English Language Development

MTSS occurs in the context of well-designed curricula, effective instruction, and a comprehensive

assessment system, as well as effective leadership, professional learning, and an empowering culture

for all educators, students, and families. (See figure 9.10.) Schools and districts should establish a

carefully-defined framework for MTSS, including a leadership team and organizational structures,

routines for program evaluation and progress monitoring of students, initial and ongoing professional

learning for all educators, and clear two-way communication between parents and educators.

Figure 9.10. The Larger Context of MTSS

Source

Kansas Multi-Tier Systems of Supports. 2010. “The Integration of MTSS

and RtI.”

Instruction and assessment should be both linguistically and culturally congruent in order to be
appropriate for ELs (Brown and Doolittle, 2008), and students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds
should be taken into account when determining appropriate approaches to instruction and
intervention. For additional information, see the section in this chapter on linguistic and cultural
congruence for ELs.

Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching

In order to create truly equitable classrooms, schools, and districts—ones that support all students’

achievement of the goals of ELA/literacy programs (see outer ring of figure 9.1; see also chapters 1

and 2 in this ELA/ELD Framework)—educators should continuously strive for social justice, access,

and equity. This requires educators to adopt a stance of inquiry toward their practice and to engage

in ongoing, collaborative discussions with their colleagues about challenging issues, including race,

culture, language, and equity. The National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems

(NCCRESt) highlights the importance of creating a shared responsibility for cultural responsiveness:

Culturally responsive educational systems are grounded in the belief that we live in a

society where specific groups of people are afforded privileges that are not accessible to

other groups. By privileging some over others, a class structure is created in which the

advantaged have more access to high quality education and later, more job opportunities

in high status careers. This leads to socio-economic stratification and the development

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