Project

A Minnesota-based nonprofit supporting Catholic PreK–8 education launched a multi-year pilot initiative to strengthen how its network of schools serve exceptional learners — students with disabilities, struggling learners, gifted learners, and English learners. The organization supports roughly 151 schools serving nearly 35,000 students across the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and surrounding dioceses, and sought a partner to help operationalize a new Exceptional Learners Framework through hands-on coaching.

Challenge

Catholic schools in the network varied widely in their capacity to implement multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). Leaders needed practical, sustained coaching — not just a framework document — to build the systems, skills, and confidence to serve exceptional learners well. With schools spread across Greater Minnesota and the Twin Cities metro, the coaching model also had to flex between virtual and in-person delivery.

Solution

NOVA was engaged to design and deliver a coaching program for an initial cohort of seven to eight participating schools during the 2026–2027 academic year. The engagement paired direct coaching capacity with a collaborative structure — regular check-ins, shared documentation, and joint review of progress — so the work could evolve alongside each school's specific goals rather than following a one-size-fits-all rollout.

Work

NOVA began with a joint session to align on the Exceptional Learners Framework and introduce participating schools before coaching began. From there, our consultants provided ongoing, school-specific coaching sessions focused on building each school's capacity for MTSS implementation, while also developing reusable resources and tools schools could apply beyond the coaching relationship itself. NOVA and the organization maintained a shared notes process to track coaching activities, participation, common themes, and challenges across schools — meeting at least quarterly to review progress and refine the work as it unfolded.

Impact

The partnership gave the organization a scalable way to move its Exceptional Learners Framework from concept to classroom practice, equipping school leaders with concrete coaching support rather than a framework alone. The collaborative, check-in-driven structure built a foundation of trust and shared learning that positions the work to expand to additional schools in future phases.