ABSTRACT
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and its academic model, Response to Intervention (RTI) have been used to fuel the special education eligibility determination machine, with documented prior interventions as a requirement of special education laws. The goal of MTSS is student success in academic and social-emotional-behavioral learning, not special education eligibility, though artifacts of MTSS implementation will support eligibility if need be. Social-emotional regulation is a skill that many students must be taught explicitly, adding protective factors to support student well-being, which increases academic outcomes. Unique challenges faced by minority populations are discussed in order for educators to confront their implicit biases head-on. School psychologists should no longer be thought of as gatekeepers to special education services, but as linchpins holding various elements of complicated structures in place to keep students from sliding off into an abyss of school failure. Recommendations are made for school team members to support roles and functions of school psychologists, leading to better educational outcomes for students and schools.
