At Lake Orion High School, Multi-Tiered System of Supports centers on one question: What does this student need to stay connected, succeed and graduate?
That question has guided the development of a process that combines focused data collection, shared responsibility and meaningful relationships. Over the past four years, the team has worked to make student support a coordinated effort that responds to individual needs and keeps students moving toward graduation.
Starting with the Outcomes
Before selecting tools or building interventions, Lake Orion’s team identified the challenges they wanted to address. Helping students graduate, improving attendance and keeping more students connected to their high school community rose to the top. Those priorities shaped five screening areas: reading, math, credits, attendance and social-emotional needs.
The team then worked backward, asking how they could recognize concerns, measure progress and use the resources already available. They spent a full year developing their MTSS framework before launching it. That preparation gave them time to establish responsibilities and create a process staff could use consistently.
Their focus on keeping students at Lake Orion is showing encouraging results. The team reports that enrollment in the district-connected alternative education program has decreased from approximately 80 students to 56 over four years. They view that change as progress toward helping more students succeed within their high school community.
Turning Information into Individual Support
Lake Orion’s process draws on multiple sources of information. Screening results are considered alongside grades, attendance patterns, classroom performance and staff observations. When a result does not match other evidence, the team follows up to better understand the discrepancy.
Teacher referrals provide another entry point. When a concern is raised, the team connects with the student’s counselor and gathers feedback from teachers across the student’s schedule. This helps determine whether the difficulty is isolated to one classroom or occurring across several settings.
The conversation also includes a critical question: What is already working for this student? Identifying successful strategies allows the team to build on existing strengths and share approaches among teachers.
Support can be as simple as a consistent greeting, an intentional check-in or an adjustment to a classroom routine. Other students need scheduling changes, targeted academic assistance or a more intensive plan involving several adults. Attendance concerns prompt personal outreach, conversations about barriers and connections to appropriate resources.
Approximately 65 students receive individualized check-ins shared among administrators, teachers and support staff. Contact may occur weekly, biweekly, monthly or as needed. Shared records help staff track those conversations, while regular data reviews identify changes that may require a quicker response.
Weekly core-team meetings and monthly MTSS meetings keep the work moving. For social-emotional and behavioral interventions, the team emphasizes individual circumstances when deciding whether to begin, continue, adjust, or end support. Data informs those decisions, and relationships help staff understand what the numbers mean.
Building a Bridge from Eighth to Ninth Grade
Lake Orion’s support process begins before students enter high school. Near the end of each school year, high school staff meet with middle school counselors, administrators, and social workers to discuss incoming freshmen.
Middle school teams identify students who may need academic, attendance, behavioral or social-emotional support. They also share context and strategies that have helped those students succeed. These conversations allow high school staff to prepare for student needs rather than starting from scratch in the fall.
Transition support may include connections with trusted adults, peer mentoring, grade monitoring, and opportunities to learn how to navigate the building and access resources. The goal is to help freshmen develop confidence and a sense of belonging as they adjust to high school.
At the same time, Lake Orion gives students room to grow. Previous concerns do not automatically place an incoming freshman into the formal MTSS caseload. The team maintains a watch list, reviews progress early in the school year, and responds when current needs emerge.
That approach recognizes that a new environment can create new opportunities. A student who struggled in middle school may thrive in ninth grade. Another may need support early, and the information shared during transition meetings helps staff respond thoughtfully.
Lake Orion’s approach shows how a clear process and personal connections can reinforce each other. By preparing for transitions, listening to teachers, monitoring progress, and sharing responsibility, the team keeps its work centered on the student – and on a path toward graduation.