District updates BLAST behavioral-support program, says all pilot students improved

Carson City School District staff and BLAST partners gave the board an informational update on the district's BLAST behavioral-support program, which district presenters said expanded this year beyond the pilot and is now serving kindergarten through fifth grade.

Dr. Ainsley Luan, representing the BLAST team, described the program as a supported-inclusion model that pairs behavior specialists with committed classroom teachers to deliver individualized, evidence-based interventions in general-education settings rather than moving students to self-contained placements.

'Every student that was enrolled in our BLAST program last year improved, made progress towards their social, emotional, and behavioral goals,' Dr. Luan said, summarizing year-one outcomes.

Presenters said the program emphasizes function-based interventions, progress monitoring, in-the-moment ('in vivo') coaching for teachers, and a strong mentorship role for special-education and general-education teacher leads. The district indicated it is intentionally keeping BLAST students in general-education settings when possible and providing de-escalation and brief treatment rooms as needed.

Presenters described the entry process: teams first exhaust classroom- and school-level MTSS supports; cases are referred to the District Intervention Assistance Team (DIAP) and, only after that review and additional data, might a student be placed in BLAST. Exit from BLAST was described as a gradual 'crawl down' the MTSS pyramid with continuing supports provided through IEPs or consultative models.

Trustees asked about long-term outcome measurement and tracking; presenters said longitudinal follow-up in the literature is limited, but the district will use IEP documentation and group-level analyses where possible and intends to share findings with peers (presenters noted plans to present at the NASB conference). The program is housed at Mark Twain with services extended to students from Seeliger, Boardwalk, Fremont and other elementary sites; the district approves transportation variances and buses students to Mark Twain when placement requires it.

District and site staff emphasized teacher training and a focus on sustainability: the goal is to stabilize behaviors and then share strategies with school teams so broader groups of students can receive less intensive, lower-cost supports.