Earlier this month, the Tennessee Behavior Supports Project (TBSP) at Vanderbilt University (funded by the Tennessee Department of Education) has announced that Christiana Elementary has been selected as a 2018-2019 silver level "Response to Instruction and Intervention-Behavior" (RTI2-B) Model of Demonstration School. There are over 1,800 schools across the state of Tennessee and each year a small percentage of schools meet criteria to be selected as an RTI2-B Model of Demonstration School.

Christiana Elementary has been a participant in training and technical assistance provided by the Tennessee Behavior Supports Project and has undergone the process of implementing a positive and proactive behavioral systems framework for all students. The "Response to Instruction and Intervention-Behavior" framework consists of: identifying common behavioral expectations across campus, teaching, re-teaching, reinforcing, and regularly acknowledging students, faculty, and families for exhibiting these expectations.

Christiana Elementary has applied this framework to improve the climate, culture, and proactive disciplinary practices which directly impacts student engagement and school connectedness. In meeting this award criteria Christiana Elementary demonstrated use of school-wide behavioral data to inform teaching practices and levels of support provided to students based on need. Twice a year, they also reflected on overall fidelity to guide their implementation of the RTI2-B framework.

The Tennessee Behavior Supports Project reports that it is their goal that no school in Tennessee should have to travel more than 45 minutes to see an exemplary school implementing RTI2-B. As a silver level RTI2-B Model of Demonstration School, Christiana Elementary can now serve as a mentor to other schools across Middle Tennessee. They had the opportunity to network with other schools across the state as they received this award at the Partners In Education Conference held in Nashville by the Department of Education.