Post on 27-Mar-2015
transcript
Tiers and Tears: Lessons Learned
Braiding RtI/PBIS in Burke County Public Schools
Vivian Haithcock, Staff PsychologistJohn Gann, School Psychologist
About Burke County
Western NC 17,000 students 17 Elementary Schools (one K-2, one 3-
5) 5 Middle Schools 4 High Schools High percentage of free & reduced
lunch Primarily working class families
Braiding Initiatives
Currently Burke County Public Schools has braided the training and implementation for Responsiveness to Instruction and Positive Behavior Intervention & Support into one training.
Additionally, a school-based mental health initiative had been added as a Tier 2-4 support for students needing mental health services.
Where we started
One of the Five Pilot Sites for RtI beginning in Spring 2004
Mull Elementary WA Young Elementary Additional six schools trained in the 2006-2007
School Year
PBIS sites WA Young Elementary in 2005-2006 Three additional elementary schools (Drexel,
Hildebran, Oak Hill Elementary) in 2006-2007
Began Blending the Initiatives in Training in the Summer of 2007. All Elementary Schools have been trained on the blended initiative as of Summer 2008.
Building Capacity/Enhancing Services
School Based Mental Health Services
Spring 2005 – Burke County Public Schools partnered with local mental health authority (Foothills LME) to acquire grants to launch Integration of Mental Health Services in Schools initiative: Department of Education (18 months) Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust (3 years)
Building Capacity/Enhancing Services
School Based Mental Health Services
Highlighted Goals: Build awareness of concept of behavioral
health services in schools including stigma reduction (General Awareness PP)
Conduct comprehensive training (school-wide & team trainings)
Establish behavioral screening & referral process in schools (Student Success Teams)
Build behavioral treatment capacity within schools
Build infrastructure necessary to successfully deliver behavioral health services in schools
Building Capacity/Enhancing Services
School Based Mental Health Services
07/08 School Year School-based Therapy Services: contracted
therapists from community agencies provide individual and group therapy during and/or after school hours.
17 schools with therapists delivering services on site
362 students referred for services 340 students served 80% Medicaid or state funded
Building Capacity/Enhancing Services
School Based Mental Health Services
07/08 School Year Community Support Services: school employees with
mental health credentials deliver Medicaid reimbursable service in school, community and home of students with mental health diagnosis and proven medical necessity – case management and skill building components.
Available system-wide 56 students referred for services (non EC) 19 students served 100% Medicaid or state funded
Why integration?
Doing what’s good for students Working in response to student needs Gives overall picture of student
(problems are often multi-faceted) Recognizes academic performance may
be influenced by behavioral/mental health needs and addresses those needs as a part of the problem-solving process
Reduces splintering of services
If This is the Philosophy of RtI
Proactive instruction should be provided within general education setting
Prevention is more cost effective than remediation
Teachers and parents deserve the resources necessary to meet the educational needs of all children
Is it not applicable for social skills development/behavior? What about emotional needs?
School-Wide system of support for student achievement should look like this: (Key is to develop a system. Achievement success is based on more than just academics.)
Intensive Intervention 5%
Strategic Interventions 15%
Core Curriculum 80%
“If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach.”
“If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach.”
“If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach.”
“If a child doesn’t know how to drive, we teach.”
“If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we……..... ……….teach? ………punish?”
“Why can’t we finish the last sentence as automatically as we do the others?”
John Herner, Counterpoint John Herner, Counterpoint (1998, p.2)(1998, p.2)
WHY DEVELOP A BEHAVIOR CURRICULUM?
