Date of Award

Spring 2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Stephen Laws

Abstract

Schools are implementing a Multi-Tier System of Support (MTSS) to address being met with increased pressures to ensure every student has an equal opportunity to reach proficiency standards and close the achievement gap. An MTSS is characterized as a systematic approach to identifying and problem-solving barriers to learning. In implementing an MTSS, teachers have experienced added responsibilities and have had to increase or refine their skill set in data analysis, data-based decision-making, implementing interventions, and managing academic and behavioral interventions. Through a case study, qualitative and quantitative in nature, the study identifies implementation drivers in the areas of leadership, competency, and organization that impact teacher self-efficacy beliefs in the implementation and practice of an MTSS. Teacher self-efficacy has been identified as a key determinant in student achievement. Highly efficacious teachers display more motivation to tackle difficult tasks, are more resilient in the face of obstacles, hold a high belief that they can influence student learning, and seek out instructional coaching. The findings of the study indicate significant differences in self-reported efficacy beliefs for MTSS, with no pattern implementation level or other descriptive statistics found. A thematic analysis of focus group responses indicates transformational leadership, a culture of trust, problem-solving, collaboration, and ongoing coaching to support teacher efficacy in the implementation and practice of an MTSS. Findings of this study provide implications for schools and states implementing MTSS in how they measure MTSS effectiveness and support teachers in the MTSS process.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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