Washington Integrated Student Supports Protocol (WISSP)
In 2016, the Washington State Legislature created the Washington Integrated Student Supports Protocol (WISSP) when it passed 4SHB 1541. The WISSP was one of an extensive set of interdependent strategies for closing educational opportunity gaps recommended by the State’s Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC). The components of the WISSP framework include needs assessments, community partnerships, coordination of supports, integration within the school, and a data-driven approach.
The purpose of the protocol, as outlined in 4SHB 1541, is as follows:
- Support a school-based approach to promoting the success of all students;
- Fulfill a vision of public education where educators focus on education, students focus on learning, and auxiliary supports enable teaching and learning to occur unimpeded;
- Encourage the creation, expansion, and quality improvement of community-based supports that can be integrated into the academic environment of schools and school districts;
- Increase public awareness of the evidence showing that academic outcomes are a result of both academic and nonacademic factors; and
- Support statewide and local organizations in their efforts to provide leadership, coordination, technical assistance, professional development, and advocacy to implement high-quality, evidence-based, student-centered, coordinated approaches throughout the state.