shift happens howard middle school then and now by daphne smith
TRANSCRIPT
Shift Happens
Howard Middle SchoolThen and Now
ByDaphne Smith
“We Made The News Again”
• Student assaults teacher, sends her to the hospital
• Howard Middle was on lockdown today-student brings a gun to school
• Student sets off the sprinkler, floods entire school building
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” Albert Einstein
Or……..
“If you always do what you always did,
you’ll always get what you always got.”
-Moms Mably
The DataThe Data07 – 08 Student Discipline
Expulsion = 81
Remand EVS = 658
Suspension = 898
In Sch. Sus. = 1352Actions by Grade Level6th Grade = 4867th Grade = 9148th Grade = 4739th Grade = 42110th Grade = 36311th Grade = 20312th Grade = 129
The Way We Were
• A Failing School• On the List to be taken over by
the state for excessive number of suspensions (particularly for special ed students)
• High Teacher Turnover Rate• Low Teacher Morale• Unmotivated Students
2007-2008 Policies
• No Assemblies allowed• Morning announcements took place
15 minutes over the intercom during 1st block
• No School Wide Behavior Plan, only ISS, Suspension, Evening School, or Washington Alternative Placement
• No After School Clubs/Organizations• No In School Activities (Pep Rallies,
Dances, etc)
What needed to change
•Entire Discipline System•Student Motivation•Faculty/Staff Attitude•Strict 07-08 policies regarding
assemblies, in and out of school student activities
•Academic Curriculum
“The Times-They are a Changing”- Bob Dylan
• By Summer of 2008, administrative changes took place (new principal/new assistant principal) who were very much on board with revamping the discipline system
• A group of Howard Middle staff (myself, special ed/regular ed, administration, school counselor, and reading interventionist) met throughout the summer to devise the needed changes for the 2008-2009 school year
What we came up with• RTI 3 Tiered Behavior Model• Point system with levels of offense for
referring a student for disciplinary measures• Creation of a discipline room and problem
solving document for the student to complete upon referral to the discipline room
• Creation of Short Term ISS, Reward System for students earning less than 5 discipline points each
• Creation of M and M Groups, Literacy Block, and 8th grade Math Remediation program
• Proposal of a summer camp for targeted 6th and 7th grade students at risk for gang affiliation
Out with the Old, In with the New
• Old• No effective discipline
system• No assemblies• No in school/after
school student activities
• Pause class (Teach/Re-teach)
• 6 blocks (Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Pause, Related Arts)
• New• RTI Behavior Model• Morning assemblies in
the auditorium• In School Pep Rallies,
Talent Shows/Fashion Shows, Faculty/Student Games, Drama Club, Art Club, Debate Team
• 5 Blocks (Language Arts, **M and M/Literacy Block, Remediation Math**, Math, Science, Social Studies, Related Arts)
Summer Camp-2008
• 10 Upcoming 7th and 8th grade boys attended a Weekend retreat aimed at teaching critical thinking skills and leadership skills in order to serve as mentors for fellow students during the 08-09 school year.
• Activities included: ropes course, hiking, archery, problem solving activities, and journal reflections prior to the camp and after the camp
• 3 Faculty chaperones attended as well as one administrator
“Whole Lotta Shaking Going On”-Jerry Lee Lewis
• Of, utmost importance was to train the staff on new discipline system during the professional development activities prior to beginning the 08-09 school year.
• Staff needed incentives to buy in to the new plan and to change their mindset in a positive direction.
• The Staff In-Service began with the following Introduction:
CONGRATULATIONS HOWARD MIDDLE FOR MAKING
AYP!!!!!!!!!!!!
In Addition, the following announcements were made• Howard Middle achieved AYP for the first
time in the school’s history• All Staff with the exception of 2 new
administrators returned to Howard Middle for the first time in the school’s history
• The Staff was served a Complimentary Continental Breakfast from Panera Bread for their efforts
• Staff was informed that at the end of each month during the faculty meeting, there would be an award for the Faculty member who was voted Teacher of the Month (movie tickets, gift certificates, teacher supplies, etc)
What is PBS?
•Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is based on a problem solving model and aims to prevent inappropriate behavior through teaching and reinforcing appropriate behaviors.
School Wide PBS
Primary Prevention: Tier 1 (Universal)
• Involves system-wide efforts to prevent new cases of a condition or disorder
• Works for over 80% of all students in a given school
• It reduces the large numbers of office discipline referrals for minor problems.
• Having a system for documenting the occurrence of problem behaviors (e.g., office discipline referrals) provides a way to determine which students need more intensive intervention.
Tier 2: Targeted Group
• Interventions are administered to small groups of students which require limited time and staff involvement.
• Interventions include social skills groups, group counseling, and/or mentoring programs.
