St. Louis Park school staff spotlight BARR results and push districtwide MTSS expansion

At the May 27 St. Louis Park School Board meeting, high‑school teachers and district student‑services staff described how the BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) program and a growing multi‑tiered system of supports (MTSS) are being used to identify students’ needs earlier and keep more students on track academically.

Teachers on the high school BARR team told the board the program pairs small‑group social‑emotional lessons with weekly teacher data meetings that let core teachers share observations and intervene quickly. Carly Craigness, BARR coordinator and a high‑school social studies teacher, said the program’s combination of relationship building and data review has reduced failures among ninth‑grade students.

“We’re really celebrating this year because we’ve reached our all‑time low,” Craigness said, noting that 9 percent of ninth‑grade students failed a class this semester and 3.5 percent failed two or more. “We’re really proud of our students, most of all.”

Nut graf: District student‑services leaders told the board the BARR model fits inside a broader MTSS push to standardize screening, progress monitoring and tiered interventions across K–12 — an approach they say will let…