Must-Watch Webinar Moments from ‘Proactive MTSS: Creating A Student-Centered Framework That Fosters Trust & Care’

When the ‘check tire pressure’ light comes on in your vehicle, there’s a systematic process to determine the problem and provide the repair. 

‍

Children and adolescents are clearly more complex than cars, but they each have a better chance to excel with the help of proactive, insights-driven, and effective systems of support.

‍

This analogy illustrated the opening for “Proactive MTSS: Creating A Student-Centered Framework That Fosters Trust & Care,” a webinar co-hosted by District Administration and Sown To Grow, whose founder and CEO, Rupa Gupta, moderated the event.

‍

‍

As a former administrator in San Jose Unified School District, Gupta was joined in the session by panelists Dr. Holly Colin, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services at North Shore School District 112, and Bruce Bivins, Superintendent of Perris Elementary School District in San Diego Unified. These leaders unpacked their journey and lessons learned from building Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to deepen belonging, meet student needs, and create cultures of care.

‍

Based on insights from each of the event’s thought-leaders, we’ve compiled a few key take-aways to fill your cup, fuel your school’s MTSS journey, and secure a stronger future for your students’ overall well-being.

‍

1) Improve data-driven programs and platforms to identify success indicators

Districts making some of the most tangible, strong growth in students’ academic, social, and emotional well-being are doing so proactively with what Gupta called “leading versus lacking data”.

‍

‍

As a result of using the information to inform decision-making, guide service offerings, and personalize support, both districts positively impacted their own respective success indicators: engagement and satisfaction survey rating increases for NSSD 112; and attendance improvements and suspension reductions for PESD.

‍

‍

Similarly, both districts use Sown To Grow’s emotional check-ins and CASEL-aligned K-12 SEL curriculum to further empower their data-driven action plans. 

‍

‍

2) Effectively match student needs and supports to meet them where they are

Each speaker touched on this topic, but Dr. Colin’s mention of the tragic mass shooting that further informed her district’s development of its MTSS framework is what made this moment deeply touching and powerful.

‍

“That forever changed our community,” Dr. Colin explained, “and it really forced us to take a look at our practices to make sure that we did have all the right supports in place for students.” 

‍

This is actually when NSSD 112’s implementation of Sown To Grow started. It was initially used as somewhat of a “triage piece” following the event, but the value of weekly check-ins and building deeper connections solidified the partnership.

‍

“We’re really making sure that we are meeting each student where they are in the intervention process,” Dr. Colin said, “and we really are trying to be more proactive in our approach.”

‍

‍

3) Lead ‘on the ground’ from the district-level for school-level implementation

To effectively scale and sustain MTSS implementation, both Dr. Colin and Bivins agreed that district administrators should lead alongside educators, not from above.

‍

This means Dr. Colin and her staff are in at least three different schools per week to conduct walk-throughs, spend time in classrooms, join meetings, and problem-solve with staff. 

‍

Additionally, Bivins explained how his “3M strategy” helps move the needle by ensuring district leaders align on modeling, messaging, and measuring their desired impact when engaging with schools.

‍

‍

4) Make 'belonging' the foundation for Tier 1

Although weaving the whole-child approach into all PESD services has been a shift, Bivins said, the district remains steadfast on its ‘why’. Focusing on student agency, as well as john a. powell’s work on ‘Othering and Belonging,’ has helped set the foundation for the future.

‍

‍

“When students’ identities and experiences and perspectives are valued,” Bivins explained, “then historically marginalized students’ voices are amplified, a sense of community is formed, and ultimately, this is where the fostering of belonging occurs.”

‍

‍

5) Get inspired by creative, successful innovations

In order to advance impact even further, both leaders discussed their district’s willingness to think outside the box and infuse new actionable resources where needed.

‍

For example, Dr. Colin explained the collective bargaining agreement that extended NSSD 112’s contract hours at the middle school level to create space for advisories—an effort championed by teachers. Consisting of one staff member and 15 students for a three-year period, these groups develop meaningful relationships, facilitate a sense of family, and determine the best layers of support for each child, while still being mindful of educators’ time.

‍

At PESD, Bivins mentioned the grant funding acquired by the district to support additional staffing for wellbeing teams including a TOSA (teacher on special assignment), SOSA (staff on special assignment), and COPA (community outreach and parent advocate). The structure of each team (depicted below and detailed further in the presentation slides), offers consistency across sites and centralizes individual data streams.

‍

‍

As for transformative changes at Sown To Grow, Gupta shared an expansion of the existing reflection driven support tool that brings student voice into the proactive identification and support process for MTSS.

‍

‍

‍

By giving students an accessible space to share and receive responses, schools build belonging while getting real-time well-being data that can provide early and accurate identification of Tier 2 and 3 needs, then match them to resources for support.

‍

The path to more successful MTSS

This webinar is definitely worthy of watching the whole way through, but hopefully the moments highlighted here are a thought-provoking start for your own MTSS plans. With a structure that includes strong processes, partners, and collaboration, the rewarding results school- and district-wide will be well worth the effort.

‍

--

‍

^{🌱 Are you a school or district administrator looking to learn more about Sown To Grow's MTSS offerings? Click below to connect with our team! 🌱}