HMTSS is a data-driven, team-based decision-making framework for achieving positive outcomes for every student through a layered continuum of evidence-based practices.

The HMTSS Framework is the vehicle by which these outcomes can be effectively and efficienty achieved. It is designed to:

• provide access and equity to all students, regardless of their strengths and areas of need;

• focus on system structures and a continuum of services across the state, complex area, school, and classroom to meet the academic, behavioral, social and emotional, and physical health needs of all students;

• establish a system that provides high-quality core educational experiences in a safe and supportive learning environment for all students;

• target appropriate interventions and/or supports for students who experience academic, behavioral, social, emotional, and physical health challenges, as well as for students who have demonstrated mastery of the concepts and skills being taught; and

• strategically deploy limited resources to most effectively and efficiently provide appropriate support to a myriad of student needs.

The HMTSS employs a full range of integrated, proactive programs, supports, interventions, and services to create a positive and nurturing school environment that meets the needs of all students. The framework addresses the diversity and complexity of students’ strengths and needs to ensure that every student at every school has an equitable opportunity to succeed.

Support through HMTSS

The HMTSS framework can provide the appropriate support and resources that promote the academic progress and the social, emotional, mental, and physical well-being of all students. The Hawaii Department of Education’s multi-tiered framework provides a data-driven approach to meeting the needs of the whole child for all students. Resources can be deployed to most effectively and efficiently leverage the strengths and mitigate the areas of growth or needs of every student in the school. A combination of screening, remote or in person, at the beginning of the year, with an individual student referral system active throughout the year, promotes trusting relations and family engagement. To optimize the learning process, students and staff need to feel cared for, engaged with, and acclimated to the school community, so that the school can deliver culturally responsive instruction more effectively, particularly during this period of phased reopening and blended learning models within the greater school design.

HMTSS incorporates a process that schools can use to provide support for all its students:

To promote mental health, HMTSS focuses on providing a safe and supportive whole school environment, helping the vast majority of students be successful, and providing a continuum of support for those who need more. Supports and services are determined and evaluated through a team-based data-driven decision model. The following system of support practices ensure that students are provided with the appropriate interventions to address their mental health needs:

1. Offer a structured and predictable learning environment that is sensitive to the trauma of students and staff.

2. Focus on building positive and responsive relationships between teachers and students.

3. Conduct a frequent check of the school’s student referral process for Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 interventions to ensure that concerns regarding student’s emotional and mental well-being are addressed.

4. Implement evidence-based strategies of PBIS to promote positive school climates and social and emotional learning to develop the emotional and mental well-being of all students.

5. Provide targeted and individualized supports and interventions for identified student concerns, including but not limited to group and individualized counseling.

6. Utilize a balanced restorative approach to conflict and conflict mediation with trauma-sensitive disciplinary practices.

7. Connect students and families to interagency and community resources when needs exceed those available through school-based supports and services.

8. Continually monitor the fidelity of implementation of PBIS, HMTSS, and SEL systems and practices and introduce new measures, supports, and interventions to meet the unique mental health needs of school campuses.