General Education Services and Supports

The OAISD works collaboratively with district administrators, school staff and community partners to improve student attendance, foster positive family-school relationships and increase overall engagement in the educational process. We utilize a strategic and data-driven approach to addressing chronic absenteeism, promoting regular school attendance and creating outreach strategies to engage families in their child’s education.

OAISD's mission is to ensure that all learners in the Ottawa area have an opportunity to realize their potential, both as individuals and as part of a thriving community. As part of that, OAISD supports a variety of initiatives focused on improving student well-being through behavioral health supports. For more details on the behavioral health supports and services available within the Ottawa area, please contact Frankie Badur.

OAISD's multi-disciplinary team provides training and consultation in the Michigan State Police Office of School Safety endorsed Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) process. The primary goal of the BTAM process is to evaluate potentially violent behaviors within the school community and to work collaboratively with families and students to mitigate factors contributing to thoughts of violence and aggression. Initial and refresher training is available to district and building level threat assessment teams.

Please see our professional learning link for upcoming trainings or reach out with questions.

Disciplinary Literacy, as outlined in Michigan's Essential Instructional Practices in the Secondary Classroom, emphasizes teaching students how to read, write, and think in ways specific to each academic discipline. This approach equips learners with the tools to engage deeply with subject-area texts, using strategies that reflect the practices of experts in fields like science, history, and mathematics. For school districts in Ottawa County, this means fostering teacher collaboration to integrate these practices into instruction, ensuring students develop the critical thinking and communication skills necessary for college and career readiness. By aligning professional development and classroom strategies with these essentials, schools can support equitable learning outcomes and empower students to navigate complex, real-world problems.

Ottawa Area Intermediate School District's Early Literacy Coaches work in partnership schools to improve student reading and writing by focusing on collaboration, data-based decision-making, and evidence-based instructional strategies. Coaches use the Essential Instructional Practices in Early Literacy: Grades K to 3 as the backbone of their work, guiding teachers in effective instructional practices and supporting intensifying instruction for students who need extra help. This approach builds trust, strengthens teaching skills, and ensures lasting literacy success across schools.

The Ottawa Area Intermediate School District provides regional literacy consultant services to support school districts in enhancing literacy instruction for elementary and secondary students. These services include professional development, developing coaching systems, and curriculum alignment to improve literacy outcomes across the region. Consultants collaborate with educators, coaches, and administrators to implement evidence-based practices, use data to determine supports, and enhance instructional efforts to meet diverse student needs. By fostering teacher expertise and promoting student engagement, the OAISD aims to elevate literacy achievement on a regional scale.

We support educators by advocating for high-quality mathematics teaching and learning for each and every student. We are available to collaborate with implementation leaders and educators to support curriculum, instruction, and assessment using evidence based practice and data analysis. Let us know how we can support your math implementation needs.

Recognizing the strong link between health and learning, Ottawa Area ISD’s Health and Wellness Consultation is committed to support schools in the implementation of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Model. Consultation includes supporting a comprehensive Pre-K-12 health education curriculum, providing technical assistance to meet health mandates and analysis and utilization of student health behavior data to guide efforts in promoting protective, health-enhancing behaviors, and reducing risk behaviors.

REMC 7, of the REMC Association of Michigan [remc.org], partners with the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District to provide free, high-quality resources to educators, including maker/STEM classroom tools, professional development, and technology integration support. OAISD/REMC 7 supports educational technology, STEM, and customized projects through in-person and virtual assistance. The service aims to seamlessly integrate technology into the learning process, benefiting students, teachers, and administrators as well as providing courier services, poster printing, and laminating. 

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act ensures educational stability and support for children and youth experiencing homelessness. It provides rights such as immediate enrollment in school, even without typical documentation, and transportation to the school of origin to maintain continuity. The act also guarantees access to free meals, academic services, and community resources to remove barriers to education. Through collaboration with schools and agencies, McKinney-Vento services aim to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed academically despite their housing instability.

The multilingual learner team's mission is to:

Learn about the diverse cultures, strengths, and needs of multilingual learners and their families. Serve multilingual learners, their families, local schools, and the broader community through meaningful engagement and collaboration. Lead schools in fostering educational equity and inclusivity for all students.

We accomplish this mission through offering technical support, coaching, professional learning, and resource development.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a flexible, multi-tiered framework for promoting wellness and addressing behavior through systems, practices, and data. It emphasizes culturally responsive approaches to improve outcomes and meet local needs. Our capacity-building model provides cascading supports to assist districts and schools in implementing, sustaining, and achieving fidelity in PBIS and integrating social-emotional-behavioral (SEB) initiatives.

In addition to other school safety and crisis response initiatives, OAISD offers professional development and consultation based in the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) PREPaRE curriculum. The PREPaRE training curriculum consists of two workshops that integrates school personnel and community provider roles in preparedness and response activities.

Workshop 1: Comprehensive School Safety Planning: Prevention Through Recovery provides a broad overview of the school crisis team’s roles and responsibilities, including developing, exercising, and evaluating various components of an emergency operations plan.

Workshop 2: Mental Health Crisis Interventions: Responding to an Acute Traumatic Stressor in Schools develops the knowledge and skill to provide immediate mental health interventions to those who have been exposed to an acute traumatic stressor.

Please visit the OAISD Professional Development page for upcoming training dates.

Our team provides training and support across the full continuum of restorative practices, from proactive and preventative strategies to responsive interventions. In education, restorative practices focus on building strong relationships and fostering a sense of community to encourage positive behavior and effectively address conflicts. These approaches emphasize accountability, repairing harm, and creating inclusive environments where every student and staff member feels heard and valued. By prioritizing connection and collaboration, restorative practices help establish a culture rooted in respect, equity, and shared responsibility.

The goal of the Student Success Community of Practice is to connect educators with common goals around equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice for the purpose of community building, sharing resources and support.