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It always starts with a blank screen.
As one educator put it:
“I was a classroom teacher for a number of years, and I would assign an essay, and you would just see this frozenness of looking at a blank doc or a blank page. And they’re like, but where do I start?”
That same feeling hits district leaders as they begin building MTSS. The uncertainty. The pressure to get it right.
But here’s the truth: you don’t need to do everything all at once. The most successful districts build their systems gradually—starting small, focusing on what matters, and growing from a strong foundation.
Here are four essential truths that help districts move from hesitation to action:
You don’t need a huge committee. Just 1–3 people at the district level—someone from central office, a school leader, and a data-minded staff member—can lead the charge.
“Start at a high level—start with a district person, a school leader, and use your screeners to build your platform. It can become more in-depth and it can grow as you become more familiar with using it. But don’t let not knowing where to start… keep you from going.”
– Jodi Lemoine, Director of Accountability and Curriculum
This core group becomes the decision-making engine and communication hub as your system grows. They keep things moving forward—and protect against initiative fatigue.
Don’t launch everywhere. Start where the need is greatest—whether that’s a middle school, a particular grade level, or a special population. Early wins here create the momentum you need to expand districtwide.
Let your pilot group test workflows, offer feedback, and share success stories. When teachers see something working in a school like theirs, they’re more likely to buy in.
Instead of trying to fix everything, choose one goal and one data set to focus on first. That might be Tier 2 behavior interventions or ELA screeners for Grades 3–5.
The goal: a repeatable, easy-to-manage process that helps teams feel confident—not overwhelmed.
Without one shared system, MTSS work quickly gets buried in spreadsheets and email chains. The most effective districts house everything—student plans, meeting notes, data, interventions—in one centralized, easy-to-access location.
“It’s hard for our teachers to communicate on a daily basis… but this is our way of communicating what we’re doing for these students. This is our way that we can allow everyone to see what we’re working on for that student.”
– Gina Frasca, Assistant Superintendent / Director of Curriculum
And when that system is used districtwide, it helps educators track growth over time—even across grade levels:
“To focus on the whole child throughout their educational career, it’s very important for a third grade teacher to know and understand what was happening in the second grade… So when you can get a system together that is the same across the district—even though the screeners may be different—the system itself is the same.”
– Tyra Starkey, Educator and Ed-tech Specialist
Every district feels that moment of “Where do I start?” But starting small—with the right team, a clear plan, and a central system—helps educators move forward with confidence.
You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to begin.
Meet with our MTSS team or watch a preview of OnCourse MTSS below to see how we can help you get started with confidence.
