What are Equitable Multi-Level Systems of Support (EMLSS)?
The members of the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District (CFAUSD) have worked to create and implement an Equitable Multi-Level Systems of Support (EMLSS) for all CFAUSD students. Equity is the cornerstone of how we support our students, and drives us to ensure that every student has access to the educational resources and rigor they need at the right moment in their education. Our district system is modeled after the state of Wisconsin’s vision for EMLSS and strives to achieve higher levels of academic, behavioral, social, and emotional success for ALL students.
Three essential elements interconnect in the CFAUSD EMLSS System: high quality instruction, strategic use of data, and collaboration. Additionally, the system has multiple levels of support based on the need of each student. The CFAUSD EMLSS System will help school staff members in the proactive identification and support of students of varying abilities and needs. Currently, intervention times are implemented for academic, behavioral, and social-emotional interventions. Data on student progress is collected and reviewed on a regular basis by school teams to determine that all students are making growth.
Below is a link to an overview of Wisconsin's state vision of EMLSS where you can learn more about the EMLSS System and how both academics and behavior are supported:
http://www.wisconsinrticenter.org/parents-and-family.html
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Let's Talk About Equity
Equity is the cornerstone of how we support our students, and drives us to ensure that EVERY student has access to the educational resources and rigor they need at the right moment in their education.
Equity in education means that personal or social circumstances such as gender, ethnic origin, or family background, are not obstacles to achieving educational potential (definition of fairness) and that all individuals reach at least a basic minimum level of skills (definition of inclusion).
It is important to differentiate between equality (where every student is treated the same) and equity (where every student has the support they need to be successful). In education, we engage in equitable practices by putting systems in place to ensure that every child has an equal chance for success.
Think about runners sprinting around an oval track. From an equity standpoint, we should make sure that all the runners start at the same place on the track, to ensure that we're treating the runners in exactly the same way. Seems fair, right? Unfortunately, we know that the inside lanes are a shorter distance than the outside lanes. Thus, the runners in the inside lanes have a distinct advantage over the runners in the outside lanes, and starting in the same place (equality) isn't actually fair. In contrast, if we stagger the starting positions of the runners to offset the disadvantages faced by those runners in the outside lanes, we're engaging in equity. |
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Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
PBIS is a framework or approach for assisting school personnel in adopting and organizing evidence-based behavioral interventions into an integrated continuum that enhances academic and social behavior outcomes for all students.
Schools across Wisconsin have created more effective learning environments for students and staff by implementing behavior supports. Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) establishes clear expectations for students and takes active steps towards teaching, modeling, and reinforcing appropriate behaviors school-wide.
Benefits of a systemic approach to teaching behavior
While schools often implement PBIS to help teach and correct behavioral error, research shows integrating behavior supports into your system also has these important benefits:
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Behavioral Expectations
Be Respectful
Be Responsible
Be Safe
Be Productive (Middle and High School)
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HOW DO STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT PBIS?
Each school develops, displays and teaches ALL students the expectations for behaviors. School-wide expectations as well as classroom expectations are taught through the use of a Teach-To. Visuals of the expectations are displayed throughout the building.
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HOW IS POSITIVE BEHAVIOR REWARDED?
Each building has developed a structured system for rewarding positive behaviors. Rewards are immediate (ticket or token), unpredictable (classroom drawing, building-wide drawing), and celebratory (based on meeting a school-wide expectation). See your schools PBIS website for specific information on your students school.
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WHO IMPLEMENTS PBIS?
ALL CFAUSD staff is responsible for implementing PBIS. Each building has a PBIS team consisting of individuals trained in PBIS implementation.
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WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP MY STUDENT DISPLAY POSITIVE BEHAVIORS AT SCHOOL?
- Review the expectations with your child.
- Ask your child about his/her day at school every day.
- Make sure your child is ready every day. Ensure a good night’s sleep.
- Make sure your child arrives to school on time each day.
- Encourage your child to be on time to every class.
- Provide a quiet time and space for your child to do homework nightly.
- Keep in touch with your child’s teacher.
- Encourage your child to use appropriate language and tone.
- Practice positive phrases with your child, such as, “Thank you,” “Excuse me,” and “Please.”
- Be a visible part of your child's school day. Attend PTA meetings and other school activities.
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| Home Behavior Matrix |
| If you would like to bring PBIS into your home start by using this matrix to define the positive behaviors you would like your child to display. |
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| Last Updated: 12/10/20 |
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