Lauren Major

Wildflower Elementary School
Colorado Springs, Colorado
lmajor@hsd2.org

Best Practices

1) Multi-Tiered System of Support: Our school has implemented a comprehensive MTSS system to identify students who require additional support and track their progress in intervention programs. This system is one of the many strengths of Wildflower. By streamlining our processes, we are able to collect academic data and use it to accurately place students in appropriate interventions, ultimately resulting in improved student achievement.

Our streamlined systems ensure that no student falls through the cracks. We provide tailored instruction to address individual needs and close the achievement gap, helping students perform on grade level. As a result, we have witnessed a reduction in referrals to special education. It is evident from the progress students make during interventions and their overall growth.

2) Behavior Intervention Support Team (BIST): The BIST system is another schoolwide strength at our institution. It promotes a culture of “grace and accountability,” centered on three life goals. These goals are broad enough to encompass any student behavior. Similar to addressing academic deficiencies, we identify the specific behavioral or social skills that a student lacks and create a plan to teach and practice them, ensuring each child finds success.

In our BIST system, the responsibility for discipline lies with the teacher. Students progress through a continuum of placements, starting from their own classroom to another grade level classroom or an identified recovery room. Before transitioning back, both the teacher and student engage in a scripted process to repair and strengthen their relationship. This approach has significantly reduced office referrals and enabled students to spend more time in a conducive learning environment.

With our robust MTSS and BIST systems in place, our school is well-equipped to support the academic and behavioral needs of our students, ensuring their success and growth.