MTSS Integrated Conference '26

OSPI and the University of Denver will share Tier 1 supports from Building Blocks for Belonging (BB4B) to create learning environments where all young children can access the general education curriculum and experience joyful learning. As they define and explore Tier 1 supports, participants will learn to use strategies and tools from across the mixed delivery system and design activities that diversify instruction and environments while addressing learner variability to promote more joyful teaching experiences.

Schools have an ethical responsibility to meet the needs of LGBTQIA+ youth which goes beyond a GSA. This session will provide guidance for meeting the needs of LGBTQIA+ students using an affirming framework, empowering educators with the knowledge, skills, and attitude needed to do so. Interventions and resources are recommended in a subdivided, tiered framework addressing essential elements in inclusive school environments including culture, climate, curriculum, and counseling.

What if instruction was designed from the start to support every learner—especially those most often pushed to the margins?  This session explores how to build belonging, access, and calibration to create inclusive instruction and learning environments. Centering students with disabilities—including Black students and students with cognitive differences—whose experiences often reflect layered inequities—we explore how beliefs shape design, how proactive planning expands access, and how ongoing calibration using student response strengthens outcomes for all learners. Participants will leave with a practical reflection tool to redesign Tier 1 practices.

Participants will first experience an intro level session on gender diversity for school staff, including Tier 1 strategies to create intentionally inclusive spaces. Then, they will explore research that clearly indicates the need for this work and policy that calls for Washington educators to take action. Then, they will embark on a journey to explore multiple paths to classroom, school-wide, and district implementation of inclusive educational spaces that uplift and celebrate trans youth.