Working Together:

In recent years, states, districts, and schools across the country began using a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) to organize and deliver academic and behavioral support for students. At its core, MTSS serves as a framework to support practitioners in using data to ensure that all students are equipped with the academic and behavioral skills they need to succeed. Education leaders are increasingly interested in explicitly incorporating social and emotional learning (SEL) within the MTSS framework. This interest is motivated by the desire to more intentionally connect academics and behavior to build equitable systems that ensure all students receive the support they need to succeed. To create a shared understanding of student success, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) created a community of practice to facilitate collaboration within state education agencies (SEAs) to ensure alignment and coherence when explicitly connecting SEL within the MTSS framework. The nine states — Alabama, Hawai’i, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island and Virginia – collaborated over a period of 10 months and were supported by CCSSO and CASEL  throughout the process.

A new brief, Leveraging the Moment to Advance Student and Staff Wellbeing and Connection, shares how participating in the community of practice helped states to leverage the moment to further support student and staff wellbeing and highlights examples of how states leveraged federal COVID-19 relief to further these aims.

CCSSO, CASEL and the American Institutes for Research® (AIR®) developed a toolkit to support policymakers and state and district leaders in other states who are interested in engaging in the work of intentional SEL and MTSS integration. The toolkit was developed with the support of the Learning Policy Institute (LPI) and in collaboration with leaders the nine community of practice states. Incorporating lessons learned from leading states, practical guidance, and adaptable templates, the toolkit addresses five key questions to support state and district leaders in advancing equitable, integrated SEL and MTSS. Access the toolkit here.

Webisode Series on Effective Multi-Tiered System of Supports for Whole Child Development

The Effective Multi-Tiered System of Supports for Whole Child Development webisode series will support states in the process of integrating social-emotional learning and whole child development more fully into their multi-tiered system of supports frameworks to ensure alignment with existing priorities, systems and practices and ultimately provide coherent messaging and support to districts and schools.

Webisode #1: Creating a Comprehensive Framework to Support Whole Child Development (August 2021) 
This webisode focused on the importance of thinking holistically about the whole child in educational settings and the effects of positive school climate, social-emotional learning and productive teaching strategies on achievement.  It also provided an overview, reflection and lessons learned from a nine-state community of practice on integrating SEL into MTSS frameworks. Guest speakers included Linda Darling-Hammond, President & CEO of the Learning Policy Institute, Kathleen Airhart, CCSSO Program Director of Special Education Outcomes, Anne Bowles, CCSSO Program Director of Student-Centered Learning and Pat Conner, Senior Policy and Practice Consultant for CASEL.
A recording of this webisode is available here.

Webisode #2: Systems to Support Whole Child Development – MTSS/ SEL – Why Integrate Systems? (September 2021) 
In July, CCSSO released a joint toolkit with AIR and CASEL on intentional SEL and MTSS integration. This webisode featured a dialogue between AIR’s Dr. Dia Jackson, a lead author of the toolkit and CASEL’s Justina Schlund, on why integrating SEL into MTSS is an effective approach to support the whole child and considerations for states and districts taking this step. We also heard from the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) on their efforts to ensure the state’s MTSS is clearly defined and aligned to their work to advance SEL and PBIS through their MI MTSS Practice Profile which addresses the whole child, including cognitive, physical, behavioral, social and emotional development.  A recording of this webisode is available here.

Webisode #3: State Planning and Strategic Alignment of Priorities (October 2021) 
During this webinar, we explored how state and district leaders can bring intra-agency stakeholders together to ensure cross-divisional alignment with existing priorities, systems, and practices, in order to prioritize SEL and whole-child development for all students to create systems, change at scale.  Before identifying measurable goals and objectives, it is important for SEAs to evaluate current policies and practices to identify gaps in alignment with existing priorities, systems, and practices and identify opportunities for further alignment and coherence. Natalie Walrond, Content Area Director, Resilient and Healthy Schools and Communities at WestEd and Director, Center to Improve SEL & School Safety, shared effective strategies for state and district leaders to further opportunities for alignment and coherence to support the whole child and Teri Lawler with the Delaware Department of Education shared how she worked collaboratively to put the whole child at the center of their work to support districts and schools. We also introduced the Self-Assessment tool from our toolkit and provide state insight on its use. A recording of this webisode is available here.

