Highline leaders outline MTSS rollout, aim for districtwide teams by 2025–26

At a special Highline School District board work session, district leaders described the district’s plan to implement Multi‑Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) across schools and said they will collect baseline data this spring as they work toward having operational cross‑department MTSS teams in every school by the end of the 2025–26 school year.

The presentation, led by Keesa Hendrickson, Assistant Superintendent, explained MTSS as a districtwide framework that organizes adult teamwork and data use to support students’ academic, behavioral and attendance needs. “It helps us to understand and know our students by name, strength, and need,” Hendrickson said, tying MTSS to the district’s strategic plan priorities.

District staff framed MTSS around four components — teaming structures, data‑based decision making, family and community engagement, and a continuum of evidence‑based supports — and emphasized a focus on strong tier‑1 instruction so most students receive appropriate core instruction before additional supports are layered on. Jenny Jacobs, Assistant Director of Research and Assessment, said,…