Fidelity of Implementation Tool (FIT) Assessment

The FIT is: 

• a research-based assessment from the University of Kansas SWiFT Center that measures the extent to which a school implements MTSS for equity-based inclusive education
• a tool that is used across the district in all of our comprehensive K-12 schools and some Multiple Pathways to Graduation (MPG) schools, providing reliable information about current systemic practices to inform improvement planning at the school and district level
• a full-day, on-site, annual event including perspectives from students, caregivers, community partners, and certified, non-represented and PFSP staff
• facilitated by someone outside of the school - in our case, a FIT TOSA 
• a comprehensive tool that is organized into five domains:

The FIT provides:

• schools with a broad range of focused feedback aligned with the science of education 
• input from multiple perspectives, which can be difficult to collect in other ways
• opportunities to celebrate success
• process information to enhance school and district systems; it helps guide teams toward potential next steps 
• a district-adopted common framework fostering aligned support for positive student experiences and outcomes
• accountability information to the state for designated schools

Implementing the SWiFT Framework (MTSS) alongside the FIT assessment leads to improved experiences and outcomes for all students:

SWIFT PARTNER SCHOOL STUDENT OUTCOMES 

STUDENT INCLUSION STEADILY INCREASED 

• Students with disabilities were included in general education 80%+ of the time at rates above the national average in each year and schools with stronger implementation of SWIFT features had higher rates of inclusive placement 
• Partner schools experienced a steady increase in the percent of students receiving services in general education settings for 80% or more of the day, and a decrease in removals of students with disabilities from general education settings 
• For specific students with IEPs at the start and three consecutive years in SWIFT schools, 15.7% exited from special education services and were fully supported by their school 

ACCESS TO ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION DUE TO GREATLY IMPROVED BEHAVIOR OUTCOMES 

• In- and out-of-school suspension days per 100 students decreased by 32% or 26.9 days from baseline to project end for students with disabilities 
• In- and out-of-school suspension days per 100 students decreased by 35% or 19.2 days from baseline to project end for all students 

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS 

• SWIFT (MTSS) implementation is a significant predictor for both reading and math performance 
• SWIFT (MTSS) implementation has a strong, positive correlation with larger increases in student reading scores 
• Students in schools with the same state assessment for two consecutive years overall reading proficiency rate rose to 13% of students, a full percentage point over prior year 
• Students in schools with the same state assessment for two consecutive years math proficiency rate increased 11%, 1.34 percentage points over the prior year

The following resources are for internal PPS use. 

• FIT Schedule TEMPLATE- This is the only template that should be used when creating a school's FIT Schedule.
• FIT Intro Slide Deck - This is available for administrators to use with school staff, if interested. 
• PPS MTSS Tool Alignment Crosswalk - This document compares the CR-TFI, FIT and Successful Schools Survey, highlighting where these tools overlap and where they provide information on areas that other tools do not.