Webisode #4: Putting the Plan in Motion – Creating Strong Objectives and Strategies
Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 2:00 p.m. ET
To effectively address student wellbeing and connection needs identified in a state or district’s self-assessment, teams can develop one to three priority, measurable objectives along with high-impact strategies, to ensure that objectives are met. Both priority objectives and high-impact strategies should create buy-in and facilitate alignment with state or district’s priorities and initiatives. During this webisode, we will hear from Oklahoma on their approach to establish clear priority objectives aligned to their strategic plan. We will also hear from Melissa Junge and Sheara Krvaric with the Federal Education Group on how to leverage current funding streams to provide comprehensive, sustainable funding for states and districts. We will also introduce the High Impact Strategies/Action Steps planning tool and High Impact Strategies Evaluation matrix from our toolkit on integrating SEL into MTSS. A recording of this webisode is available here.

Webisode #5: Data-based Continuous Improvement
Tuesday, Jan. 25 at 2:00 p.m. ET
In recent years, states, districts, and schools across the country have begun using a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) to organize and deliver academic and behavioral support for students. At its core, MTSS serves as a framework to support practitioners in using data to ensure that all students are equipped with the academic and behavioral skills they need to succeed. Education leaders are increasingly interested in explicitly incorporating social and emotional learning (SEL) within the MTSS framework. This interest is motivated by the desire to more intentionally connect academics and behavior to build equitable systems that ensure all students receive the support they need to succeed. This month’s webisode will explore the critical role data-based decision-making plays in ensuring support delivered to students is tailored and designed with their holistic needs in mind, including academic and social and emotional development. In this webisode, we will be joined by Turnaround for Children, who will share their Whole Child Design Blueprint and new tools to support the implementation of a tiered system of supports designed to support the whole child. We will also be joined by Heather Hirsch, Supervisor, School Climate Center at the Minnesota Department of Education. Heather will share how Minnesota utilizes their school climate data for continuous improvement and the department’s recent COVID response plan (COMPASS) for districts that includes SEL and a plan for evaluation. A recording of this webisode is available here.

Webisode #6: Advancing Mental Health
Tuesday,  Feb. 22 at 2:00 p.m. ET
In recent years, states, districts, and schools across the country have started using a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) to organize and deliver academic and behavioral support for students. At its core, MTSS serves as a framework to support practitioners in using data to ensure that all students are equipped with the academic and behavioral skills they need to succeed. Education leaders are increasingly interested in explicitly incorporating social and emotional learning (SEL) within the MTSS framework. This interest is motivated by the desire to more intentionally connect academics and behavior to build equitable systems that ensure all students receive the support they need to succeed. During this webisode, we were joined by Sharon Hoover, Co-Director, National Center for School Mental Health and Director, NCTSN Center for Safe Supportive Schools, who shared the connection between a comprehensive approach to school mental health and SEL and MTSS. We also shared a new resource for states from CCSSO outlining key actions to advance a comprehensive approach to school mental health. Jessica Frain, School Mental Health Consultant with the Wisconsin Department of Education provided an overview of the Wisconsin School Mental Health Framework. The framework includes six components of a Comprehensive Mental Health System for an SEL and trauma-sensitive lens. A recording of this webisode is available here.

Webisode #7: Authentic Community Engagement and Communication to Support the Whole Child
Tuesday, Mar. 22 at 2:00 p.m. ET

One important step in any initiative is to increase capacity to engage the community and ensure that all stakeholders have a voice and a role in decision-making. This step is critically important to ensuring that the integration plan is culturally competent and relevant to the needs of the local community. This step ensures that the plan is inclusive of the diverse community and they have the opportunity to advocate for their needs and adapt the plan to reflect those needs. Engaging the community early also ensures buy-in, which can greatly help with implementation and sustainability of SEL in MTSS. In this webisode, we were joined by the Center for Innovation in Education who shared strategies states can take to facilitate inclusive and authentic community engagement practice. In addition, the Hawaii Department of Education shared how they developed a framework of outcomes that reflects the Department of Education’s core values and beliefs in action throughout the public educational system of Hawaii. Nā Hopena A‘o (“HĀ”) more fully realizes the importance of a kind of culture and environment necessary for HĀ to thrive and bring life to learning. A recording of the webisode is available here.