Date of Award

January 2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Laura J. Link

Abstract

This study is a secondary data analysis that uses a validated rubric to score the degree of alignment between the teacher skills (TS) necessary for the effective implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and the preservice teacher training standards (PTS) across five states located in the North Central United States. This investigation also assessed whether states employing an MTSS process to establish special education eligibility for specific learning disabilities (SLD) exhibit higher alignment between TS and PTS compared to states that do not follow that process. Literature outlines the TS needed in an MTSS framework, but there is limited information about how PTS addresses these skills. The implementation of an MTSS framework is supported to best achieve compliance with federal laws, many state regulations, as well as ethical imperatives. This study found that the PTS from the five states examined had Indirect Alignment with the TS needed for effective implementation of an MTSS framework. This inquiry determined that there were not necessarily higher degrees of alignment between TS and PTS in states that required an MTSS process for determining eligibility for SLD. To address the lower degree of alignment between TS and PTS, a professional development plan for new and tenured teachers was developed to target the two least aligned TS domains.

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