MTSS Integrated Conference 25

Learning about Restorative Practices is important, but experiencing them firsthand
is transformative. The impact of proactive community-building Restorative Practices work is
powerful, impactful, and accessible to everyone in the school community. Successfully
supporting youth needs means first supporting adult needs. We want to move quickly to directly
supporting youth, yet slowing down enough to take care of ourselves, our staff, and one another
will increase our overall impact.

Implementing Restorative Practices is about more than sitting in a circle. Successful
installation starts with both systems & implementation leaders understanding the roots of the
work, the principles that drive it, and the practices that bring it to life. For implementation to be
sustainable over time, however, it must be anchored and aligned to other work taking place
and cannot exist in a silo. A Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework provides the
structures necessary to support the use of data for decision-making, to progress-monitor
implementation over time, and to evaluate student and staff outcomes.

Traditional MTSS approaches rely heavily on academic, attendance, and discipline data—focusing supports around crisis and points of failure, rarely incorporating meaningful mental health data. This session highlights a partnership between King County and the Tahoma School District implementing universal mental health and substance use screening as part of a wider holistic wellness strategy in middle and high school, transforming a reactive, deficit-based model into one rooted in proactive wellness, student strengths, and authentic engagement.

Mental health concerns and exclusionary practices underscore the urgent need to create inclusive environments. By focusing on positive behavior support, mental health and wellness, and inclusive education, schools can enhance academic success and also foster social development and a sense of belonging. WA MTSS framework allows schools, districts, and ESDs to build their capacity to develop and deliver inclusionary practices and eliminate exclusionary practices, while addressing mental health promotion, prevention, and intervention for all learners.

This participant driven session is designed for those in building and/or district leadership positions to engage in small group collective problem solving related to barriers to inclusive practice implementation within an MTSS framework. The session will begin with a brief whole group overview of the principles and practices to build and sustain inclusive schools self-assessment tool. Participants will then self-select into a small group discussion (e.g. early learning, elementary, secondary, district) facilitated by members of AESD and the UW Haring Center for Inclusive Education. Using a problem of practice protocol, participants will engage with a vignette and explore potential solutions to common barriers to implementation. Participants will also be prompted to reflect and share how this process may inform their own inclusive journeys.

Multiple measures are available to support district and building leadership teams in evaluating MTSS implementation. This session provides an overview of the Center on MTSS Fidelity of Implementation Rubric (2025) and a recently developed interview, facilitator’s guide, and resource document funded by the Washington AIMS project. Participants will learn about the purpose, strengths, and challenges of multiple tools and will understand how the use of these measures can be combined for comprehensive school improvement efforts.

Multilingual Learners bring rich linguistic assets to the classroom. In this session we will demonstrate strategies that can be used in all K-12 classrooms and in all tiers to harness these assets and build on students' home languages for academic success. Whether you speak another language or not, you can support students to use their bilingual superpowers!