isrc winter 2007 newsletter and pinup
DESCRIPTION
Winter 2007 edition of ISRC's biannual newsletter and pinup. Contents: Program-wide Behavior Support Plans Goal For D/HH Programs, D/HH Behavior Teams Receive Training, Pilot Program-wide Assessment Tool, and Champions Together Course On-Line. Topic of Pinup: Development and Implementation of a Program-Wide Behavior Support Plan For D/HH Programs.TRANSCRIPT
A Note from the Director:
For over 13 years the Illinois Service Resource
Center has been assisting families and educational
teams of students who have both a hearing loss
and an emotional/behavioral challenge. This
technical assistance has been provided on a
student by student basis.
This year, the ISRC has been requested by the
Illinois State Board of Education to initiate
development of program-wide behavior support
plans for programs serving students who are deaf
and hard of hearing.
Many D/HH programs have one or more
classrooms located in schools that already
participate in a school-wide behavior support plan
such as PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and
Supports). A few D/HH programs, such as LICA
(Low Incidence Cooperative Agreement), ISD
(Illinois School for the Deaf), and Marion School
for the Hearing Impaired, have implemented
behavior support plans on a program-wide basis.
When larger scale behavior supports are in place,
opportunities for student behavioral success are
increased. Consistency of expectations and
reinforcements, as well as consequences, provides
the boundaries and safety net to help students feel
secure and more available for learning.
Cheri Sinnott, LCSW
ISRC Director
Ad grandmother
Illinois Service Resource Center A T e c h n i c a l A s s i s t a n c e C e n t e r o f t h e I l l i n o i s S t a t e B o a r d o f E d u c a t i o n
S e r v i ng Ch i ld r en W i th A Hea r i ng Los s And Emotional/Behavioral Challenges
8 4 7 - 5 5 9 - 8 1 9 5 V o i c e 8 4 7 - 5 5 9 - 9 4 9 3 T TY 8 0 0 - 5 5 0 - 4 7 7 2 H e l p l i n e ( 2 4 H o u r ) Em a i l : i s r c@ i s r c . u s I n t e r n e t s i t e : www . i s r c . u s
Winter 2007 Edition
Review
Program-wide Behavior Support Plans Goal For HI Programs
Frustration with student behavior is one of the most
common complaints of teachers. Challenging behavior,
which is most often addressed on a case by case basis,
requires a significant amount of teacher time and
attention. This time spent on individual student
discipline is time taken away from teaching academics,
not only to the student in question, but to the entire
class. Less time spent on academics can impact student
achievement, while improvements in either behavior or
academics have a reciprocal impact.
Many schools are addressing this issue by implementing
school-wide behavior support plans such as Positive
Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). When
behavioral supports are established on a school-wide
basis, there is a reduction in the need for intensive level,
individualized behavioral intervention.
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has
recommended a best practice for programs serving
students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (D/HH) to
develop program-wide behavior support plans.
The Illinois Service Resource Center (ISRC) is one of
nine Technical Assistance Projects of ISBE. ISRC
provides training, technical assistance and support for
educational teams and families of students who have a
hearing loss and behavioral challenges.
ISBE’s Illinois State Performance Plan, Part B for 2005-
2010 cites an improvement activity to “Utilize technical
assistance projects such as ISRC to provide training,
technical assistance and support….to increase effective
behavior support plans to increase ongoing access to
education.” Accordingly, ISRC will be providing
technical assistance to D/HH programs in developing
program-wide behavior support plans.
In This Issue
Page 2. HI Behavior Teams Receive Training
Page 3. Pilot Program-wide Assessment Tool
Page 4. Champions Together Course On-Line
Needs Assessment Conducted on Program-Wide Behavior Support Plans In September, 2006 a survey on program-wide behavior support plans was distributed to supervisors of Deaf and
Hard of Hearing programs in Illinois. The survey asked questions about the student handbook, tracking of
disciplinary incidents, social emotional learning curriculum, and participation in PBIS (Positive Behavior
Interventions and Supports). There were 21 surveys returned out of 38 distributed (55%).
The results of the survey indicated that 57% of the programs which responded have already implemented program-
wide behavior plans, 28% have implemented a social emotional learning curriculum, and 75% are located in a
school with an existing PBIS program.
HI Behavior Teams Receive Training On FBA/BIP The Illinois Service Resource Center has been providing quarterly trainings for 22 HI Behavior Teams across
the state. Team members serve students with a Hearing Impairment, and are comprised of teachers,
administrators, social workers, counselors and psychologists.
Training topics focus on the development of Functional Behavioral Assessments and Behavior Intervention
Plans. Participants have an opportunity to meet individuals serving similar students in other parts of the state.
