District outlines tiered approach to social-emotional learning using Character Strong

District staff provided an update on Strategic Plan Goal 4A (social and emotional wellness), describing implementation of a tiered model using the Character Strong curriculum and associated professional learning.

Sasha Lacey, an ESS department staff member in her second year in the leadership cadre, presented the update. Lacey said the district is using Character Strong to provide universal Tier 1 lessons for all students and individualized Tier 2 strategies and small-group instruction for students who need additional support. Students are identified for targeted supports through academy team meetings, data review, and staff conversations, she said.

Lacey described the process flow: universal lessons aligned to the portrait of a graduate, team-based identification of students needing additional help, delivery of individualized strategies or small-group lessons by student support specialists, and progress monitoring with adjustments as needed. She cited an example of a Tier 2 student reporting a greater sense of belonging after participating in small-group work.

The presenter emphasized that the program is intended to be evidence-based and multi-tiered, and that staff training and consistent protocols are central to sustaining supports across the district.