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Implementor Spotlight - Washington County School District
Washington County School District has been working diligently to strengthen its tiered supports for academics and behavior (RTI2-A and RTI2-B) for several years and began its journey of aligning them by partnering with Tennessee TSC in the Fall of 2023. Initially, a small District Leadership Team came together and used the DCAT to assess the district’s strengths and identify areas needing support. After their first cohort of schools attended Tier I Training with Tennessee TSC, the District Leadership Team realized they needed additional team members at the table. They decided to expand their team by adding representatives from the first cohort of schools. This decision enhanced the work of the District Leadership Team by providing a better representation of the educator’s perspective.
Since partnering with Tennessee TSC, the district has provided meaningful professional development opportunities to strengthen Tier I behavior supports. These opportunities have addressed restorative practices, instructional practices in well-managed classrooms, and strategies to reduce disruptive behaviors. In the process of delivering needed professional development, the district has also taken steps to build its capacity to support schools from within, ensuring teacher leaders and key members of the District Leadership Team developed and led the delivery of their professional development content.
Grandview Elementary is one example of a school benefiting and making changes as a result of Washington County’s partnership with Tennessee TSC. Rachel Heaton, the assistant principal, described how the school has used experience and data (e.g., SIFA results; universal screening results for academics and behavior; office discipline referrals) to make dramatic changes to instruction and intervention, which have led to improvements in the school’s culture and climate to student behavior. Grandview Elementary has focused on the power of Tier I support when organizing their systems and staff. Rachel shared how a major instructional change has been the implementation of “Morning Meetings,” which create a myriad of student learning opportunities. Time for Morning Meetings is reserved in the schoolwide schedule, which has created a space for the school community to focus on topics like schoolwide expectations, student self-efficacy, provision of Tier II supports, and conflict mediation. In the middle grades, a preventative measure known as an “exploding schedule” allows students to have time away from the groups of peers they are regularly with in their homeroom. This creates time for moments of calm and reflection and an opportunity to interact with different students. Grandview Elementary’s behavior data from the 2021-2022 school year to the end of the 2023-2024 school year showed a 26% drop in office referrals for the entire school. This shows the power of a strong Tier I foundation for supporting students across the school.
Washington County School District is committed to making changes that will positively impact student outcomes, and this dedication is showing up in their data. With an approach that includes voices from a range of collaborators throughout the school district, Washington County School District exemplifies how change and growth are possible through hard work and a commitment to students, staff, families, and the community!
