Illinois School Pilots 'Student Support Interventionist' Role
Kinnikinnick School in Roscoe, Illinois, is piloting a new "Student Support Interventionist" position. This role is designed to bridge the gap between special education, academic enrichment, and executive function support. The initiative signals a trend in schools recognizing the need for integrated support roles for diverse learners.
- The Kinnikinnick district's "beBRAVEbeWELL" initiative provides a foundation for this new role, focusing on nutrition, physical activity, and social-emotional education as key components of student success. - This interventionist role aligns with the Illinois Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), a statewide framework designed to provide a continuum of evidence-based, data-informed supports to meet the needs of all learners. - Roles like this are critical in a state where over 90% of school districts reported issues with unfilled teaching positions in a recent year, with 1,360 of those vacancies in special education. - In Illinois, approximately 15.9% of public school students have disabilities, and the majority—two-thirds of students with disabilities—spend 80% or more of their school day in general education classrooms, highlighting the need for integrated support. - The position is situated within the Kinnikinnick Community Consolidated School District 131, which serves about 1,750 students across four schools in Roscoe, Illinois. - As some schools in the district, including Kinnikinnick School, operate Title I schoolwide programs, this new role can support the goal of upgrading the entire educational program to help struggling students meet academic standards. - This type of integrated support role is essential for addressing the wide range of student needs, from Tier 1 universal interventions for all students to more intensive Tier 3 services for individuals with significant barriers to learning.
