EMLSS Project

What is the EMLSS Project?

The EMLSS Project (the Project) is an IDEA funded grant to improve outcomes for students with disabilities and eliminate race as a predictor of disability status through the use of an equitable MLSS.

As stated on the DPI website, an equitable MLS includes the systems and structures used by a district and/or school in order to ensure the provision of “equitable services, practices, and resources to every learner”. . . including “high quality instruction, strategic use of data, and collaboration”. Read more about Wisconsin’s Framework for Equitable Multi-Level Systems of Supports at this link.

Similar to the Wisconsin RtI Center (whose services end June 30, 2023), the Project will provide low- or no-cost professional learning, coaching, and technical assistance for schools and districts related to Wisconsin’s Framework for Equitable Multi-Level Systems of Support (Equitable MLSS), including:

• Learning about key features of a framework for an equitable MLSS
• Positive Behavior Supports and Interventions (PBIS)
• Universal instruction in reading and math (to be piloted in 2023 - 2024)
• Culturally Responsive Practices (to be piloted in 2023 - 2024)

Who is involved in the EMLSS Project?

Any Wisconsin school or district team can contact their CESA to work with the EMLSS Project. Priority will be given to:

• Continuation of work with school or district teams who were previously engaged with the RtI Center (the EMLSS Project replaces the RtI Center, whose services ended June 30, 2023)
• Districts with LEA Determinations for IDEA (such as Level 2 schools)

EMLSS Project Staff

EMLSS Project staff (called EMLSS Coaches) will collaborate with DPI, other CESA staff and structures (including but not limited to the TA or Technical Assistance Network), and other IDEA-funded projects (such as Regional Support Network, coaching, and/or inclusive learning communities) to ensure school improvement efforts are continous and cohesive.

Services from the EMLSS Project are CESA-based. Contact your local CESA for more information. To learn the CESA region a school district resides in, look up the district in the School Directory.