Longview School District work session spotlights MTSS, counselor roles and school‑level behavior supports

Longview School District officials and building staff used a Feb. 24 study session to summarize how the district is using a multi‑tiered system of support, or MTSS, to organize social‑emotional and behavioral supports for students.

Dr. Flanagan, addressing the school board, said MTSS expands traditional response‑to‑intervention approaches to include behavior, attendance and social‑emotional learning, and described the tiered model the state recommends. "Tier 1 should work for 80% of our students," Dr. Flanagan said, adding that if more than about 20–30% of students need intervention, the district should reassess core supports. "You can't provide quality intervention if you have more students getting intervention than are successful in the core," Dr. Flanagan said.

The presentation detailed how the district is treating student well‑being alongside academics. Carrie Montgomery, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, said the state’s social‑emotional learning (SEL) standards — including self‑awareness, self‑management and social engagement — form the basis for classroom instruction and for any tier‑2 or tier‑3 supports the district adopts. Montgomery also advised caution about screening: the district currently uses academic screeners such as i‑Ready but does not yet…