The MnMTSS framework supports teachers to identify any student who might be struggling, either academically or behaviorally through a three-tiered system. The district received a $205,000 grant by the Minnesota Department of Education to hire a MTSS coordinator for the next two years to build capacity of the MTSS framework across all grade levels within the district. Hill City School is an early childhood through 12th grade school.
Tier 1 consists of universal support for all students, which includes high-quality instruction. Tara Mattson, title teacher at Hill City School said, “We are fortunate to have a strong literacy emphasis that includes phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, reading fluency, comprehension, and writing. This allows our staff to focus on the guiding principles and practices that are proven to help students achieve reading success utilizing high-quality resources and best practice instruction.” The district is also excited about the new social emotional program being implemented called Hornet Hives. Lindsey Erickson, the school’s K-12 counselor said, “Hornet Hives is a small group mentoring program for all students in grades 6-12 that has shown great success in supporting student mental health. Through group discussions, activities, and individualized support, students have reported improvements in their mental health, increased feelings of support and understanding, and a greater sense of empowerment. The program has been praised for its ability to create a positive and inclusive environment for students to share their experiences and work towards their mental health goals together.”
Tier 2 at Hill City School consists of small group academic and behavior interventions throughout the scheduled day. Mrs. Fideldy, 1st grade teacher said, “All students that require additional reading or math support are identified and placed with a specialist that gives them the extra academic support needed to ensure success.” She went on to say, “Our small class sizes allow us to individually meet with all students in our classrooms to ensure they are receiving the instruction and support they need to be successful.” The middle school team is working on a new Power Hour for next school year for grades 5-8 to receive the academic or behavior support needed for each student.
Tier 3 support will continue to be strong with our teachers receiving new reading professional development, as well as assessment training. The district will now utilize an assessment program called Fastbridge “to streamline the process of learning so that all students meet individual high-level performance standards. Through our MTSS framework, our district will have an intentional focus for every student and be able to holistically serve our students through academic, social, and emotional interventions,” said Zac Erickson, Hill City School Principal.
On top of the academic and behavior support, Hill City School offers many student extracurricular activities. Mrs. Holm, English teacher and SWARM advisor said, “The Swarm is a student leadership group made up of class representatives from each grade, 6th through 12th. The Swarm’s mission is to foster school spirit, kindness and an inclusive environment, as well as building and strengthening relationships between our school and community. They plan such things as homecoming, our annual lock in, a community clean up day and our annual Veterans Day program to name a few.”
Our team of teachers and staff at Hill City School are committed to excellence, and with our MTSS focus, we will ensure all students thrive. Schedule a tour with Principal Erickson to see for yourself the Hornet pride our staff and students share!
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