CIBMHS/Alabama Positive Behavior Support Office Statement on Alabama State Department of Education “MTSS” Initiative

Thank you to all of our wonderful AL partners! We want to address recent confusion regarding the Alabama State Department introducing "MTSS" as something new. Our Center has been aligned with national practices (pbis.org) and federal guidelines (ESSA, 2015) for more than 7 years regarding the integration of RtI and PBIS within a multitiered framework, or MTSS. This idea is not new and often introducing something as "new" creates confusion and initiative abandonment. If your school or district has been trained by our office, you have been ahead of this new push by the state department and you are already implementing MTSS. The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 has required this for 7 years already.
Please reach out with questions and congratulations for being and education leader for our state!

  • Dr. McDaniel scmcdaniel@ua.edu
  • DeAna Byrd dhbyrd@ua.edu

Mission Statement

The primary goal of the Center for Interconnected Behavioral and Mental Health Systems (CIBMHS) is to conduct rigorous, federally-funded research in the areas of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) and school-based mental health services (also known as the Interconnected Systems Framework). In addition, we are focused on engaging in related externally funded projects and collaborative undertakings across Center affiliates in counseling, social work, Human and Environmental Sciences and Arts & Sciences. CIBMHS is committed to increasing and supporting diversity, equity and inclusion across schools, districts, and CIBMHS staff. Specifically, we focus on using PBIS and school-based mental health services to decrease disproportionate discipline and provide culturally responsive school climates and interventions. CIBMHS project recruitment and retention efforts provide experiences for underrepresented and international groups, and individuals with disabilities. 

Objectives

  • Support doctoral training and education in the College of Education and related colleges.
  • The continuation of a research branch in CIBMHS that will evaluate ISF-related outcomes across federally funded research projects
  • Pursuit of new externally-funded research and service activities related to PBIS and school-based mental health