1. Context: Garden International School (GIS)

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GIS was founded in 1951 as a British International school by Mrs Sally Watkins, the wife of the fire chief at the time.  (Garden International School, n.d.) Today, more than 70 years later, GIS is located in Mont Kiara with almost 1000 students in the EYC and primary. The secondary school has almost 900 students. The school’s vision and mission statements speak of providing a holistic and personalised curriculum, and building brave and brilliant young people who are committed to the growth of themselves and others. Inclusion at GIS is  defined as outlined below:

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Our commitment to being inclusive at GIS means we endeavour to meet the individual needs of all the students in our care. We do this through a supportive environment which recognises and respects students’ different talents and learning differences, backgrounds and cultures. Successful inclusive practice at GIS is seen as the responsibility of the whole school community, permeating all aspects of school life and applicable to all of our students. We strive to ensure all students achieve their personal potential by designing high challenge, differentiated learning experiences, focussing on Social and Emotional learning to develop the mental wellbeing and emotional resilience of our students and engaging the expertise of the inclusion team to ensure students are happy and comfortable in their school experience and subsequently with their learning. (Inclusion, n.d.) 

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GIS strives to be fully inclusive from admission. A well-resourced learning support team supports students with mild to moderate needs using mainly a model of in-class support. The EAL department is equally skilled and caters for the needs of students who do not have enough language to access the curriculum yet.

 

GIS prioritises diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. A DEIJB working party has been researching the themes around DEIJB in the international school setting for two years and implemented the first phase of a five-year action plan one year ago. All the staff at GIS spent one year prior to this with an external provider to improve their own social and emotional competencies before a SEL programme was launched for students across the school last year.

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2. Purpose of the action plan

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The strategic priorities, guiding statements and the drivers for learning at Garden International school lend themselves well to MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports).  The purpose of this action plan is to systematically support the planning and implementation of MTSS at GIS. According to Ripley et al. (2019), MTSS provides a systematic method for identifying students' strengths and areas of improvement, allowing educators to tailor their instruction and interventions accordingly. 

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Interventions at GIS happen at hoc and there are no universal screeners in place to track progress. MTSS will have a significant impact on academic performance of all students as it will fill a gap the school has previously identified. As a result of this, the learning support department will have the capacity to support tier 2 and specifically tier 3 interventions. Teachers have also become over-reliant on the learner support and EAL specialist and strengthening the tier instruction will benefit students and create further capacity within the LS team.

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After the pandemic, behaviour systems that were in place at GIS were no longer functioning. A large turnover of staff meant that most staff were unaware how they should be responding to behaviour concerns and students were not receiving tier 1 instruction regarding expectations for behaviour consistently.

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MTSS helps international schools in their commitment to meeting the social-emotional needs of students. According to Savage et al. (2020), the framework emphasises the importance of addressing students' social-emotional well-being alongside their academic achievement. By incorporating strategies such as positive behaviour interventions and supports (PBIS) and social-emotional learning (SEL), international schools can create a nurturing and inclusive environment that supports the holistic development of all students.

 

3. Short Term Goals and Actions

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The implementation of MTSS at GIS will span over three years. A self-assessment tool like the ORRTI DIET-SB2 or SAM will be used by the school to highlight the gaps in its support plan for students. For the purpose of this paper, the following three goals are highlighted for the first year of implementation: 

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3.1 The school leadership is involved in the MTSS planning, assessment and implementation with a focus on creating an inclusive and equitable school culture

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According to John Hattie’s Visible Learning research, based on a synthesis of more than 1,500 meta-analyses, collective teacher efficacy is greater than three times more powerful and predictive of student achievement than socioeconomic status. It is more than double the effect of prior achievement and more than triple the effect of home environment and parental involvement. It is also greater than three times more predictive of student achievement than student motivation and concentration, persistence, and engagement. (Hattie et al., 2018)

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3.2 Form a dedicated MTSS team - Research and trial universal screeners, evidence-based interventions and develop a school intervention protocol

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The MTSS school implementation team plays a critical role in ensuring the success of the MTSS framework in schools. One of its key roles is to assess the needs of students and identify their specific academic, behavioural, and social-emotional challenges. They use various data sources, such as student performance data and progress monitoring results, to identify the areas where students require additional support (Burns & Gibbons, 2012). This team examines the existing resources and interventions available in the school to determine if they align with the identified needs or if additional resources need to be acquired.

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For the initial planning stage, the team will be made up by the senior leadership team and the assistant heads of year. Once tier 2 planning starts, the team will be joined by special education teachers, counsellor, and other support staff.

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3.3 Strengthen tier 1 support

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Strengthening tier support is crucial in successfully implementing a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). Research supports the importance of strengthening tier support during MTSS implementation. According to a study by Lane, Menzies, Ennis, and Doukas (2018), schools that effectively implemented tier support reported improved outcomes for all students, including those who were struggling. The study emphasised the need for ongoing professional development, collaboration, and data-based decision-making to strengthen tier support.

 

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A school intervention protocol is a comprehensive framework designed to provide timely and targeted support for students at varying levels of need. According to the National Center on Intensive Intervention, the purpose of this intervention protocol is to ensure that all students receive the necessary support to succeed academically and thrive in a school environment (NCII, n.d.). 

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4. Conclusion

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Garden International School is dedicated to its vision and mission that speaks of personalised- and social emotional learning. The school does not have a consistent approach to tier 1 instruction, however, nor does it have a robust system for interventions to support students with academic and/or behaviour needs.

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An MTSS action plan will improve student outcomes through targeted interventions, collaborative decision-making, and the creation of a positive and inclusive school environment.

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References:

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• Garden International School. (n.d.). GIS History. Garden International School. Retrieved August 23, 2023, from https://www.gardenschool.edu.my/about-gis/gis-history/

 

• GIS Inclusion site. (n.d.). GIS Inclusion site. Retrieved 8 27, 2023, from https://sites.google.com/gardenschool.edu.my/inclusionatgis/home

 

• Ripley, J., et al. (2019). Multi-Tiered Systems of Support in Secondary Schools: Perceptions and Implementation

 

• Hattie, J., Donohoo, J., & Eells, R. (2018, March 1). The Power of Collective Efficacy. ASCD. Retrieved August 25, 2023, from https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/the-power-of-collective-efficacy

 

• Burns, M. K., & Gibbons, K. A. (2012). Implementing response to intervention in elementary and secondary schools (2nd ed.). Routledge.

 

• National Center on Intensive Intervention. (n.d.). Essential Components of MTSS. Retrieved from https://intensiveintervention.org/essential-components-multi-tiered-systems-support