The Institute for Understanding Behavior

Supporting Our Students: Skills and Strategies for Responding to Challenging Behaviors

Western Regional Leadership Summit on School-Justice Partnerships: Keeping Kids in School and Out of Court

St. John Fisher College, Rochester, NYMay 14, 2014

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The Institute for Understanding Behavior:a progressive and preventative approach for

New York City Educators

The Institute for Understanding Behavior is a joint initiative created

by the United Federation of Teachers with the NYC Department of

Education to help schools ensure that every child develops the social,

emotional, and academic skills they to succeed in school and in life.

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The Influence of Educators Why do educators need an approach that is

preventative and proactive?

What types of challenges are our students facing? How do they affect behavior in schools?

What is approach of the IUB?

How can it help us support students?

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The Institute for Understanding Behavior

Overview of Action Plan for All Participating New Schools Overview of Action Plan for All Participating New Schools *The IUB requires a 3-Year commitment to help a school meet the goals outlined below. However, we believe that many benchmarks can be

reached by the end of year 1 with full collaboration from the school.

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3-YEAR OUTCOME GOALSREDUCTION OF SUSPENSION RATES LOWER OCCURRENCE OF LEVEL 1 AND 2 INCIDENTS (PREVENTING LEVELS 3, 4, 5) IMPROVED ATTENDANCE RATES INCREASED ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTUSE OF DATA TO SUPPORT STUDENTS AND SCHOOL COMMUNITYEFFECTIVE BEHAVIOR LEADERSHIP TEAMSCHOOL WIDE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT SYSTEMS IN PLACEDECREASED INCIDENTS OF STAFF INJURY AND VIOLENCELOWER INCIDENCE OF STAFF TURNOVER POSITIVE CHANGE IN QUALITY REVIEW, PROGRESS REPORT AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENT SCORES ENHANCED SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL COMPETENCE IN STAFF AND STUDENTS SELF-SUSTAINING PRACTICES

DELIVERABLES4-DAY THERAPEUTIC CRISIS INTERVENTION TRAINING FOR ALL SCHOOL BASED STAFFWEEKEND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RETREAT FOR UP TO 10 FACULTY MEMBERS AND FOLLOW-UP CONFERENCES EACH YEARSWIS (SCHOOL WIDE INFORMATION SYSTEMS) LICENSING AND TRAININGDIRECT SCHOOL SUPPORT BY IUB BEHAVIOR SPECIALISTDATA ANALYSIS SUPPORTED BY EXTERNAL EVALUATORWORKSHOPS IN UNDERSTANDING CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH, EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING, TEAM-TEACHING, ETC.ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN AREAS OF IDENTIFIED NEEDSUPPORT CONNECTING TO COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONSONGOING CONSULTATION WITH IUB TEAM ON USING SCHOOL DATA TO MEET ACTION PLAN GOALS.TRAINING FOR ALL NEW STAFF IN TCIS WHEN HIRED

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OVERVIEW OF YEAR 1 ACTION PLAN FOR ALL PARTICIPATING NEW SCHOOLS

September October November December January February March April May June Summer Year 2 Year 3 Year 2 Year 3

The IUB team will conduct an orientation at your school for your entire staff.

The IUB will administer a confidential school wide survey in order to better understand the needs of your individual school.

The IUB will meet with your school to discuss the data points, information gathered and develop a plan to meet goals.

Principal and Chapter Leader must take TCIS training by October School Wide Assessment Team must be identified and trained in TCIS by end of Nov. School provides IUB with OORS/ suspension data, etc. Collaborate with IUB to identify leader teachers to be trained in community meeting practices

Practicum workshops on identified school needs conducted.

Executive Functioning and the School Experience Workshop

Training in Understanding Mental Health Positive Behavior Support Social-Emotional Education

Alignment with Community Based Organizations

Mental Health Needs and Providers Identified

Behavior Specialist begins direct work with school.

Aligning Schools Systems with Best Practices

Guidance of School Wide Assessment Team meetings.

Teacher requested classroom support.

SWIS implementation guidance.

Classroom community meeting facilitation.

