Good Evening. My name is Paul Karnstedt, LHS Science teacher, Science Olympiad Coach, 9th grade lab coordinator, and secretary for the D128 Federation of Teachers. As always, thank you for this opportunity to speak on behalf of our members.
Today, I wanted to provide you with a report on some of our Multi Tiered System of Support (MTSS) measures and how they are playing out in our schools. I want to clarify that while I have quite a bit of insight into one specific system of our MTSS plan, the 9th Grade Lab at LHS, I am reporting upon things I am hearing from our members and representing our Union.
The district’s MTSS plan has come along quite a bit since the spring. It is very early in the year, and there have been a lot of changes to some courses, including grading policies, sequence of content, and differences in enrollment in those classes. So speaking as someone with a scientific background, it is hard to make an evaluation this early in the year with only a small sample size of grades and so many variables that have changed. However, I have some anecdotal observations from our Union teachers. Since a lot of these observations come from our teachers, we will focus on the systems that impact our teachers most: the Extension Lab and the 9th Grade Lab.
First, the Extension Lab has been a solid resource for our students. As a reminder, I’ll describe this intervention: this before-school tutoring allows students in grades 10, 11, and 12 , plus those 9th graders in Honors or AP classes (more about that later) to meet with certified teachers in English, science, math, and, recently added, social studies. This intervention is considered Tier 2, meaning that this tutoring is in addition to the support these students are already getting from their day-to-day classroom. teachers. Right now at each campus, two math, English, and science teachers work with assigned students from 7:50-8:35 a.m. And you’re looking at one of them! We are working with the Administration to rectify their violation of the Memorandum of Understanding that applies to teachers taking on this Extension Lab additional work. When signed by our Union and this School Board in June, the Extension Lab MOU did not include 9th graders or social studies; we have been meeting to discuss how to rectify the MOU violations while serving these 2 areas of need.
Second, the 9th Grade Lab is another Tier 2 intervention, scheduled during the day, targeted towards our students in our College Prep Freshman Lit & Comp, Biology, and Algebra I. This intervention is staffed by new Educational Support Personnel positions created this year, with some teachers (myself being one) acting in a role to schedule students or to facilitate communication between the tutors and course teams. As the gradebooks have started to fill up, our teachers are identifying students who would benefit from extra help. These freshmen course teams share a common planning period this year which gives them the ability to share their ideas for quality instruction that is the foundation of our Tier I interventions; they can also discuss which students would benefit from being connected with the 9th grade lab ESP tutors.
We have had a lot of positive feedback from our teachers involved in our Freshmen PAWS program. As a reminder, this intervention is delivered by content area teachers, and is designed to target students with skills deficiencies in Math or English – we call these interventions PAWS Numeracy and PAWS Literacy respectively. Students were placed in these interventions via the STAR test. As for how the program is rolling out in the buildings, the first hiccup occurred when the administration of the STAR test was delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. The domino effect also caused a delay in finalizing the rosters for PAWS Numeracy and Literacy until about two weeks ago. In the meantime, our PAWS Numeracy and Literacy teachers used the first several weeks of school to get to know all of the students assigned to their PAWS class period, and work with them on whatever Math or English help they needed in their classes. The second surprise occured when our PAWS Numeracy and Literacy teachers got their finalized roster, and they noticed some STAR test results seemed a bit off. Despite delays and inconsistencies in the STAR data, one outcome is very clear. The PAWS Numeracy and Literacy teachers have been able to use their experience and expertise to identify skills that students have deficits in and work with them on improving those skills while also assisting them in course content. Teachers report that there is a proactive rather than a reactive vibe in helping our students through the PAWS Numeracy and Literacy programs. The plan moving forward is that our building administration and the PAWS teams continue to work together on how best to use the STAR test and the PAWS program to help students with skill deficits, and make adjustments when necessary.
I do need to say…there are some gaps in MTSS coverage. There are some periods where Tier I help is not available in the MASH or ARC. There are some students that due to their schedule, either a 0 hour class, or enrollment at tech campus, can not be connected with the Extension Lab. There is still some lack of clarity as some teachers are only now (we are only 6 weeks in) starting to connect students to these interventions. However, we are working together to find the best solutions for our students.
Speaking about the entire MTSS implementation, with several teachers and counselors on the various committees along with administration, we have been given a seat at the table to discuss how things are going, and what improvements need to be made. As we plan out the specific systems, our Administration has trusted our professional judgment and our accounts of how things are going on our end, when it comes to decision making. It has been noticeable, and it is appreciated. In the Administration’s MTSS Presentation you will see tonight, they do say they will collaborate with us when it comes to decision-making in the future. At this moment in time, we have no reason to believe that this won’t happen. However, I would be neglectful in my Union role if I did not point out that this hopeful feeling reminds us of where we were in fall 2023 when teachers were asked to collaborate on an MTSS plan. At that time, you had been told directly that teachers would help determine these systems. And then we were here this spring telling you how we were included in the conversation, until … suddenly, we were not. When we questioned admin’s unilateral decisions in light of teacher jobs being cut, it was implied in a Board Meeting that we were overstepping the purview of our Union. We do not want to end up there. I do not feel anyone in this room wants to. But, we need to learn from the past to avoid re-opening some wounds that we are all collectively working together to heal. We hope to continue to be trusted as we give our recommendations about what is and isn’t working. Continue to trust that we can delve into the financial or logistical complexities when it comes to staffing support. Continue to trust that we are looking out for the best outcome for our students.
I want to end on a personal observation. Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Dr. Tom Koulentes has said often in MTSS meetings, as well as here at School Board meetings, that our greatest Tier 1 interventions for students are our instructional practices. He is right (and thank you Tom for the well-deserved compliment to our teachers … keep on saying it)! I want to expand upon that as well. Due to my own personal schedule, I’ve been able to come into school a lot earlier this year, and as a result, I spend more time between the times of 8:00 and 8:45 moving around the building making copies, connecting with colleagues about MTSS supports, setting up Chemistry labs, etc. And I wanted to just reiterate how many of our staff help students before school. I want to reiterate how often I see teachers helping students during their lunch periods. These are all extra supports that fall into the Tier 1 category that I feel do not get acknowledged enough. If you look at our District’s Tier 1 interventions, I would argue the most common intervention our teachers use is to devote their before school time, prep periods, lunch periods, and after school time to their students. They could be grading papers, lesson planning, eating lunch, but instead they put off those tasks for the evenings because they put helping students first. This is the cultural norm at our schools. Our MTSS system depends on our awesome staff to provide these interventions, because we are dedicated to helping our kids and making sure they succeed. I want to say thank you to all of my fellow Union members for what you do, you are awesome, and while I had this microphone I wanted you to know how our collective MTSS journey highlights the work you do.