DeSoto ISD looking to implement new strategies to improve educational outcomes for students

The district will transition to the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) in the spring.

DeSoto ISD is looking to take a more holistic approach to teaching its students through a learning model known as a Multi-Tiered System of Supports, the district announced.

The model helps teachers identify students who might be struggling, either behaviorally or academically. The district will use a tool called Branching Minds “to streamline our process to maximize learning so that all students meet individual high-level performance standards,” Kareeme Hawkins, DeSoto ISD interim director of SEL and Guidance said in a news release.

“We will have an intentional focus on every child and be able to holistically serve our students through academic, social, and emotional interventions.”

The district said MTSS also provides a framework for staff and parents to work together to focus on academic, behavioral and social-emotional learning, also known as SEL.

The district said MTSS also provides a framework for staff and parents to work together to focus on academic, behavioral and social-emotional learning, also known as SEL.

The Branching Minds platform will allow the district to gauge where students stand in the five areas of SEL: emotional regulation, self-awareness, social awareness, decision making and relationships, Hawkins said.

“Then, we can employ interventions and develop relevant SEL lessons to meet the needs of our students,” she added.

Currently, the district employs the Response to Intervention approach, which focuses on identifying students who require deeper support, such as special education.

This article originally appeared on The Dallas Morning News, on 11/23/2020