Officials at the Kentucky Department of Education Leadership conference shared their insights into sustaining student success in March. Education leaders across the Commonwealth heard discussion on translating the Kentucky Academic Standards, a statewide blueprint, into a curriculum for the classroom.
One method being implemented across schools is the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) which aims to connect social, emotional, and academic learning through equitable access, continued support systems, and community and family partnerships. Melissa Wainwright, MTSS coordinator with the KDE, said districts with poorer outcomes can have a couple of great teachers, but it isn’t always enough.
“With consistency, it’s important to notice that pockets of excellence will not have large scale change. We have to have consistently good instruction because that’s through those collective efforts that we have large scale change,” said Wainwright.
Consistency is one of the main pillars to the MTSS model. Wainwright said balance, another key aspect to ensuring student success, can be hard when there are so many factors for administrators to account for.
“You may, within your system, be balancing the academic needs with the student’s social, emotional, and behavioral needs. You may be balancing students’ schedules and teachers’ availability and their expertise,” said Wainwright. “There are a lot of things we balance to have this sense of belonging. Thinking about our community, what are our community needs and how do we respond to that?”
The MTSS framework recommends picking one or two narrow points of focus, like reading standards or community involvement, and improving it year by year in order to sustain growth and impact the entire school district. According to KDE reports, seven districts have implemented these systems so far, and more than half of districts across the state are approaching full implementation. That includes providing evidence-based documents like MTSS meeting minutes and self-report assessments.
Multiple academic standards have also been opened for public comment this year. Officials will use input gathered to reshape reading, performing arts, and physical education standards. More information, including anchor standards for all disciplines is available online at the KDE website.