One of the most powerful tools to achieve a foundation of collaboration and intentionality is a continuum of supports—a structured resource that guides educators in responding to student needs. In this blog, we’ll explore the why behind a continuum of supports and share practical strategies to bring it to life in your school, ensuring it remains a dynamic and impactful resource.
Why is a Continuum of Supports So Important?
A continuum of supports isn’t just a static document; it’s an anchor for collaboration and growth. Here’s why it matters:
- An Anchor Resource for Decision-Making
The continuum serves as a go-to reference for identifying strategies and interventions. Whether in team meetings, classroom planning, or one-on-one discussions, it answers the question, “What should we do next?” - A Platform for Professional Conversations
Developing and refining a continuum normalizes discussions about teaching practices and interventions. By identifying, articulating, and organizing strategies, schools create a culture of shared understanding and ongoing improvement.
Avoiding the “One-and-Done” Trap
Creating a continuum is only the first step. The real challenge is ensuring it remains a living resource that evolves over time. Too often, continuums are created, celebrated, and then forgotten—left in a digital folder or pinned to a wall, unused. To avoid this, schools must focus on:
- Continuous Refinement: Regularly revisiting and updating the continuum to reflect new insights and strategies.
- Active Utilization: Embedding the continuum into everyday practices so it becomes a key part of decision-making and collaboration.
Bringing Your Continuum to Life
Here are some tried-and-true strategies that schools have used to make their continuums a vibrant part of their culture:
1. Visual Displays in Shared Spaces
- Bulletin Boards: Displaying continuums in meeting spaces ensures they’re readily available during discussions. Use movable cards or sticky notes to make it interactive, allowing teams to add or remove strategies as needed.
Buck Mountain Central - Continuum of Supports Visuals - visual from the meeting room at Buck Mountain Central, sharing the tiers of support to consider when determining responses for students.
- Laminated Posters: Schools have laminated their continuums and used whiteboard markers to add notes during meetings. When the poster becomes too messy, they update, reprint, and re-laminate it, keeping it dynamic.
Social Emotional Continuum of Supports - developed by the staff at Woodbridge Farms Elementary, this continuum of supports focused on supporting social emotional success for students.
2. Embedding Continuums in Classrooms
- Post the continuum in classrooms or planning spaces where teachers can reference it during lesson preparation.
- Use printed versions as “menus of support” to inspire new approaches or interventions. To view a number of samples of menus of supports that schools have created and shared.
Executive Function Continuum of Supports - the continuum, developed by leadership at Lakedell School, includes a number of research-based strategies and an accompanying inquiry poster.
3. Digital Integration
- Create interactive slideshows or Google Sites with links to videos, resources, and additional descriptions for each strategy.
- Include QR codes on posters or documents that link to detailed explanations, videos, or forms where staff can suggest new ideas.
Continuum of Supports (Literacy) - Ecole Notre Dame Elementary designed this literacy continuum using Google Slides which includes their assessments and their description of each tier as well as expanded supports at each tier.
4. Team Meeting Resources
- Provide printed copies of the continuum in team meeting bins, alongside agendas and role assignments. This ensures the continuum is always at hand and central to discussions.
Light of Christ Collaboration Bins - the leadership team prepares bins for each of the team to use throughout the year which includes a copy of their continuum of supports, copy of their norms, tents cards with roles, pens, sticky notes and even treats for each team.
- Assign a team member to reference the continuum during meetings, ensuring it remains an active part of the conversation. An example of one is Captain Continuum who is responsible for looking at their continuum of supports and suggesting ideas from the continuum.
Meeting Role Tent Cards - shared by Uplands School, these meeting role tent cards are intended to be displayed during a collaborative team meeting, with the role and a picture on the front and the role description and responsibilities on the back.
5. Collaborative Software and Projection
- Use collaborative software to project the continuum during meetings, making it easily accessible for real-time discussions.
- Some schools project meeting notes on one screen and the continuum on another, ensuring both are visible and integrated into the discussion.
Supporting Every Student, Every Teacher, Every Leader
WeCollab is a comprehensive digital system designed to support classrooms, schools and systems, ensuring coordinated responses for the needs of students and maximizing team planning efforts.
WeCollab ensures every student has a comprehensive profile, every teacher has actions and supports for students at their fingertips and every leader has a tool to coordinate the supports needed to actualize success for all.
6. Celebrate and Share
- Feature tier-one strategies on bulletin boards with QR codes linking to explanatory videos or guides.
- Highlight the continuum during professional learning sessions to reinforce its relevance and encourage staff to engage with it.
Keeping the Continuum Alive
The key to success is intentionality. Schools must commit to:
- Regular Updates: Set aside time to review and refine the continuum based on feedback and evolving needs.
- Building a Culture of Collaboration: Normalize discussions about instructional practices and interventions, ensuring the continuum reflects the school’s collective expertise.
By doing so, the continuum becomes more than a document—it becomes a tool for growth, a reflection of the school’s culture, and a pathway to better outcomes for students.
Share Your Success Stories
How has your school brought its continuum of supports to life? We’d love to hear your ideas, see examples, and celebrate the innovative ways you’re supporting staff, teams, and students. Let’s keep the conversation going and inspire one another! Connect with us at or .
Capturing Expertise in Your Continuum of Supports
Overview of Continuum of Supports
Are you still using Google docs, spreadsheets and One Note to record your meeting docs?
Join Jennifer as she walks through the Collaborative Team Meeting process in WeCollab, ensuring that multiple student profiles are updated with the determined supports and actions simultaneously through the collaborative conversation and that staff remain informed through transparent communication processes.