Universal Support

Intervention and Support:
Students must be matched to their appropriate level of instruction to ensure they are receiving the tools and skills necessary to succeed. Once information from universal screeners is obtained, for both academic and behavior, it allows us to identify which students might need supplemental and/or intensified interventions. Remember, these supports and interventions are in addition to the universal instruction that all students have access to.  This section of the Tiered Intervention Matrix allows educators to identify the specific skill or need in order to provide appropriate supports, who will administer them, and when they will be administered.  See the examples below and notice the specified skill being addressed, the supplemental supports that some students will receive, and the intensified supports when needed to address the skill. 

 

This portion allows us to focus on the supports that all students have access to in order to master specific skills.  Educators will identify what practice(s) will be used and identify when they will be administered. This example is from a Tiered Intervention Matrix for the area of literacy.

 

Your team is encouraged to identify universal screeners and other tools available that will be administered to all students.  It is important to keep in mind the following characteristics of universal screeners: 
  • Accessible to all students
  • Assess critical skills and concepts
  • Brief (under 10 minutes), easy to administer and score
  • Given to all students (i.e. district, school, grade-level, course)
  • Quick turn-around time (1-3 days) of aggregated and disaggregated data 
  • Repeatable
  • Reliable (Commercial assessments have undergone psychometric analyses to determine reliability. A “teacher-made” assessment cannot be referred to as reliable if it has not been analyzed by a psychometrician).  (State Education Resource Center)
  • Valid

 

The research to determine if universal screeners are valid and reliable has been conducted.  View the  Download Resources for Developing a Comprehensive Assessment System

 to locate reputable sites that will provide the information necessary to support your LEA/District as you select universal screeners.

Download Resources for Developing a Comprehensive Assessment System

 

The Universal Screening section of the Tiered Intervention Matrix allows users to identify who will administer and when it will be administered, as well as decision rules in order to make decisions based on the results.

Intervention and Support:
Students must be matched to their appropriate level of instruction to ensure they are receiving the tools and skills necessary to succeed. Once information from universal screeners is obtained, for both academic and behavior, it allows us to identify which students might need supplemental and/or intensified interventions. Remember, these supports and interventions are in addition to the universal instruction that all students have access to.  This section of the Tiered Intervention Matrix allows educators to identify the specific skill or need in order to provide appropriate supports, who will administer them, and when they will be administered.  See the examples below and notice the specified skill being addressed, the supplemental supports that some students will receive, and the intensified supports when needed to address the skill.