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Colorado Multi-Tiered System of Supports

Office of Learning Supports

Office of Learning Supports

The Office of Learning Supports (OLS) is part of the Teaching and Learning Unit. The mission of the Office of Learning Supports is to support school and district systems development for the effective implementation of multi-tiered frameworks to improve academic and behavioral outcomes for all. 


What's New

Recently Released! Visit our Online Academy to learn more about the topics below! 

  • Tools - Data-Based Decision Making Protocol
  • (L2) Response to Intervention - History in Colorado
  • (L4) Family, School, and Community Partnerships - Essential Element 3: Designing Capacity - Building Opportunities
  • (L1) Bullying Prevention Best Practices - Core Components of Bullying Prevention
  • (L2) Bullying Prevention 101 - Bullying vs Conflict vs Harassment

Colorado Multi-Tiered System of Supports 

2021 COMTSS logo with updated icons.

Colorado Multi-Tiered System of Supports (COMTSS) is a prevention-based framework using team-driven leadership and data-based problem solving to improve the outcomes of every student through family, school, and community partnerships, comprehensive assessment, and a layered continuum of supports. Implementation science and universal design for learning are employed to create one integrated system that focuses on increasing academic and behavioral outcomes to equitably support the varying needs of all students.

 

COMTSS Essential Components - Practice Profiles

COMTSS consists of five essential components. These components are the foundation and the underlying philosophy of the Practice Profiles. The COMTSS Practice Profiles were developed to specify exemplary strategies that regional, district and school implementation teams can use to support effective and sustainable use of the COMTSS framework as intended. These profiles guide and inform the development and/or refinement of the necessary supports and resources for the COMTSS implementation, such as professional learning, coaching, identification of fidelity measures, a state-level evaluation plan, and necessary changes in procedures and policy.

Acknowledgements

We are deeply indebted to Dr. Caryn Ward from the National Implementation Research Network/State Implementation and Scaling-up of Evidence-based Practices (SISEP) Center for her facilitation and guidance in this endeavor. We are grateful to Dr. Steve Goodman and Dr. Tim Lewis for their support in the development of the COMTSS practice profiles. Most importantly, we want to give credit to the Michigan Department of Education for setting the bar high and allowing us to use their Multi-Tiered System of Supports Practice Profiles as an example to create the COMTSS practice profiles.

Please click each component below to read more about its Practice Profile. These components are also available for download in PDF and Word files. 

Regional or District Level

At the regional or district level, leadership teams build infrastructure that supports the implementation of the five components of COMTSS. The building of this infrastructure includes:

  1. Identifying and aligning key priorities;
  2. Securing funding, resources, and time to implement those priorities;
  3. Developing training and coaching structures to support personnel with implementation, and
  4. Gathering data to evaluate the implementation and impact of the key priorities

School Level

At the school level, building teams implement their identified priorities and build a tiered system that fits their respective context. School teams identify the fidelity and student outcomes they wish to achieve and then identify the data needed to monitor progress toward those outcomes. They also outline the practices used at each tier, as well as the systems that enable staff to both implement the identified practices and to gather the required data.


Printable Practice Profiles

District and School

Region and District

All profiles - Region, District and School


Regional, district & school practice profiles (PDF)


To download individual practice profiles, please visit each component's page.

To request copies in Microsoft Word, please email COMTSS@cde.state.co.us