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General Education

Multi-Tiered System of Supports

Through the lens of systems-work, the EUPISD promotes the installation and implementation of multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) as defined by the MTSS Practice Profile. Through MTSS implementation, we work to meet all of our students’ academic and non-academic needs.

MTSS is a comprehensive framework comprised of a collection of research-based strategies designed to meet the needs of the whole child. Developed in Michigan by a collaborative stakeholder group, the MTSS Practice Profile includes the following Essential Components:

  • Team-Based Leadership
  • Tiered Delivery System
  • Selection and Implementation of Instruction, Interventions and Supports
  • Comprehensive Screening & Assessment System
  • Continuous Data-Based Decision Making.

Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child

The EUPISD recognizes that for many years, districts and schools have focused on the academic needs of students; being educational institutions, that is entirely understandable. Recently, it has become increasingly clear that academic success is influenced by many other factors which can significantly impact achievement and teaching practices. In other words, we must address and provide supports for social-emotional, physical and mental well-being of students by design, or we will have to deal with them by default.

The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model outlines a collaborative approach to meeting the whole child's needs. It recognizes five core tenets, the ten components of Coordinated School Health, and the need for policies, practices and processes aligned to the model. Developed through a partnership between the ASCD (the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) and the CDC (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and adopted by the Michigan Department of Education, the WSCC model recognizes essential community partnerships and requires schools to look outside of their bricks and mortar to truly meet student needs. Most importantly, the WSCC model encourages a systems approach and can be used to drive a tiered delivery system as part of a school's integrated continuous improvement.

Continuous Improvement Process

The EUPISD supports an effective continuous improvement pathway for all disricts, focused on meeting as many needs as possible with data, funding, tools, and differentiated supports to improve whole child outcomes. A high-functioning continuous improvement process should be comprised of the following:

  • Equitable opportunities, environments, and supports resulting in students that are healthy, safe, engaged, challenged, and supported,
  • A continuous cycle of improvement that informs the way we work on a daily basis (rather than being an annual event designed to meet compliance requirements),
  • Improvement processes that are integrated rather than isolated,
  • Continuous improvement targets that reflect non-academic areas that influence academic achievement (rather than just academics by themselves),
  • Improvement plans that consider systems necessary to support high-quality implementation of actions and high levels of student outcomes.
  • A committment to understanding students through lenses that consider not only needs, but also assets.