Monterey Peninsula Unified School District BESTS
Building a Better World, One Student At a Time.
The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD) Building Equitable Supports through a Tiered System (BESTS) program seeks to create conditions by which ALL young people are seen, heard, and encouraged, while experiencing adults as allies and supporters. We envision a future where each and every system-impacted young person is able to graduate from high school with the widest array of possibilities for their future.
"We were desperate and had nowhere to go" “We lost everything. Absolutely everything, But Mr. Diaz [MPUSD’s McKinney-Vento Liaison] has been like an angel for us." “We’ve received so much more help from the district than from other places. That’s why I’m so grateful; they were the only ones who quickly offered us support.”
If you have any questions or would like to be in contact with us, please email us at:
The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD), The National Center for Youth Law (NCYL), and The Monterey County Office of Education (MCOE) have come together to form a strong partnership with the shared purpose of supporting students and families who are experiencing homelessness and/or housing insecurities. This collaboration was formed in 2018 when NCYL partnered closely with MPUSD’s Multi-Tier Systems of Support (MTSS) team to support students experiencing homelessness. This collaboration incorporates all aspects of the NCYL Compassionate Education Systems Framework which seeks to create conditions by which young people are seen, heard, and encouraged, while experiencing adults as allies and supporters. MCOE’s leadership has become vital in increasing our impact and community engagement.
Our joint efforts have been recognized as a promising innovative practice by the California Department of Education (CDE) in the form of the Homeless Innovative Programs (HIP) grant. MPUSD was one of twenty County Offices of Education and LEAs selected to build a toolkit around their promising and innovative practice. BESTS (Building Equitable Supports through a Tiered System) is a framework that other COEs, LEAs, and districts can use to build out or strengthen their existing McKinney-Vento program and support services. Our BESTS toolkit is based on a three-tiered structure of support that closely mirrors the MTSS pyramid of support that many districts already use. As a student moves up the tiered levels, the intensity of the services and support increase as well.
In the BESTS Toolkit you will find a variety of resources including an overview of the tiered framework, an outline of services offered in each tier, a needs metrics to prioritize identified students, templates for a referral form, and so much more.
The BESTS Toolkit resources are split into three sections: Identification Resources, Prioritization Resources, and Additional Resources.
Please navigate to each respective resource page for more information.
Our Youth Advisory Board is currently working on developing resources for our “Tips from Youth” section. They will be available soon!
The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD), The National Center for Youth Law (NCYL), and The Monterey County Office of Education (MCOE) have come together to form a strong partnership with the shared purpose of supporting students and families who are experiencing homelessness and/or housing insecurities. This collaboration was formed in 2018 when NCYL partnered closely with MPUSD’s Multi-Tier Systems of Support (MTSS) team to support students experiencing homelessness. This collaboration incorporates all aspects of the NCYL Compassionate Education Systems Framework which seeks to create conditions by which young people are seen, heard, and encouraged, while experiencing adults as allies and supporters. MCOE’s leadership has become vital in increasing our impact and community engagement.
Our joint efforts have been recognized as a promising innovative practice by the California Department of Education (CDE) in the form of the Homeless Innovative Programs (HIP) grant. MPUSD was one of twenty County Offices of Education and LEAs selected to build a toolkit around their promising and innovative practice. BESTS (Building Equitable Supports through a Tiered System) is a framework that other COEs, LEAs, and districts can use to build out or strengthen their existing McKinney-Vento program and support services. Our BESTS toolkit is based on a three-tiered structure of support that closely mirrors the MTSS pyramid of support that many districts already use. As a student moves up the tiered levels, the intensity of the services and support increase as well.
In the BESTS Toolkit you will find a variety of resources including an overview of the tiered framework, an outline of services offered in each tier, a needs metrics to prioritize identified students, templates for a referral form, and so much more.
The BESTS Toolkit resources are split into three sections: Identification Resources, Prioritization Resources, and Additional Resources.
Please navigate to each respective resource page for more information.
Our Youth Advisory Board is currently working on developing resources for our “Tips from Youth” section. They will be available soon!
MPUSD Summary for Students Experiencing Homelessness
Below is a summary of MPUSD’s graduation and discipline data on Youth Experiencing Homelessness for the most recent three years that this data is available on the CA School Dashboard (2022, 2019, and 2018).
Percentage of MPUSD Youth Experiencing Homeless who Graduated:
2022 95.1% graduated
number of students: 143
2019 89.3% graduated
number of students: 84
2018 82.4% graduated
number of students: 68
Percentage of MPUSD Youth Experiencing Homelessness Who Were Suspended At Least Once In A Given School Year:
2022 0.1%
number of students: 2,176
2019 5.5%
number of students: 1,008
2018 4.9%
number of students: 937
State Summary for Youth Experiencing Homelessness
Below is a summary of CA Statewide graduation and discipline data on Youth Experiencing Homelessness for the most recent three years that this data is available on the CA School Dashboard (2022, 2019, and 2018).
Statewide Percentage of Youth Experiencing Homeless who graduated:
2022 74.4% graduated
number of students: 35,656
2019 77.7% graduated
number of students: 30,804
2018 76% graduated
number of students: 30,288
Statewide Percentage of Youth Experiencing Homelessness who were suspended at least once in a given school year:
2022 5.5%
number of students: 224,199
2019 6.2%
number of students: 269,615
2018 5.6%
number of students: 260,614