Halmstad Elementary School

Building an equitable, multi-level
system of supports

Halmstad Elementary is making great strides in working towards an equitable, multi-level system of supports. One significant factor in their successful implementation has been strong district support. Halmstad’s leadership team, in collaboration with their district partners, understood that the same multi-leveled system framework used to address student behavior would also work for academics, in particular, reading.

To inform both academic and behavior support system implementation, they created collaborative data processes across their school. Teams meet weekly to discuss student-level data, alternating focus between academic data and behavior data. Discussions are centered around students’ behavior, academic achievement, accommodating disabilities, cultural responsivity, and the relationships staff have with students. The commitment to using data to drive continuous improvement has contributed to significant improvements for students. Since reaching fidelity in PBIS, Halmstad Elementary has decreased office discipline referrals by 56%. This is equal to an extra 10 days that students are in the classroom strengthening their reading and literacy skills.

Halmstad Elementary uses reading screeners to collect formative assessment data to inform and improve reading instruction. Scores on these tools have shown consistent positive reading achievement for students, with a majority (77% or higher) of students meeting benchmarks. Halmstad is now working on their selected and intensive supports for students in both behavior and academics.

https://cfsd.chipfalls.k12.wi.us/halmstad/