Safe and Supportive Schools

The SSSP defines "School Climate" as the quality and character of school life as reflected in its norms, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, teaching and learning practices, and organizational structures, as experienced by students enrolled in the school district, parents of those students, school personnel, and members of the community.

Addressing school climate through the MTSS framework influences the experiences of the school community members and has a direct impact on student learning and development. Each campus should annually measure school climate using a school climate survey, a bullying and cyberbullying survey, and any other school and local community data that impacts the quality and character of school life. Analysis of the data allows campuses to identify opportunities for improvement of the school climate in the areas of peer and adult relationships including bullying and cyberbullying awareness and prevention, teaching and learning practices, recruitment and retention of quality staff, student and staff engagement and connectedness to the school community, and student, staff and parent perceptions of safety at school.

Using the MTSS framework, campuses develop and implement school-wide and classroom specific strategies and supports that are delivered to all students to address the opportunities for improvement identified during the analysis of the data collected. Ongoing monitoring of student response to the universal strategies and supports through the multidisciplinary process allows the campus to identify and support students who need additional targeted or intensive intervention. 

TEA has developed guidance and curated a suite of resources to support the efforts of campuses and districts in improving school climate.

School Climate Resources

Establishing campus and classroom culture routines that promote student readiness to learn supports students' academic development. Established and effective routines provide a learning environment that promotes academic risk-taking and student ownership of learning so that all students can engage with standards-aligned, high quality learning experiences that facilitate the development of the knowledge and skills that prepare them for college, a career, or military service.

Regular monitoring of student academic development within the classroom provides educators with opportunities to adjust classroom routines and instructional strategies and provide students with additional supports to meet their needs. Student response to the supports is monitored through the multidisciplinary process embedded in the MTSS framework. When the need for additional support is identified, students are provided with targeted or intensive intervention. Addressing non-academic (social, emotional, mental and behavioral health and wellness needs) and academic development of students through the MTSS framework enables students to reach their full potential.

The Texas Education Agency has partnered with the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk and the University of Texas to develop academic pathways that provide evidence-based tiered interventions that educators can use to support students.

Academic Support Resources

Comprehensive school mental health systems support the safety, academic success, and well-being of students. The comprehensive school mental health system is built on a strong foundation that brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to plan, implement, and improve the system; conducts regular needs assessments to understand the strengths, gaps, and needs within the local context; selects and implements culturally-responsive services and supports that are backed by evidence of their effectiveness, and engages in on-going performance monitoring and quality improvement.

Key Concepts -- Comprehensive School Mental Health systems provide a continuum of services and supports intended to:

• Promote a positive school climate;
• Teach and support skills for social, emotional, and behavioral health;
• Prevent mental health and substance abuse problems;
• Intervene early to reduce the severity of mental health concerns; and
• Provide school-based and community-based interventions and supports to students and families.

Behavioral and Mental Health Services and Support Resources

Integrated student supports encompass a wide variety of interventions, supports, and practices that schools implement to improve student academic outcomes by addressing the academic and non-academic needs that often pose a barrier to teaching and learning.  This work is grounded in the understanding that educational success is directly impacted by factors both within and outside of the classroom and that the needs of the "whole child" must be met using a wraparound approach to maximize the effectiveness of academic instruction.

Schools that implement integrated student supports use a data driven approach to identify and address the factors impacting students’ educational success and to monitor the effectiveness of the services and supports provided to the students and their families.  The factors impacting educational success are identified through the analysis of data collected using a needs assessment. Based on the identified needs, the school can develop and deliver universal supports and provide targeted and intensive interventions and services to students and their families. Schools engage in partnerships with community, county, and state organizations to provide students and their families with coordinated services. Regular data tracking ensures that student needs are met on a consistent basis.

Integrated student supports are aligned with the MTSS framework and enhance both academic and non-academic outcomes for students.

Integrated Student Support Resources

• Multi-Tiered System of Supports
• MTSS Fact Sheet for Families
• Tiered Intervention using Evidence-based Research (TIER)

• School Climate Improvement Resource Package
• TEA Safe, Supportive, and Positive School Climate Resources

• Center for Effective Schools
• The Meadows Center for Preventing Education Risk
• RtI Action Network:Tiered Instruction and Intervention
• Texas Teach Like a Champion
• High Quality Instructional Materials available through TEA
• Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Training (SMART)

• TEA Mental Health and Behavioral Health Website
• Texas School Mental Health 
• Project Aware Texas
• Building Your Resilience
• Tiered Intervention using Evidence-based Research (TIER)
• Texas School Mental Health Resources Database

• Communities in Schools of Texas
• Effective Schools Framework - Lever 3
• Community Partnerships
• Community Schools
• Texas Center for Student Supports

• Model Policies and Procedures to Establish and Train on Threat Assessment
• Behavioral Threat Assessment Toolkit
• Behavior Threat Assessment Training

• Restorative Discipline Practices
• Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports
• Tiered Intervention using Evidence-based Research (TIER)

• Texas Project Restore
• Red Cross Resources for Before and During an Emergency
• Suicide Prevention Resource Center: Resources for Schools
• Texas Advancing Suicide Safer Schools Roadmap
• COVID-19 Support and Guidance

• Approved Training for Operational and Instructional Time Waivers for School Safety Training
• Texas School Safety Center
• Title IV, Part A School Safety State Initiative