Tier 3: Individual Student
• The PBS/RTI team needs to conduct a more in-depth analysis of the student’s data which at this point, would include all of the information examined in Tier 1 as well as the student’s response to and the fidelity of the Tier 2 interventions.
• In-depth analysis includes a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA), One on one classroom teacher consultation, Behavior/Mental Health Rating scale, and Direct observation
M and M Groups• Focus on Emotional Intelligence• Daniel Goleman’s 5 part theory
which categorizes how student and teacher perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors interact to promote or hinder appropriate social interaction
Emotional Intelligence
• Self Awareness• Self Control• Motivation • Empathy• Social Skills
The Stop Light
• Stop- State the problem and how you feel
• Calm Down- Set a Positive Goal• Think Before you Act-Think of lots of
solutions/consequences, go ahead and try the best plan.
The Hassle Log
• I am feeling _____________• Tell the Problem __________• What do I want to happen ____• What can I do to make it
happen_________________
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
ISS SUS EXP DET EVESCH
NTP
2007
2008
6-8 TCAP Results-Language Arts
6-8 TCAP Results6-8 TCAP Results
Actual Projected
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Advanced 2.1% 2.9% 8.1% 5.6% 17.9% 22.9%
Proficient 49.3% 54.5% 61.4%68.6
% 69.2% 77.1%
Prof/Adv 51.4% 57.4% 69.5%74.2
% 87.1% 100%
6-8 TCAP Results-Math
Actual Projected
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Advanced 5.2% 8.4% 11.0% 10.0% 23.4% 28.4%
Proficient
53.5% 58.6% 63.3% 62.8% 64.3% 71.6%
Prof/Adv
58.7% 67.0% 74.3% 72.7% 87.7% 100%
Think-Link Predictive Results (March test) vs. TCAP Results
Proficient/Advanced
TL2006
TCAP2006
TL2007
TCAP2007
TL2008
TCAP2008
6th grade 58% 60.0%
67% 61.7%
88% 77.8%
7th grade 58% 53.6%
78% 70.7%
78.8%
68%
8th grade 45% 58.8%
61% 77.2%
65.8%
77.6%
Total 53.7%
57.5%
68.7%
69.9%
77.5%
74%
Results for Summer Camp Students
• 3 out of the 10 students were promoted to the 9th grade Success Academy for exemplary behavior and grades.
• 1 student has received no zero tolerance incidents or in home arrests as compared to being arrested out of school twice last year and a zero tolerance offense at school.
• 1 student transferred to Orchard Knob Middle and became a starter for the Football team, was constantly placed in Washington Alternative last year.
• 1 student has only received 4 disciplinary referrals this entire school year.
• 1 student has received 3 referrals this entire school year as compared to last year when he was predominantly in evening school and suspended.
• 1 student has only received 1 referral the entire school year.• 1 student has received no discipline referrals this school year and
has maintained grades of B’s and C’s.• 1 student has not been successful and continues to receive
discipline referrals, ISS, Suspension, and evening school placement for disruptive and defiant behavior in the classroom.
Behavior Referral Comparison
• 2007-2008 school year
• 6th grade-486• 7th grade-914• 8th grade-473• Total
Referrals=1873
• 2008-2009 school year to date
• 6th grade-688• 7th grade-399• 8th grade-428• Total
Referrals=1515
Reading Levels for 6th and 7th grade
• 6th grade• Average reading
grade level• August 2008: 4.7• December 2008: 5.4
• Boys: August= 4.2• December= 5.0• Girls: August= 5.0• December= 5.5
• 7th grade• Average reading
grade level• August 2008: 4.8• December 2008: 5.7
• Boys: August= 5.1• December= 5.6• Girls: August= 4.6• December= 5.8
America’s Choice-Math Mediation program for 8th graders
• Implemented in January of 2009
•Students have shown an 18% increase on the Percents Unit
•Students have shown a 13.75% increase on the Fractions Unit
End of the Year Reward for students with no discipline referrals
• There are 320 students currently enrolled at Howard Middle.
• Of the 320 students, 11 (6th graders) will receive a Free IPOD on the last day of school
• 20 (7th graders) will receive a Free IPOD on the last day of school
• 14 (8th graders) will receive a Free IPOD on the last day of school
Closing Comments
• Did we completely resolve our behavioral/discipline issues? NO
• Did our efforts reduce behavioral/discipline issues? YES
• Over the past year,• Strong Teacher/Student Bonds were
formed• Academic Gains were made and• Students’ lives were positively
changed
Final Thoughts Regarding the Closing of Howard Middle
• My Personal View V School Official View
• 2 goals I hoped to accomplish today:• Showing how a supportive
administrative team and devoted faculty can turn a failing school around
• Alleviating some of the negative connotations and reputation my school has encountered
• Placement for next school year