Behavior-Instruction ConnectionInfrequent Errors
Procedures for Academic Behaviors
Assume student is trying to make the correct response
Assume the error was accidental
Provide assistance (model-lead-test)
Provide practice Assume student has
learned the skill and will perform it correctly
Procedures for Behavior Problems
Assume student is not trying
Assume the error was deliberate
Provide a negative consequence
Practice not required Assume student will
make the right choice and behave in the future as a result of the consequence
Behavior-Instruction ConnectionFrequent Errors
Procedures for Academic Behaviors
Assume student has learned the wrong way
Assume the student has been taught the wrong way (inadvertently)
Diagnose the problem Adjust presentation, use
effective instructional strategies, provide feedback, practice & review practice
Assume student has learned the skill
Procedures for Behavior Problems
Assume student is refusing to cooperate
Assume the student has been taught right from wrong and has been told often enough
Provide negative consequences & remove student from setting
Provide more negative consequences & continue to remove from the normal context
Assume student has learned a lesson
RTI/Behavior
It is important for each child to know and understand what behaviors are expected from him/her in each setting of the school, the rewards in place and the consequences for inappropriate behavior.
Furthermore, it is important that we, as teaching staff, actively teach expectations in each setting and that we do not assume (by a student’s age, etc.) that he/she knows what is expected in each setting.
Targeted Group Interventions•Small group instruction•Focused academic help sessions
Intensive, Individual Interventions•Tutoring•Academic Remediation Plans
Intensive, Individual Interventions•Individual Positive Behavior Support Plans (could include SBMH)•Data Driven Decisions
Targeted Group Interventions•Social Skills instruction•Reinforcement of specific skills•Data Driven Decisions•School-based Mental Health ServicesUniversal Interventions
•School-wide rules and procedures•Systematic reinforcement procedures •Recognition of accomplishments
80%80%
15% 15%
5% 5%
Universal Interventions•Effective instructional practices •Recognition of academic achievement
Problem-Solving UmbrellaProblem-Solving UmbrellaTotal Integration of RtI and PBISTotal Integration of RtI and PBIS
Academic Behavioral
Behavior Academic Systems (How things are done)
Team based problem solving Data-based decision making Long term sustainability
Data (How decisions are made) Behavior Screening On going data collection & use
based on Tier ODR’s (# per day per month,
location, behavior, student) Suspension/expulsion,
attendance, tardies
Practices (How staff interact with students)
Direct teaching of behavioral expectations
On-going reinforcement of expected behaviors
Functional behavioral assessment
Systems (How things are done) Team-based problem solving Data-based decision making Long term sustainability
Data (How decisions are made) Continuous data collection & use
based on Tier (e.g., Benchmark, Strategic, Frequent Progress Monitoring)
CBM (or members of the CBM “family” like DIBELS) as the critical outcomes for basic skills
Performance discrepancy (Educational Need) and Benefit (Rate of Improvement)
Practices (How staff interact with students)
Scientifically based curriculum (good tools)
Scientifically based instruction (good training)
Consultation when students aren’t benefiting (support)
Tiers I-II: Academic & Behavior
Universal level, all students Scientifically-based, right content and direct
instruction Greater intensity and increased measurement
precision for students below benchmark trajectories
Criterion for success? 80% to 85% are at or above benchmarks Assess classrooms, schools, districts Identify students needing additional assistance
“PBIS is an example of how the RtI model is applied to behavior.” George Sugai, NC 58th Annual EC Conference. November 18th, 2008
Tier I & Tier II
Behavior Data- Take from classroom behavior plans. Can compare how student looks compared to other classroom peers or other students across the grade level.
Behavior Screening
Screening for Preschool and Kindergarten students using the ABLE
Screening for first grade students using the Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders
And Yet, We Still Progress Monitor Behavior & Academics
Basic Principle #8 of PSM Progress monitoring an essential
aspect of the intervention phase
Basic Principle #9 of PSM Decision making in regards to the
effectiveness of an intervention is based on analysis of progress monitoring data in relation of goal
Progress Monitoring
There is no guarantee that interventions will be successful, thus the intervention must be “tested” to evaluate effectiveness
Increased emphasis of specific outcomes for students, data base must be generated to guide intervention decision making
Pre/post testing has be shown to be unreliable (small amount of data) and provides too little data to allow for Essential for four reasons
Instructional decision making – progress monitoring allows for evaluation of level of performance and rate of learning
Research has shown that progress monitoring is associated with improved educational outcomes
It is needed for academic and behavior. So why train as different initiatives?
