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District expands MTSS, reading pilots and school-based mental health supports
Summary
Norris School District reported progress on MTSS, middle-school reading pilots (IXL, Read 180, Lexia), purchase of WonderWorks for early grades and expansion of school-based mental health supports including hiring a licensed counselor and use of a contracted clinician.
Administrators reported progress on the district’s strategic priorities for instruction and student supports, including MTSS implementation, targeted reading interventions and school-based mental-health services.
District staff said building teams reviewed their MTSS self-evaluation and are aligning improvement work to the district strategic plan. Elementary buildings continue using tiered SEL supports and the district-wide CharacterStrong program; building teams shared practices to improve consistency and continuity for students across grade levels.
At the middle-school level, reading specialists have piloted IXL Read180, Read 180 Flex and continued use of Lexia to identify which programs best support students needing targeted intervention. The district purchased WonderWorks curriculum for K–2 special-education teachers to support early literacy interventions and will use pilot feedback to shape future purchasing decisions.
On mental health, administrators noted the district now has Jill Rice, a newly hired middle-school counselor, who holds clinical licensure (noted in the meeting as certified/licensed mental-health credentials) and will add capacity for school-based mental-health services. The district also contracted with a clinician (referred to as Derek in the meeting) to provide school-based supports for students who lack access to community providers; referral to that clinician follows building MTSS procedures and requires parental consent. Administrators said families were generally receptive when offered on-site services, though a small number declined.
Administrators said they are evaluating capacity and exploring options to increase hours of contracted clinical support and to coordinate responsibilities between the new counselor and contracted clinician. They framed the discussion around building a longer-term vision for mental-health supports and ensuring services are used where families lack community access.
The board asked how students are identified for clinician support; administrators said students are referred through MTSS building teams, prioritizing those without external providers, those with demonstrated needs at tiers 2–3, and families willing to participate in school-based services.
