SI 2026: Breakout Session #3

This session will provide participants with background information on the state of youth mental health as well as concepts regarding the integration of student mental health and SW-PBS through MTSS via the Interconnected Systems Framework. This will include illustrations of integration through case examples. Participants will also receive practical resources to support their schools’ integration of SW-PBS and school mental health initiatives.

SESSION OUTCOMES:

• Learn how school mental health supports fit within multi-tiered systems in the Interconnected Systems Framework
• Be able to describe practical examples of how school mental health and SW-PBS can be integrated
• Gain resources regarding the integration of mental health and SW-PBS

During this session, participants will take a deep dive into the profound impact that strengthening family relationships can have on the success of a student. Come talk through common challenges that schools experience along with different ways to walk alongside families to help them support their children’s growth. Participants will leave with clear, concrete examples of when, what, and how they can tackle this tricky topic.

SESSION OUTCOMES:

• Gain a stronger insight into the importance of school-family partnerships
• Walk away with easy-to-implement strategies to start tough conversations
• Gain confidence in the ability to work through tough topics with families to achieve better outcomes for students

Adolescents thrive when given authentic opportunities to voice their opinions on important topics. However, students are rarely given the chance to make decisions associated with their own behavioral interventions. This session will include a realistic and feasible process for soliciting and using student voice to design effective behavioral interventions.

SESSION OUTCOMES:

• Identify student and intervention characteristics that are best suited for integrating opportunities for the use of student voice
• Describe how to use student voice to identify interfering and alternative behavioral targets for intervention
• Describe how to teach students to graph and evaluate their own intervention data

Are you looking for fresh and effective ways to fund your SW-PBS program without relying on the same old fundraisers? This session will showcase how Joplin High School built creative, sustainable fundraising systems that engage students, staff, and the community. Participants will gain practical ideas, partnership strategies, and ready-to-use tools to strengthen their SWPBS initiatives and celebrate positive behavior all year long. Learn how to align fundraising with your SW-PBS vision to help your school truly soar!

SESSION OUTCOMES:

• Identify multiple creative and sustainable fundraising strategies to support SW-PBS initiatives at the high school level
• Learn how to connect fundraising efforts directly to SW-PBS goals, rewards, and student-recognition systems
• Develop a practical action plan to launch or expand fundraising efforts

Teams can struggle with knowing when to reduce or remove Tier 2 supports once students demonstrate improvements. This session will guide participants through data-based decision-making for fading Tier 2 interventions including which components to fade and how to do so systematically. Participants will learn about differences in fading approaches based on grade level and type of Tier 2 intervention.

SESSION OUTCOMES:

• Identify data decision rules for when to begin fading students from Tier 2
• Identify the components of Tier 2 interventions that can be faded
• Learn how fading decision rules might vary based on a student’s grade level and the type of Tier 2 intervention

This session will explore how trauma-informed mindsets can strengthen Tier 1 SW-PBS systems to create more inclusive and supportive school environments. Participants will examine how safety, belonging, and predictability serve as foundations for positive behavior and equitable access to learning. Through practical examples and reflection, participants will learn strategies to embed trauma-responsive approaches into schoolwide expectations, teaching practices, and team systems. Walk away with actionable tools and ideas you can implement immediately.

SESSION OUTCOMES:

• Identify key trauma-informed mindsets that strengthen inclusive Tier 1 SW-PBS implementation
• Apply practical strategies to design schoolwide systems that promote safety, belonging, and equitable access for all learners
• Analyze examples of inclusive, trauma-responsive practices and determine how to integrate them into participants’ own schools or districts

This session is designed for smaller school districts and offers innovative ideas and resources to facilitate meaningful change. A small PK-8 district with limited resources, North Wood R-IV is committed to enhancing its leadership, systems, and culture. This results in significant improvements for staff, students, and parents. The district’s MTSS serves as a guiding framework to address academic, attendance, behavioral, and social-emotional needs through a structured approach that integrates interventions and enrichment opportunities. These concepts can be adapted for schools of any size and at any grade level, empowering educators to implement impactful strategies.

SESSION OUTCOMES:

• Recognize that MTSS offers a framework for addressing student academic, attendance, behavioral, and social-emotional needs through a structured approach
• Gain insights into how North Wood R-IV prioritizes its leadership, culture, and systems to create positive outcomes for students
• Be able to adapt or replicate successful strategies and resources to address the unique needs of participants’ own districts

This session will provide participants with a practical, step-by-step guide to develop a single, cohesive MTSS framework that effectively integrates academic interventions with SW-PBS programs. Educators often struggle with running SW-PBS and MTSS as separate, parallel initiatives. This session will address this challenge head-on by demonstrating how to eliminate silos, streamline data collection, and use a unified tiered structure to support the whole child. Learn how to create a system where academic success and behavioral health are mutually reinforcing, not competing, priorities.

SESSION OUTCOME:

• Evaluate current academic MTSS and behavioral SW-PBS initiatives to identify overlaps, gaps, and opportunities for consolidation
• Design specific, evidence-based intervention menus that simultaneously address common academic and behavioral needs
• Learn how to use integrated data dashboards to identify students needing Tier 2 and Tier 3 support

This session will explore refreshing strategies for fostering a sense of belonging among Black and Brown students, challenging societal norms and redefining possibilities through culturally responsive practices within the MTSS and SW-PBS framework.

SESSION OUTCOMES:

• Explore strategies and tools to create sense of belonging for all children
• Become aware of how unfair acts and practices adversely affect Black and Brown students
• Create different examples of equitable experiences for students

Come learn how we reward positive and expected behaviors at Monroe Elementary School. Participants will walk away with ideas on how to implement classroom rewards, schoolwide rewards, and trimester awards in low-budget ways.

SESSION OUTCOMES:

• Gain ideas for celebrating expected behaviors in the classroom
• Receive ideas for schoolwide celebrations
• Learn how to incorporate families into celebrations