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Southern Columbia highlights MTSS expansion, new autism supports and districtwide writing progression
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Summary
District administrators described expansion of an elementary autistic support classroom, rollout of the TeachTown curriculum and a K–12 writing progression (TDA), and said MTSS referrals and a child-study process now cover roughly 40 students in tiers 2–3 while SEL and small-group interventions are expanding.
Southern Columbia Area School District administrators on Feb. 28 described multiple changes to classroom supports aimed at improving student outcomes, particularly for students with disabilities and those needing tiered academic or social‑emotional support.
Mrs. Bowlby, who the presentation identified as the district’s special‑education lead, said the district launched an elementary autistic‑support classroom after a 2024 board proposal and is partnering with the CSIU educational consultant for ongoing coaching and training. “Based on the recommendation from the educational consultant, we did send three members of the autistic support program to attend a three‑day training specifically focused on teaching students with autism or other developmental disabilities,” she said.
Administrators said the district purchased TeachTown over the summer and deployed it across special‑education classrooms this school year. Presenters said TeachTown is K–12 aligned, evidence‑based and supplies physical materials plus online progress monitoring. The district played a brief classroom clip to show student engagement; presenters and board members discussed the vendor’s training options and the additional cost some sessions require.
Officials also described an intentional K–8 writing progression tied to a technical document analysis (TDA) approach and three vertical alignment meetings this year to ensure consistency across grades. “Our teachers are building portfolios that follow students from year to year and are using shared organizers and checklists to show growth,” a presenter said.
On MTSS, the district’s MTSS coordinator (referred to in the presentation) described a one‑stop referral form developed with the IU and a child‑study team that includes building administrators, counselors and classroom teachers. The coordinator noted approximately 40 students are currently receiving tier‑2 or tier‑3 MTSS supports (academic, behavior or social‑emotional), not counting separate speech or occupational therapy referrals, and said the team monitors interventions for about four to six weeks before revising plans.
Emily Lipakowski, identified in the presentation as the intervention support specialist, described small groups and individual check‑ins used for mental‑health and SEL support. Lipakowski said school‑based mood check tools and a 20–25 question screener help identify students; groups are generally capped at six students and are organized around skills such as coping strategies, social skills and anger management.
Administrators said these initiatives involve staffing and training choices that will continue to evolve. They flagged the need for vendor or in‑house training for new curricula and said some upgrades (for example, additional coaching time) will be considered as part of next year’s budgeting and professional‑development planning.
The board did not take a formal vote on any of the items; administrators said they will return in February with additional implementation details and budget considerations.