Progress Monitoring
Essential components that must be in place for successful progress monitoring A well-defined target behavior A measurement strategy Identification of student’s current level
of performance (baseline) Intervention Goal Graph Decision-making plan
Progress Monitoring
How do you progress monitor academics? What types of tools do you use?
How does progress monitoring look different?
Sounds Great, Huh?
But it didn’t come without bumps, bruises and lots of tears…………. And they continue as we realign to do what is best to serve all students.
But Our Past Shows…..
Initially introduced as two separate initiatives.
One pilot school included both RtI and PBIS. Therefore trained as two separate teams
(with common members on both teams). Did not work to create “buy-in” (wished we
had know that one earlier) as extensively as we should have.
Approached initial training aiming at individual students, not targeting core curriculum.
But Our Past Shows…..
Some building administrators still see it as a “hoop-jumping” process to get to special education.
Did not bring in enough general education folks from central office at the beginning.
Did not establish district-level team to guide training.
Attempted to train schools in the afternoons.
Lessons Learned……
Definitely take time for staff “buy-in”. Have central office key players at the table. General Education involvement. Work differently to change mind-set. Assess the core curriculum, then
instruction, then specialized assessments (CBM’s, etc.)
Establish district-level team. Please be kind, we were an initial pilot site in
’04-’05.
Lesson Learned….
Trained separately but speaking the same language and running together in the same circles.
Teachers thought a behavior student could not be brought to the SST committee because they thought only academic concerns go to SST. Created confusion
Learned that we needed improved communication and emphasis it is a problem-solving process and has application for both areas.
Lessons Learned…..
Never train after school. Never train everything at once. Pace
training on data (implementation rubrics).
Be purposeful about the data you want to collect along the way and how you will use it to drive your decisions. Make sure you have baseline!
Use a coaching model/not train the trainer. Once trained, actively work through Tiers within classrooms, grade levels and support teams
In Other Words……focus on overall curriculum needs before
looking at specific/targeted interventions.
…focus on interventions rather than on what is wrong with the student
…focus on the solution rather than the problem
…focus on addressing the needs of ALL students having difficulty, not just those with labels
…focus on ALL educators being responsible for ALL students
More Lessons Learned….
Summer 2007….. Trained RtI and Module 1 of PBIS in same
week. 5 days total training. (County offers staff
development in reading academy, etc.) Days 1-3, introduction of RtI, progress
monitoring, and one day of interventions. Days 4-5, PBIS Module 1 training begins.
Results…..
Were not truly integrated. Still separated PBIS and RtI though both use the same problem-solving process.
Over-focused on Tier III when implementing at the schools
Still had communication breakdown in having staff understand that the same approach is used for academics and behavior.
What to do? Work on training module for better integration.
Summer 2008…..
Created new training series that truly looked at side-by-side how academics and behavior relate.
Have 5 days of training with RtI and PBIS working together with presentation (with heavy concentration on curriculum)
Addition of personnel who have been trained in PBIS, RtI, Reading and Math Foundations. (Thank you Susan Griffin).
Results……
Still coming in but we know we need to tweak training module.
Presentation as one initiative for training gave way to better understanding that behavior and academics are tied together.
You can have a copy for $10,000,000 (or a tank of gas, whichever is more).
Where we think we would go if we could start over…….. Train an overview of the problem-
solving process and then work on buy-in. Use that time (at least a year) to look at curriculum (Reading Foundations and Math Foundations), collect baseline data and determine what continuum of services are available at the school and what may be needed.
If we started over……
Next blend Tier I and II Module training of RtI with Module I training of PBIS.
Train Tier III of RtI with Modules Two and Three of PBIS
Set up coaching model at each school participating.