SUPPORT SERVICES

As an inclusive school, International School Bangkok (ISB) provides a comprehensive Student Services program. These services include Learning Support, English as an Additional Language (EAL), SpeechLanguage Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Counseling, Challenge and Enrichment, and Safeguarding. We deliver these services through a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS).

ISB’s MTSS model has three levels of support known as tiers. Tier 1 provides universal access to all students and includes general best practices in the field of education while T ier 2 provides targeted interventions intended to supplement Tier 1 services. Tier 3 provides highly individualized support and instruction coordinated by a highly trained specialist.

We believe the best schools provide effective services to ALL students at the foundational Tier 1 level. Every student benefits from safeguarding procedures, co-teaching, scaffolds, differentiation, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, social-emotional support, etc. ISB delivers these services through advisory, homeroom, content area classes, specialist classes, assemblies, and more.

Operating a system with multiple supports allows ISB to provide more targeted and unique support as a student’s individual needs increase. All students have access to Tier 1 instruction. Some students move in and out of Tier 2 services based on the response to intervention, and 25% of our students receive direct EAL, 1:1, or small group services at any given moment.

Our MTSS model was further enhanced this year through our focus on Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL, a research-based educational framework, teaches us that learner variability is predictable. Once we anticipate this variability, we can purposefully plan for it and provide students with multiple pathways to demonstrate their learning. UDL allows for numerous means of presentation, expression, and engagement while focusing on instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments. The result of this is increased access to learning by reducing barriers. In other words, UDL allows flexibility in how students learn, not the standards they are learning.

ISB’s approach to providing Student Services captured the attention of the 2022 World Education Summit Conference. Our presentation, Cultural Shifts: From Inclusive to Belonging, was featured on the “Cool School” stage reserved for “amazing and unique schools and practitioners from around the world, showcasing insights, impact, and learning.” Ultimately, the university counselors support students throughout the university research, selection, and application process, helping them identify the postsecondary environment best suited to their learner profile, personality, and interests - their best “best fit.”

In addition to representing ISB at the World Education Summit, ISB continues to mentor and lead schools worldwide in developing service delivery models. ISB accomplishes this through The MARIO Framework, which was developed at ISB by Philip Bowman, and by presenting at events hosted by leading organizations in the field such as SENIA, International MTSS Summit, and CIS. This enables ISB’s Student Services Team to enrich communities throughout the world and promote equity for all students, regardless of their educational setting.