Presenters have included Dr. Terry Scott from the
University of Oregon, Dr. Rick Van Acker from
The University of Illinois-Chicago, Dr. Dale Meyers
of Meyers & Associates Consulting, and Dr. Linda
Mathias Kaskel of the Center for Multimodal
Treatment.
HI Behavior Team members are learning to identify
functions of behavior, such as obtaining something
(attention, an item), or escaping something (a task).
They are also learning to develop intervention
strategies to help students meet the function of the
behavior in an appropriate way. The importance of
data collection is emphasized as a way to gather
information on student behavior, and also as a means
to demonstrate student progress.
- ISRC Review Page 2 -
HI Behavior Team members from LICA ( Low Incidence
Cooperative Agreement), role play the development of a
Behavior Intervention Plan for a student. Pictured left to right
are presenter Dr. Linda Mathias Kaskel, Bonnie Koss, Terri
Bernstein, Laura Litterst, Sheryl Goldman, and the interpreter.
Is your program currently using a Social Emotional Learning
social skills curriculum such as Promoting Alternative Thinking
Strategies (PATHS), Skillstreaming, Stop & Think, etc. ?
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Yes No
Yes
No
Total number
of responses: 18
Is your program located in a school with a school
wide behavior support plan such as Positive Behavior Intervention
Supports (PBIS)?
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Yes No
Yes
No
Total number
of responses: 20
ISRC Library Includes Valuable Resources
The Illinois Service Resource Center library offers over 500 items, including books, games, video tapes, audio
tapes and psychological testing kits. The materials are available at no charge to individuals who work with
students who have a hearing loss and face behavioral and emotional challenges. In addition, there is a wide
variety of resources for parents and children.
Items are mailed, with return postage included. Materials may be checked out for a period of three weeks.
Some categories of resources include: AD/HD, Administration, Autism, Behavior Intervention, Counseling, Deaf
Culture, Medication, Parents, Sensory Integration, Sign Language and Social Skills. Several of the materials are
available in Spanish.
To view the entire library bibliography visit: http://library.isrc.us/surpass
Pilot Program-Wide Assessment Tool Available From ISRC
The Illinois Service Resource Center has developed a tool for programs to assess the current status of behavior
support plans that are in place for programs serving students with a hearing loss. The Pilot Program-wide Assessment
Tool (PPAT) was designed to assess and review the critical features of program-wide effective behavior support for
students who are deaf and hard of hearing across each academic school year. The PPAT was developed following
the format of the School-wide Evaluation Tool (Version 2.0, November 2001) from Educational and Community
Supports at the University of Oregon. The PPAT results are used to:
• assess features that are in place,
• determine annual goals for program-wide effective behavior support,
• review on-going efforts toward program-wide effective behavior support from year to year,
• design and revise procedures as needed, and
• compare efforts toward program-wide effective behavior support from year to year.
Information used for this assessment tool is gathered through multiple sources including review of permanent
products, observations, and staff (minimum of 5) and student (minimum of 8) interviews or surveys. There are
several steps for gathering information. The first step is to identify a contact person at the program. The contact
person will be asked to collect several items such as the Discipline Handbook, Summary of the Behavior Support
System used by the Program, Social skills instructional materials/implementation time line, Behavioral incident
summaries or reports (office referrals, suspensions, expulsions), and Office discipline referral form(s) (handwritten,
computerized).
Next, a time is set for the PPAT data collector to review the products and conduct observations and teacher/ student
interviews or surveys. Questions on the teacher and student interviews relate to the establishment of three to five
behavioral expectations, the teaching of the behavioral expectations, and reinforcement systems for appropriate
behavior (see ISRC Pin-Up in this issue).
The results of PPAT will provide programs with a measure of the proportion of features that are 1) not targeted or
started, 2) in the planning phase, and 3) in the implementation/maintenance phase of development toward a systems
approach to program-wide effective behavior support. The PPAT is designed to provide trend lines of improvement
and sustainability over time.
Programs which achieve a score of 80% or higher in the implementation phase will be designated as having
Exemplary Program-Wide Behavior Support Programs by the ISRC.
- ISRC Review Page 3 -
ISRC Staff
Cheri Sinnott, LCSW
Director
Dr. Steve Vaupel Behavior
Specialist
Ezell Smith Behavior
Specialist
Chris Mayworm, LCPC Consultant
Marilyn Medow, LCSW Social Worker
Dr. Jim Vanderbosch Clinical
Psychologist
Alison Mansfield Data Specialist
Charles Snyder Data Specialist
Melissa Perez Admin. Assist.
Josh Pryor Admin. Assist.
