Building Leadership Capacity to Scale Inclusive Tiered Instruction

Session Times and Location:

November 17, 2026: Lexington Two Performaing Arts Center, 3205 Platt Springs Road, West Columbia, SC 29170

April 29, 2027: R2i2 Conference Center, 763 Fashion Drive, Columbia, SC 29229

Registration: 8:30-9:00

Session: 9:00-4:00 with Lunch from 11:45-1:00 (on your own)

Participants should plan to attend both sessions. The intent of the professional development series is to promote the implementation and sustainability of practices beyond the initial training. The AASC 2026-27 MTSS Summit Series will consist of three components described below.

Initial Professional Learning: Participants will receive initial professional learning from a national expert in the field. The team will decide which specific strategy to implement on a small scale and develop an implementation plan.

Implementation Support: The team members will begin implementing their plan. During the implementation, AASC team members will provide virtual or on-site coaching and support. There will be one scheduled “office hour” with our national expert for questions and comments about implementation.

Insights from the Field: The final session will include each team sharing their implementation insights with their peers. The national leader for each topic will provide feedback and additional implementation ideas for the school or district, based on participants' insights.

Suggested Participants 

The sessions are intended for small teams that can implement and disseminate these practices at the district and school level. The recommended team composition is as follows:

District Level Member: The district-level member will be responsible for ensuring alignment with district priorities and plans and for ensuring the necessary support at the school level.

School Level Instructional Leaders: The school instructional leaders should include individuals who can establish systems to implement the practices by embedding them within the existing tiered instructional system. These individuals will also be responsible for ensuring professional learning and coaching teachers in the building.

Teachers: There should be at least one peer-respected teacher who would implement the practices and serve as a demonstration model and peer coach for other teachers.

Districts may send more than one person per role and more than one school.

EACH TEAM MEMBER SHOULD COMPLETE A REGISTRATION FORM

Session Description

Participating teams will develop local expertise in applying High-Leverage Practices (HLPs) supported by evidence-based practices (EBPs) to create learning environments that improve access, participation, engagement, and achievement for all learners, including students with disabilities and those experiencing persistent learning challenges. Participating teams will serve as instructional design teams that develop and implement demonstration models within their schools and districts. These teams will learn to use the UDL framework to identify barriers to learning, design inclusive instructional and assessment practices, intensify support when necessary, and evaluate the effectiveness of their instructional decisions through continuous improvement processes. It is designed to create sustainable district and school capacity by preparing teams to model, coach, and disseminate effective UDL-based instructional design processes.

Through professional learning, implementation support, coaching, reflection, and dissemination activities, participants will establish local demonstration sites and leadership structures that promote the ongoing use of inclusive Tier 1 instructional practices grounded in High-Leverage Practices and evidence-based instructional strategies.