events occur.

A.	Grades 1-3: A student has failed one (1) grade;
B.	Grades 4-12: A student has failed two (2) grades;
C.	A student failed either of the preceding two grades and has been suspended or expelled for more than twenty (20) days in the current school year; OR
D.	A student scores at the Minimal level on any part of the Grade 3 or Grade 7 Mississippi Curriculum Test.

Referrals to the Teacher Support Team must be made within the first twenty (20) school days of a school year if the student meets any of the criteria A-D stated above.