Champions Together® Course
To Be Available On-Line
Illinois Service Resource Center, in partnership with the
Academic Development Institute, has created the Champions
Together® parent training curriculum for parents of children
receiving special education services. This program was created
in response to the Illinois State Board of Education’s goal to
increase the effective and meaningful involvement of families in
the planning for their child’s special education program.
The program is divided into six modules: three that address
issues at school and three that address issues/challenges at home.
Training for professionals and para-professionals who facilitate
parent groups is available, and includes certification as a
Champions Together® parent group facilitator. An online
training course for facilitators is in development and will be
available in the near future.
If you would like more information on how the Champions Together® parent training curriculum would benefit your
district or school, please contact ISRC at 847-559-8195 or [email protected] to arrange a training opportunity.
Learn more about services and resources available from the ISRC
www.isrc.us
Getting Started: Development and Implementation Of a Program-Wide Behavior Support Plan For HI Programs
1. Commitment to administrative support The first step in the development of a Program-Wide Behavior Support Plan is a commitment from administration. This includes a commitment to allow members of the leadership team to have time to meet, to attend training, and for educators to incorporate the teaching of the core values/expectations during class.
2. Identify Leadership Team A multidisciplinary team is identified and should include a teacher from the HI program and a social worker/counselor/psychologist. Additional team members may include the HI supervisor, an aide, a school nurse, a parent, a general education teacher, an administrator from the host school and any other pertinent staff. Team members make a commitment to develop the three core values/expectations, attend training, review data collection procedures, develop curriculum for teaching expected behaviors, coordinate kickoff and continue to meet quarterly for monitoring purposes.
3. Complete Self Assessment Checklist Members of the Leadership Team review current behavioral practices and complete the Self Assessment Checklist (available from ISRC) to establish priorities.
4. Data collection/procedures for discipline referrals Clear guidelines are established for which behaviors will be handled in the classroom and which will require a discipline referral. Decisions are made regarding whether discipline referrals will be handled by the HI program or the host school. A process is established for collecting data on discipline referrals.
5. Core values/ behavioral expectations The Leadership Team identifies three core values/ behavioral expectations which will guide the Program Wide Behavior Support Plan. Sample core values/ behavioral expectations are: Respect yourself, Respect others, Respect property, Be responsible, Be safe, Be kind, Be Peaceful, Be cooperative, Be respectful, Be ready to learn, Make good choices. Next, the team develops a matrix of the behavioral expectations and what they will look like in classroom and non-classroom (hallway, playground, cafeteria, bus, etc.) settings. Additional information on completing the matrix is provided through training and technical assistance.
6. Curriculum/procedures for teaching expected behavior The Leadership Team develops a plan for teaching the expected behaviors to students. Usually the plan includes a lesson of the week, which is reinforced by teachers and other staff, along with visual reminders such as posters. Reading and writing assignments for the week could reflect the lesson as well.
7. Reinforcement/procedures for encouraging expected behavior The leadership team develops a system for reinforcement of appropriate behavior. This usually includes a token system for acknowledging student demonstration of the expected behaviors, a “catch them being good” system. Sometimes the token reflects the school mascot, such as Dolphin Dollars or Tiger Paws. The tokens can be exchanged for various reinforcements which are predetermined by the team. Sometimes when students are caught being good, their names go into a drawing, and a name is picked each week for a special recognition.
8. Procedures for discouraging problem behavior A clear set of guidelines is developed for inappropriate behaviors. This includes a list of the inappropriate behaviors and the sequence of consequences for each. Consequences may include contact with parent/guardian, apology, time out, loss of privileges, detention and suspension. The sequence of consequences is taught to the students so they will know what to expect when they demonstrate inappropriate behavior.
9. Family/Community Involvement Information on the Program-wide Behavior Support Plan is shared with families. Ongoing communication with families, including information on how they can incorporate the plan at home, is provided on a regular basis. Some families may be willing to make contributions for the reinforcements that are used. Community members can be approached for this as well. For example, local businesses may be willing to contribute passes for bowling, pizza, etc.
10. Kickoff A kickoff is scheduled to introduce the plan to the students. This usually involves an assembly and has a festive atmosphere.
11. Monitoring Following the kickoff and implementation of the program, the Leadership Team continues to meet at least quarterly to monitor progress. Collected data is reviewed to see if problem behaviors are occurring more frequently in certain parts of the building, to see if problem behaviors are decreasing overall and to review curriculum for effectiveness. The team may wish to review the Self Assessment Checklist.
12. Assessment for Exemplary Status When the team and/or program supervisor feel that the Behavior Support Plan has been implemented, a request may be made for assessment for Exemplary Status. The ISRC provides a copy of the assessment tool for review prior to the visit. Feedback will be provided on the results of the assessment, and programs which score above 80% will receive Exemplary Status Recognition.