Core Component 1: Foundational Beliefs

Core Component 1:

Foundational Beliefs

(Establishing what we believe)

Shared guiding principles, core values, and foundational beliefs provide the underpinning for the HMTSS framework as it fosters responsive and equitable school design. These principles, values, and beliefs are integrated into the framework and form the basis upon which it is built. They offer a starting point for schools implementing a multi-tiered system of student support, which provides the educational conditions that promote student achievement and well-being for the whole child.

What do we believe about students?

• All students can learn.

• Student learning includes both academic and non-academic competencies.

• Students perform best when their academic, behavioral, social and emotional, and physical health and wellness are provided for.

• All students deserve equitable access to the resources they need to succeed.

• Students come from diverse cultures, family structures, and histories, which affect both their ability to learn and how they learn.

• Students are best supported in their learning when they maintain meaningful relationships with caring adults.

• Students perform best when they have a “growth mindset” that acknowledges that with effort and appropriate supports, it is possible to increase their competencies, with abilities developing over time.

• Students have perspectives and aspirations that are important to their educational experiences, and student voice is vital to the design of their educational programs, learning experiences, and school structure.

What is the role of educators in addressing the needs of students?

• All adults on campus have a shared responsibility in the education, safety, and overall success of all students.

• Educators acknowledge that they can change student behavior and performance by changing adult behavior and performance.

• Educators support the needs of the whole child: academic, behavioral, social and emotional, and physical, for all students.

• Educators are responsible for providing equitable access to appropriate support for all students.

• Educators provide effective, engaging core instruction to all students as a critical factor in supporting student academic and non-academic success.

• Educators provide curriculum, instruction, supports, and services that are culturally responsive, acknowledging the importance of students’ culture to their learning.

• Educators believe that all students can learn and achieve high standards as a result of effective instruction and supports.

• Educators differentiate instruction to meet every student’s learning styles and needs.

• Educators with a “growth mindset” believe that with effort and appropriate supports, students will increase their competencies and abilities over time.

• Educators highly value students’ perspectives, aspirations, and voices, designing their learning experiences with student input.

Why use the HMTSS framework?

• HMTSS is a purposeful framework of evidence-based, system-wide practices that support the wellness and growth of the whole child.

• The HMTSS data-driven, team-based decision-making process increases the quality of the educational experience for all students.

• HMTSS utilizes evidence-based curricula, instructional approaches, and student supports to provide the students with the best opportunity for success.

• HMTSS is a proactive system focused on prevention and early intervention rather than reaction to student needs only when those needs become problems.

• HMTSS allows schools to deploy their resources effectively and efficiently to develop an inclusive environment that enables every child to succeed, identifying appropriate resources and supports for each student.

What conditions contribute to school-level success in implementing HMTSS?

• Strong schoolwide practices are the foundation of an effective system of support. Practices schools employ with all students, including engaging standards-aligned academic instruction, well-defined behavioral expectations, positive school culture, social and emotional competencies, and established attendance norms, contribute to students’ growth, providing a strong baseline from which to meet the needs of every student.

• Effective and committed leadership, starting with school administration and distributed throughout the school, is critical to establishing and sustaining HMTSS with fidelity.

• Continuous development of staff expertise and school capacity is the basis of successful implementation. Professional development, technical assistance, and ongoing support for all members of the school community are vital to sustaining progress.

• A culture of collaboration focused on student growth and the achievement of all students, including those struggling or advanced, includes students, educators, families, and the community working as partners in providing students with the resources needed.

How does HĀ influence the implementation of HMTSS?

• HĀ focuses school and student outcomes on developing skills, behaviors, and dispositions that are rooted in Hawai‘i’s unique context and honors the qualities and values of the indigenous language and culture of Hawai‘i.

• HĀ promotes an approach to student learning that is both unique to Hawai‘i and encompasses the universal competencies that every student needs to succeed.

• HĀ addresses the whole child by strengthening belonging, responsibility, excellence, aloha, total well-being, and Hawai‘i (BREATH), and by grounding the work in the academic, social and emotional, behavioral, and physical domains.

• HĀ engenders a sense of community as all stakeholders share in responsibility and leadership for student success.