Matteo’s brow furrows as he traces the page of a decodable reader. When he pauses on the word chimpanzee, literacy interventionist Joy Kasper leans in with a quiet prompt. Matteo tries again—this time, he nails it. His first-grade peers break into a celebratory whisper-cheer.

Just a year ago, Matteo was in the red tier for early literacy. Today, he’s reading confidently in the green tier. He’s one of several students who vaulted two whole tiers in a single semester—tangible proof that Timothy Christian Schools approach to learning is a lifeline tailored to each child’s unique learning curve.

This spring marks Timothy’s 39th Data Day since 2012. Back then, every student’s name was written on a Popsicle stick and moved by hand into labeled buckets. Today, those sticks have been replaced by color-coded spreadsheets and more than a decade of collective wisdom. Along the way, the system has matured, with built-in planning days and mid-cycle checks that allow teachers to fine-tune groups without sacrificing classroom prep.

MTSS is the engine behind Timothy’s academic success. It includes targeted small-group instruction and six-week data reviews on every K–6 student. Teachers adapt instruction dynamically, re-grouping students and refining lessons based on what the data reveals.

At its core, MTSS is a framework that combines universal screening with targeted instruction. Three times a year, teachers administer NWEA MAP testing and aimswebPlus literacy benchmarks and a phonics screener. That data fuels Timothy’s half-day Data Day meetings, where classroom teachers, interventionists, and administrators gather around laptops—snacks and spreadsheets in tow—to sort every elementary student into one of eight to ten carefully calibrated reading and math groups.

“Everybody goes somewhere,” explains first-grade teacher Ruthie Hoving. “There’s no stigma because every child needs something—extension, fluency practice, intensive phonics—so the whole class does a big fruit-basket upset and learns at the level that fits.”

Groups meet three days a week for 30–35 minutes. With nine adults available during that instructional block—including two veteran reading specialists—Timothy keeps its most intensive intervention groups at just four or less students per teacher. On-level and extension groups rarely exceed twelve. That staffing model transforms a bustling grade level into the intimacy of a tutor’s corner.

The benefits reach far beyond reading scores. “Rarely do I hear a child say, ‘I’m a bad reader,’” says Educational Support teacher Anna Watson. “They experience success in a right-sized group and carry that confidence back to the classroom.”

The model has attracted attention. This year alone, several Christian schools visited Timothy to observe MTSS in action. As a leader in Biblically-based academic excellence, Timothy regularly welcomes schools looking to explore how Christ-centered, excellence-driven academics can work hand-in-hand.

Director of Teaching and Learning Kris Wise remembers the skepticism in the early years. “Teachers worried they’d ‘lose minutes’ with their own students,” she recalls. “But when we saw the graphs of students' performance moving in the direction we’d hoped, the buy-in followed. The data validated the intuition behind every small group decision.”

As Kris now tells new staff, “When you walk into an MTSS group, you’re not just teaching reading—you’re teaching resilience, precision, and the belief that progress is always within reach.”