Here for You: The OSDE Office of Student Support

By Shelly Ellis, Deputy Superintendent of Student Support, OSDE

When elected to her second term, Superintendent Hofmeister created the Office of Student Support in order to align and move forward the initiatives at OSDE that focus on ensuring the academic, behavioral and mental health needs of students are met.

Since the inception of this office, Student Support staff have been working diligently to provide resources to districts to meet the social and emotional, mental health, and college and career readiness needs of students. In addition to these resources, the staff have curated best-practice guidance to assist school faculty and caregivers in meeting the needs of their students and children while also being mindful of their own emotional and physical well-being.

■ The counseling office has been able to focus its attention on prioritizing the mental health/ social and emotional needs of Oklahoma’s students. In development is an Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF) that addresses both the behavioral and social-emotional/mental health needs of students in a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS). The first step is to administer a universal screener. In doing so, schools can ensure they know the unique needs of their students and tailor interventions appropriately. Pages 66-67 of Oklahoma’s Return to Learn plan outlines the necessary steps to take in order to choose and administer a universal screener. You can also find best-practice guidelines for staff well-being universal screening here. In conjunction with the work on developing an Interconnected Systems Framework for Oklahoma Public Schools our counseling office has been working on Social and Emotional Learning competencies. CASEL, the Collaborative on Social-Emotional Learning, has developed a roadmap for SEL implementation to guide a district/school on critical practices. This division is also leading a cadre of professional Oklahoma School Counselors in updating the Oklahoma School Counselor Guide using the American School Counseling Association’s 4th Edition of their National Framework.

■ The members of the office of Student Support offer outreach and technical assistance during times of crises facilitated by two nationally certified school psychologists in crisis response. The team can provide as much or as little support as necessary to meet the needs of your district. The Crisis Response and Recovery Team can provide onsite counseling assistance, templates for parent and stakeholder communication as well as assistance in the facilitation of staff and community member bereavement meetings as necessary. Along with on-site or virtual support, the Crisis Team School Psychologists can train district staff in the PREPaRE Curriculum. Developed by the National Association of School Psychologists, this curriculum offers two workshops. These workshops allow participants to gain a better understanding of the organization and function of a comprehensive safety and crisis team and provides the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the mental health needs of students and staff in the aftermath of a crisis.

■ The Student Support Prevention and School Climate Transformation Team offer support and training in numerous areas. Our Bullying Prevention Specialist can offer schools training in the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP), which is widely recognized by educators as one of the most effective violence prevention programs available. The School Climate Transformation Team can provide support and coaching in areas such as PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports), Social and Emotional Learning, TraumaInformed Training, Suicide Prevention, and Opioid/Substance Prevention.

■ The College & Career Readiness Team can assist with the development of a robust Individual Career & Academic Planning (ICAP) Program, work-based learning programs, and academic counseling support. Multiple resources have been created to help your staff in preparing students for life after high school. You can find high school graduation resources, ICAP and work-based learning information on our OKEdge website, and on-demand professional learning via OSDE Connect. OSDE is also launching an eTranscript system that is free to all K-12, Career Tech and Oklahoma University and Colleges.

■ Within the division of Family and Community Engagement in the Office of Student Support, the team has developed a Family and Community Engagement Framework, which serves as a call to action, a vision for family engagement in our state. It brings research and local experience together to provide an essential support structure and an organizing tool to build upon. This framework invites families, schools, and communities to partner to support student learning. It focuses on four components: Strengthening Relationships, Building Capacity, Focusing on Learning and Connecting Communities.

To request professional learning on any of the above-mentioned topics, fill out the Student Support Professional Development form here: https://sde.ok.gov/crisis-preparedness-response/professional-development.