Weston School District staff presented a detailed overview of their multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) during a curriculum-subcommittee meeting, saying the framework uses universal screening and data teams to match instruction and interventions to students’ academic and social-emotional needs.

Tina (presenter) summarized the district’s approach as a ‘‘comprehensive model’’ that spans Tier 1 through Tier 3 supports and prioritizes social-emotional learning. ‘‘MTSS starts with a reassurance and that it’s all about ensuring that every, Weston student gets the instruction and support they need to thrive and specifically thrive academically, emotionally, and socially,’’ Amy Holmes (presenter) told the committee.

Why it matters: presenters stressed MTSS is intended to be proactive — catching early signs of need rather than reacting to crises — and to expand access to high-quality instruction. District staff described a cyclical, data-driven process that begins with universal screening, applies evidence-based Tier 1 instruction for all students, and adds Tier 2 or Tier 3 interventions as needed, with frequent progress monitoring in roughly 6–8 week cycles.

How the district organizes support: Alex (presenter) described multiple review structures: weekly Tier 1 teacher planning meetings, 6–8 week Tier 2/3 data teams facilitated by curriculum instructional leaders (CILs) and interventionists, monthly school-wide teams, and district-level accountability reviews reported to the Board of Education. Andrea (presenter) noted the district recently added multilingual-learner teachers to data teams to ensure consistent goal setting and differentiated instruction for MLL students.

Recent K–12 activity and results: at the secondary level, staff pointed to new full-time math and literacy intervention positions at Weston High School, plus an open math lab that has recorded ‘‘over 250 drop-ins’’ this school year for help across multiple subjects. The high-school literacy lab had conducted ‘‘over 150 individual student conferences’’ (data cited as of 10/27) and supported about 40 full-class visits in subjects ranging from English to science.

Staff described several operational improvements: a dedicated MTSS coordinator at the high school to coordinate schedules and staffing; joint reading, math and SEL data teams that replace earlier siloed meetings; and a move to formalized Tier 1 instructional plans that set 6–8 week progress goals and reduce premature placement into Tier 2 intervention.

Family communication and transparency: Kelly (presenter) said communication begins with the classroom teacher and continues with interventionists and families whenever a student’s supports change. The district plans ongoing family workshops and regular updates so tier changes are not a surprise to parents.

Board feedback and budget implications: presenters tied MTSS implementation to upcoming budget decisions, asking the Board to consider funding for assessments and data platforms such as DIBELS 8, NWEA, the Panorama SEL survey, and Tableau licensing to help staff analyze results efficiently. Tina said the MTSS handbook has ‘‘been a driving force for these requests’’ because staffing, professional development and curricular choices all flow from the framework.

Board members requested clearer, community-facing summaries to support budget requests. One board member urged future sessions on student self-advocacy and recommended annual or end-of-year highlight reports that explain how SRBI evolved into MTSS, how programs differ, and what the measurable return on investment is for the community to fund.

Next steps: staff said the presentation was an overview and that the subcommittee will schedule follow-up presentations (a multi-part series) to dive deeper into curriculum, secondary-level resources and the data that will support funding requests. The meeting adjourned after a motion to close was made and seconded.

Quotes used in this report were taken verbatim from presenters during the committee meeting and are attributed to the speakers listed in the meeting record above.