CONVERGENT SYSTEMS INSTITUTE
MTSS and Special Populations Systems Architecture
That Actually Works
We help PK–12 schools and districts build the systems behind student support — for students in special education, multilingual learners, students on 504 plans, and any learner needing extra academic, behavioral, or social-emotional support to grow.
Designed by a 20-year practitioner, district leader, and Teacher of the Year — outcomes proven across 79+ campuses in PK–12 district and charter networks.
THE CHALLENGE
The Investment Is There.
The Infrastructure Is Not.
Districts across the country invest heavily in MTSS and Special Populations training, intervention platforms, and coordinator positions. Yet implementation remains inconsistent, and the systems meant to catch students early break down at the points where they matter most. The research tells us why.
Only 35%
"of districts report having a well-established MTSS, despite over 70% reporting they use the framework."
MTSS Center, American Institutes for Research
#1 Gap
"Progress monitoring is consistently rated the lowest-implemented component of MTSS across districts nationally. Without it, teams cannot determine whether interventions are working, and students move through tiers based on perception rather than data."
MTSS Center, American Institutes for Research
3x
"more students are identified for special education than the MTSS framework when Tier 1 and Tier 2 systems are not implemented with fidelity."
Center on PBIS; NCES, 2024
The problem is not effort, funding, or intent. It is systems architecture. When MTSS and Special Populations operate as separate intervention systems, neither one works the way it should.
THE MIND BEHIND IT
Brandy Washington
Brandy Washington is a vision-led intervention systems designer focused on closing the distance between regulatory adherence and genuine student growth. Drawing on an extensive background from Teacher of the Year to leading Special Education for Texas' largest urban district, she offers rare mastery in MTSS frameworks and advocacy for diverse learners. Through CSI, she crafts custom architecture that allow educational districts to establish lasting, evidence-based intervention systems where every learner thrives.
OUR APPROACH
One Integrated System. Four Frameworks. A Clear Progression.
CSI's four proprietary frameworks function as a single, sequential intervention architecture. Districts move from diagnosing where their intervention systems actually are, to scaling what works across campuses, to coaching the people who run the work, to sustaining it over time.​ Purchased together, the full intervention system produces coordinated MTSS and Special Populations infrastructure that holds year over year. Purchased individually, each framework delivers only the outcomes within its specific phase, which is the right choice when a campus or district has a targeted gap rather than a whole-system need.
ProgressMonitorED — Diagnose and Build
Data and Assessment Systems
The entry point to the CSI system. ProgressMonitorED begins with a structured analysis of the district or campus's current state across MTSS and Special Populations, then builds the data and assessment infrastructure the rest of the system depends on. This includes the protocols, decision rules, and progress monitoring cadence that turn intervention from activity into evidence.
CultivatED & EquippED — Coach
Coaching and Development
Develops the people responsible for the work. CultivatED provides ongoing coaching to leaders and interventionists. EquippED delivers the professional development that builds technical knowledge across the system. This is the framework that prevents systems from collapsing the moment the consultant leaves.
Four frameworks. One progression. Built to be purchased individually for a targeted gap, or together for the full scope of results.
AdoptED & ScalED — Implementation
Scale the Network
Once the diagnostic is complete and the data infrastructure is built, AdoptED & ScalED moves the work into implementation across multiple sites. AdoptED brings systems into a campus with fidelity. ScalED moves the work from one site operating well to a network operating consistently.
AnchorED — Sustain
Sustainability & Tools
The sustainability layer. AnchorED holds the long-term tools, infrastructure, and ongoing support that keep MTSS and Special Populations coordination functioning across years and leadership changes. InformED, the behavior documentation and analysis system now in beta, is the first product built under AnchorED.
Evaluate & Strategize
One Month
This ProgressMonitorED assessment is a standalone initiative. Districts receive clear scoring across the six pillars of MTSS and Special Populations frameworks, alongside a detailed gap analysis. This serves as the foundation for all CSI partnerships, providing a clear path forward for educational leaders.
What you receive: a comprehensive Systemic Review with benchmarks for your MTSS and Special Populations teams, a strategic timeline for the year, and an executive briefing for your leadership team.
Engagement Levels for System Implementation
The CSI methodologies remain constant, but the depth of our partnership is flexible. We collaborate with districts at three distinct levels based on their current operational maturity and their long-term growth objectives.
Bespoke Service Packages are Available
Build and Deploy
One Year
Our frameworks are integrated into a comprehensive year-long construction phase. We transition from evaluation to campus-wide deployment, ensuring your local staff has the internal capacity to lead the work.
What you receive: a modernized organizational structure, a certified group of internal coaches, a comprehensive digital playbook, and the first campus wave launched — complete with monthly performance tracking and a data portal for visibility.
OUR PROCESS
Visionary Leadership
Recurring
A complete systemic overhaul spanning multiple years. This level offers intense campus-level guidance, train-the-trainer certification, and the permanent AnchorED infrastructure that ensures the work continues long after our contract ends.
What you receive: district-wide execution across every site, permanent coaching structures, and a proprietary methodology your staff manages autonomously — including third-party impact audits for your community and board stakeholders.
SYSTEM SUCCESS
Evidence Rooted in Real Implementation
98.2%
State Standard Met
Serving as Director of Special Ed for 55 urban schools in Texas, I engineered the operational frameworks that turned legacy deficiencies into a model of continuous high achievement.
83%
Intervention Deployment Speed
In the role of Director of Academic Intervention for 24 charter sites, I pioneered a multi-tier structure that ensured almost every location met rigorous fidelity standards for student aid.
Teacher of the Year 2015
ISTE/ACSD Faculty Member
Keynote Panelist and Presenter
This impact is not incidental. This is the architecture.
AnchorED Groups
If you lead a district, create edtech, grant funds, or host events — we refine the architecture so that the students requiring assistance truly receive it.
CSI collaborates with four sectors to develop resilient educational frameworks. Convergent Systems Institute structures MTSS and Special Populations for districts aiming to transition from regulation to real results via guidance, training, and specialized tools.
School Districts and Networks
Partnering with educational executives establishing unified MTSS and Special Populations frameworks designed to endure across all sites and beyond external advisory.
EdTech Creators
Tech firms in the education space looking for practical product insights and strategic advice from a veteran K-12 implementation leader and expert.
Philanthropies
Grant-making bodies backing proven intervention models and the systemic ability to provide them effectively while achieving quantifiable success.
Keynotes and Events
Event planners and academic circuits needing a primary speaker on MTSS design, Special Populations collaboration, and institutional logic.