Data Analysis and Goal Setting

Long Term Sustainability Weekend staff retreat provided by IUB

Direct Support and Skill Development

TCIS Training for Entire Staff

Meet with Team to discuss -OORS -Suspension /Attendence Data -Staff Survey Outcomes -Behvaior Specialist Observations

Review of Data and Benchmarked Goals Alignment of Support

-Data Assessment -Case Conferencing -Classroom Community Meetings and Development of Emotion Circle -Restorative Practices -SWIS Training -Uniform Incident Reporting -Aligning Best Practices w/ Discipline Code

Administration programs time in schedule for all faculty to implement SEL/PBS SWAT meetings must be scheduled weekly within school hours or per session must be provided Staff will be released for continued professional development in areas of identified need. Time scheduled for staff survey to be administered at the end of each year

Staff Retreat -School must send assessment team and identified lead teachers to retreat.

School administration works with IUB to develop schedule for staff participation in workshops. Meetings with CBOs scheduled

SWIS data utilized in identifying school -wide systems in need of modification. School staff participates in additional workshops.

Principal meets with Behavior Specialist (at least monthly) to discuss benchmarks, progress, challenges. Schedule for Behavior Specialist visits and activities developed. School Wide Assessment Team meets weekly to discuss data, implementation, and identification of students in need of support. Planning for SEL/PBS begins

TCIS training for new school based staff.

Continued periodic data analysis and benchmark goal planning.

Guidance from Behavior Specialist.

Continued professional development based on identified needs

Follow-Up school-based team conferences

Restorative practices guidance

Community building and parent coordinator development

Access to support resources

Continued SWIS technical support

IUB Process and Deliverables

Data Analysis

-Provides IUB w/updated OORS, suspension, SWIS, attendance data

School Participation Requirements

How do You Cope?

What are some coping strategies that you use to deal with stress?

Listen to the scenario, visualize that this is happening to you.

What are you feeling now?

What do you feel like doing?

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A Crisis Occurs When

A Student’s Inability to Cope Results in a Change in Behavior

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The Goals of Crisis Intervention are to:

SUPPORT: environmentally and emotionally to

reduce stress and risk

TEACH: students better ways to cope with

stress

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Stress Model of Crisis

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Recovery Phase

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Skills Building Pyramid:Self-Awareness

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Discussion about Self Awareness

What situations do you find difficult in your work? What behavior on the part of the young person might trigger a stress response in you?

What self-regulations skills do you use?

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What does Assessment Really Mean?Four Questions We Ask Ourselves

to Assess Crisis Situation

1. What am I feeling now?

2. What does this student feel, need, or want?

3. How is the environment affecting the student?

4. How do I best respond?

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Effects of Anger

“When we are at our angriest, we are at our stupidest.”

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How Do I Best Respond?

Manage the environment to neutralize potential triggers

Engage the student and provide emotional support

Exercise self-control over feelings

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Feelings, Needs and Behaviors

Behaviors

Feelings

+

Needs

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Assessing Behavior

All behavior has meaning.

Behavior reflects needs.

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What Effects Behavior?Setting Conditions

Anything that makes challenging behavior more or less likely to occur.

Organizational culture, e.g., control oriented, poor communication

Environment, e.g., hot, crowded, noisy, too much visual stimulation

Instruction, activities, routines related, e.g., staffing, quality of instruction, activities

Personal, e.g., illness, medication, trauma history, feeling unsafe

Relationship-based, e.g., excessive controls, “us versus them” culture, lack of caring

community

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Treat Each Student As an Individual With:

Individual baseline behavior

Different strengths and abilities

Specific effects of trauma

Underdeveloped co-regulation and self-regulation skills

Possible physical discomfort, e.g., illness, medication

A need for an individualized crisis management plan (ICMP) or

safety plan

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Identifying A Student’s Needs

What is this individual student’s baseline behavior? Is this typical behavior?

Is this normal for a student of this age?

Does this behavior reflect the student’s or family’s worldview?

Is this a pain-based behavior related to past trauma?

What feeling is the student expressing?

Does the student feel safe?

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Meaning in Emotional Communication

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Power Struggle

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We Can Avoid or Stop the Power Struggle by:

Using positive self-talk

Listening and validating feelings

Managing the environment, e.g., removing others

Giving choices and the time to decide

Redirecting the student to another positive activity

Appealing to the student’s self-interest

Dropping or changing the expectation

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