San Juan Unified Strengthens MTSS with Data-Driven Integration through PowerSchool

San Juan Unified School District (San Juan Unified), located in the Sacramento area, serves more than 40,000 TK–12 students across 64 schools. The district has taken major steps to strengthen its multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) by adopting PowerSchool’s MTSS platform, building a more unified, data-driven approach to supporting students’ academic, social-emotional, and behavioral growth. 

A shift from fragmented systems 

San Juan Unified first introduced MTSS in 2016 with a focus on Tier 2 social-emotional learning supports. However, the district lacked a consistent system for monitoring interventions, often relying on a patchwork of tools that varied from school to school. 

“Before, we could put input data, but there was no way to pull out data,” says Christy Nihart, San Juan Unified MTSS Coordinator. “Seeing the whole student in one spot has been very powerful.” 

The district piloted multiple platforms for more than four years before selecting PowerSchool, which allowed staff to consolidate academic, behavior, and SEL supports into one platform. 

A phased, strategic rollout 

When the district purchased PowerSchool Student Analytics, part of the Analytics & Insights platform, [AD1] [NS2] the MTSS department added the PowerSchool MTSS module to track data across SEL, behavior, and academic supports. 

Rather than launching all at once, the team intentionally slowed down. After the fall 2023 acquisition, the district waited until January 2024 to implement the system with the SEL team. They started with intervention templates aligned to CASEL competencies, building a solid foundation before expanding to academic and attendance supports. 

This approach allowed the team to move from a centralized SEL model to site-based implementation, empowering schools to take ownership of their MTSS work. 

Using data to drive action 

Today, San Juan Unified uses the MTSS module to track and strengthen interventions across multiple domains: 

• SEL supports: Templates aligned with CASEL competencies guide consistent tracking of social-emotional interventions across sites. 
• Attendance academy: A six-week mentorship program helps reduce chronic absenteeism, using visual progress graphs and targeted data filters. 
• Academic interventions: Updated templates now focus on specific skill targets, such as phonics, aligned with California’s mCLASS reading screener 
• Behavior supports: Check-in/check-out systems allow staff to monitor daily goals—like being safe, responsible, and respectful—and can be customized across school sites. 

Dashboards have been critical in helping San Juan Unified target student supports. Using tools within Analytics & Insights, staff analyze trends and identify students who may benefit from additional interventions. For example, the district leverages the Chronic Absence Drill Down to pinpoint students for attendance programs, with filters that break down absenteeism in 5% increments. Educators also use Groups & Favorites to monitor targeted cohorts and directly enroll students into MTSS interventions, ensuring timely and data-informed support. 

Student plans and collaboration 

San Juan Unified has created multiple Student Plan templates to ensure long-term, coordinated support: 

• Behavior Support Plans for targeted behavioral goals. 
• Wellness Support Plans for ongoing socio-emotional case management. 
• Intervention Support Plans integrating attendance, academic, behavior, and SEL data.

Through collaboration with PowerSchool’s Champion community and with support from [AD3] [NS4] Alvin Evans, MTSS, Coordinator at Dallas ISD, the district is developing an SST (Student Study Team) form to streamline referral processes. 

“The checkboxes and auto-upload features are our most-used tools,” Nihart said. “We’re especially excited for the upcoming tables feature to make data even easier to visualize.” 

Key insights 

San Juan Unified’s story offers key insights for districts considering or refining their MTSS implementation: 

• Take it slow: A phased rollout prevented staff from feeling overwhelmed. 
• Less is more: Starting with SEL templates allowed for depth before scale. 
• Continuous improvement: Annual updates to templates ensure interventions remain relevant. 
• Collaboration matters: Engaging multiple departments and champion networks builds ownership and momentum. 

Nihart attributes much of the district’s success to collaboration, patience, and continuous improvement. 

“Take it slow. Less is more. Update plans each year, keep consistent naming conventions, and collaborate with others,” she advises. 

A phased rollout prevented staff from feeling overwhelmed, while annual template updates keep interventions relevant and effective. Nihart also credits PowerSchool’s support staff for sharing best practices that helped shape San Juan Unified’s thoughtful and sustainable rollout. 

Looking ahead 

The district’s next phase includes expanding the use of classroom dashboards to give teachers real-time access to MTSS data, including SEL, academic, and attendance indicators. 

“What I’m really looking forward to,” says Nihart, “is teachers having their own class data. Letting teachers see the power and benefits of MTSS will strengthen support for all students.” 

With thoughtful planning, collaboration, and a data-driven mindset, San Juan Unified is showing what it looks like to build a sustainable MTSS framework that grows with the needs of its schools and students.