At October’s Catalyst 2026: MTSS Reimagined, we challenged secondary leaders to think differently about literacy instruction. Our focus was on strengthening Tier 1 through disciplinary literacy and recognizing that what happens in every classroom matters for every student.
But strong Tier 1 instruction is only part of a coherent system of support. What happens when students need more? And who is responsible for ensuring those supports actually work?
Michigan’s Public Act 146 is bringing new urgency to these questions. For middle and high school principals, understanding screening, diagnostic assessments, Individual Reading Improvement Plans (IRIPs), and targeted interventions is becoming an increasingly important part of instructional leadership. But this work cannot simply be handed off to an interventionist, literacy coach or MTSS team. This is leadership work.
Think about the decisions that shape a school’s ability to support struggling readers. Who determines how students are identified for intervention? How are instructional needs translated into appropriate supports? Where does intervention fit within a master schedule already competing for time, staffing and graduation requirements? How do we know whether our interventions are working?
These aren’t simply technical questions for reading specialists. They’re questions about how we lead learning, leverage resources, and create a shared vision for student success. At MASSP, our 3x3xU Leadership Framework reminds us that effective leadership requires more than managing the daily operations of a school. Leading learning means understanding the instructional systems that influence student outcomes. Leveraging resources means making intentional decisions about time, people and structures to support those systems. And establishing a clear vision means ensuring that our collective efforts are moving toward a common purpose.
For secondary principals, this can be uncomfortable territory. Most of us came through classrooms as content specialists, not reading intervention experts. We have talented teachers, interventionists and coaches who understand this work far more deeply than we do. We should absolutely rely on that expertise. But relying on expertise isn’t the same as delegating leadership.
In a recent conversation with Jill Maneice, Reading Intervention Consultant at Oakland Schools, she shared an important perspective: The goal of Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions isn’t simply success within an intervention program. It’s helping students gain greater access to and succeed in high-quality Tier 1 instruction.
That distinction changes the leadership conversation. Rather than asking only whether we have an intervention program, we should be asking whether our entire system is working together to help students learn. Are we identifying the right needs? Providing the right supports? Monitoring meaningful progress? And removing the organizational barriers that prevent our teachers and students from succeeding?
PA 146 provides an important reason to examine these questions, but compliance alone won’t build a stronger system.
On December 1, from 9:00–10:00 a.m., MASSP will welcome Jill for “Tier 2. What to Do?”, a webinar designed specifically for secondary principals. We’ll examine PA 146 requirements, screening and diagnostic assessments, MDE’s approved screener list, and practical considerations for developing a Tier 2 system that is both legally compliant and responsive to student needs.
Whether you joined us at Catalyst or are just beginning to examine your school’s literacy supports, this is an opportunity to strengthen your understanding and your capacity to lead.
Our teachers and interventionists bring essential expertise to this work. Our responsibility as principals is to create the conditions where that expertise can make a difference for every student.
That’s not simply compliance with PA 146. That’s instructional leadership.
Tier 2. What to Do?
December 1, 2026 | 9:00–10:00 a.m.
Featuring Jill Maneice, Oakland Schools Reading Intervention Consultant