Hazel Park presents MTSS, child‑find and PowerSchool analytics plan to board

District administrators told the Hazel Park Board of Education on Jan. 6 that the district’s multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) and child‑find processes are expanding, and staff described a new PowerSchool analytics module that will centralize assessments, interventions and student plans.

Speakers explained MTSS as a layered framework for academic and behavioral supports, with universal (tier 1), targeted (tier 2), intensive (tier 3) and most intensive (tier 4) interventions. Staff said the district is aligning academic and behavioral supports and emphasized child‑find obligations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to identify, locate and evaluate children from birth through school-age. Staff noted Michigan practice supports services up to age 26 in some programs, a continuity staff said distinguishes the state.

Administrators described home‑based early‑intervention services, the district’s referral process, and outreach to pediatricians, libraries and child-care centers to raise awareness about early supports. The district’s birth-to-3 and preschool programs were cited as actively working with families at home and in community settings.

Staff highlighted the district’s new PowerSchool analytics and unified-insights module, which administrators said will gather assessment data (for example, i-Ready and other benchmarks), attendance, behavioral and intervention records into a single student profile. The tool will also house intervention plans, attendance letters and progress-monitoring data — material staff said is now captured in separate spreadsheets and shared drives. Administrators said the system should reduce duplication, allow faster case review and give school teams a single place to document interventions and outcomes.

Administrators stressed parental involvement and consent requirements in referral and intervention processes: they said tier-2 and tier-3 interventions are not implemented without parent notification and appropriate consent when required. Staff also noted a nationwide shortage of school psychologists and said the district currently uses its psychologists in a coordinated way to meet evaluation timelines.

Trustees asked whether parents could access data through PowerSchool; staff said some modules (for example nursing logs) are being enabled and that the district will explore whether additional accessible views — including progress monitoring or attendance letters — can be provided to families. Administrators said they will follow up and bring further detail on parent access and training.