Identifying and Implementing Tiered I n tervention Frameworks for A l l High School Students

1. Identifying and Implementing Tiered Intervention Frameworks for All High School Students Tim Lewis Darren Woodruff Jenny Scala April 2, 2009

2. Strand Agenda “Maximizing Attainment for ALL High School Students” Session 1: Overview / Mapping Elements Session 2: Designing Dropout Prevention Strategies Session 3: Tiered Interventions to Benefit All Students Session 4: Integrating the Needs of Students with Disabilities Into High School Reform

3. Session 2 Agenda • Overview of the National High School Center • Introduction to PBIS at the secondary level • Introduction to High School Tiered Interventions Initiative

4. Overview of the National High School Center

5. National High School Center OESE Content Centers (5)including theNational High School Center OSEP TA&D CentersincludingNDPC-SD, NSTTAC, PSO IES Regional Labs 16 Regional Comprehensive Centers (RCCs) 6 Regional Resource Centers (RRCs) State Education Agencies (SEAs) Local Education Agencies (LEAs)

6. National High School Center Mission • Serve as the central source of research and information on high school improvement for the Regional Comprehensive Centers • Identify, summarize and disseminate information on: • latest research and innovations • useful programs, tools, and products • high-quality technical assistance relating to high schools and their diverse student populations • Build capacity of RCCs to promote and support high school improvement at all levels

7. School-wide Positive Behavior Support within High Schools Tim Lewis, Ph.D. University of Missouri OSEP Center on Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports pbis.org

8. Social Competence & Academic Achievement Positive Behavior Support OUTCOMES Supporting Decision Making Supporting Staff Behavior DATA SYSTEMS PRACTICES Supporting Student Behavior

9. Tertiary Prevention: Specialized Individualized Systems for Students with High-Risk Behavior CONTINUUM OF SCHOOL-WIDE INSTRUCTIONAL & POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT ~5% Secondary Prevention: Specialized Group Systems for Students with At-Risk Behavior ~15% Primary Prevention: School-/Classroom- Wide Systems for All Students, Staff, & Settings ~80% of Students

10. School-wide Positive Behavioral Support • Incorporate best practice in professional development and system change (teams) • Emphasizes the use of assessment information to guide intervention and management decisions • Focus on the use of a continuum of behavioral supports • Focus on increasing the contextual fit between problem context and what we know works • Focus on establishing school environments that support long term success of effective practices {3-5 years}

11. School-wide Positive Behavioral Support • Expectations for student behavior are defined by a building based team with all staff input • Effective behavioral support is implemented consistently by staff and administration • Appropriate student behavior is taught • Positive behaviors are publicly acknowledged • Problem behaviors have clear consequences • Student behavior is monitored and staff receive regular feedback • Effective Behavioral Support strategies are implemented at the school-wide, specific setting, classroom, and individualstudent level • Effective Behavioral Support strategies are designed to meet the needs of all students

12. Nationally • 913 High Schools implementing SW-PBS per OSEP Center for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports standards • There are 28,151 public High Schools in the US (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Annual Report of the Commissioner of Education)

13. What Behavioral Challenges do High Schools Face 112 High Schools / 190,169 ODRs • Tardy (25 %) • 52% to avoid task/activities • Disrespect / Disruption (23%) • 33% to avoid task/activities • 32% to gain peer attention • Skip/Truancy (20%) • 52% to avoid task/activities (Flannery, McGrath-Kato, Fenning, & Bohanon, in press)

14. Who Accounts for Behavioral Challenges within High Schools • Grade 9 – 40% • Grade 10 – 29% • Grade 11 – 18% • Grade 12 – 13% (Flannery, McGrath-Kato, Fenning, & Bohanon, in press)

15. Challenges & Success Factors Positive behavior support in high schools: Monograph from the 2004 Illinois high school forum on positive behavioral interventions and supports.

16. Challenges • Number of students • 89% of 1000+ schools had police involvement around violence • 61% of 300< schools had police involvement around violence (NCES, 2003) • Punitive discipline focus / Zero Tolerance • Discipline systems operate outside of classroom (e.g., Assistant Principals, ISS) • Alternative and Self-contained options • Lack of good Universal screeners

17. Challenges • Students viewed as totally responsible for behavior • Anti-social networks of peers • Staff turnover • Consistency across large staff • Scheduling • Curricular focus = staff identity • Tier II and III interventions implemented only by “specialists”

18. The Bad News • “Punishing” problem behaviors (without a proactive support system) is associated with increases in (a) aggression, (b) vandalism, (c) truancy, and (d) dropping out. (Mayer, 1995, Mayer & Sulzar-Azaroff, 1991, Skiba & Peterson, 1999)

19. The Good News… Research reviews indicate that the most effective responses to school violence are (Elliot, Hamburg, & Williams, 1998Gottfredson, 1997; Lipsey, 1991; 1992;Tolan & Guerra, 1994) • Social Skills Training • Academic Restructuring • Behavioral Interventions

20. Alton High SchoolAverage Referrals per Day

21. Success Factors of SW-PBS within High Schools • Student involvement • Strong commitment and involvement by all building administrators • “Fit” within existing initiatives • Roll out by grade level (e.g., 9th grade first) • Reorganize large schools to create “communities” within

22. Success Factors of SW-PBS within High Schools • Understand and acknowledge peer social culture of the school • Focus on “smaller” challenges to gain initial success – apply process around common problem (e.g., tardy) • Identify incentives for Students and Staff • Age appropriate social instruction • Create continuum starting at Tier II

23. Next Steps for the Center • National Forum in June – set of recommendations for research and practice • Model-Demonstration sites across the US with a complete continuum

24. More Information • What Works Clearinghouse http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc • IDEAs that Work http://www.osepideasthatwork.org • OSEP Center on Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports http://pbis.org • Center for Adolescent Research in Schools (Kern, Lewis, & Evans) http:// ies-cars.org

25. References Bohanon-Edmonson, H., Flannery, K. B., Eber, L., & Sugai, G.(2004). Positive behavior support in high schools: Monograph from the 2004 Illinois high school forum on positive behavioral interventions and supports. Eugene, OR: OSEP Center on PBIS. Flannery K. B., McGrath-Kato, M., Fenning, P., & Bohanon, H. (in press). Office discipline referral patterns in high schools implementing school-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS): Preliminary findings. Journal of Positive Behavioral Interventions. National Center for Educational Statistics. (2003). Indicators of school crime and safety,2003. Available: http://nces.ed.gov Washington,D.C.

26. High School Tiered Interventions Initiative Background • Demand • Lack of research base • Parallel initiatives • Collaborative benefits

27. Goal To enhance the understanding of how tiered intervention models are emerging in high schools.

28. Phases of Work • Nominate schools • Initial contact and screening • Convene Technical Advisory Group • Site Visits • Identify key characteristics • Reconvene TAG • Synthesis of findings

29. Initial Contact and Screening • Nominated ~50 schools; 18 agreed to participate • Interviewed schools who were at various stages of implementation (2 to 8+ years) • Five open-ended questions asked

30. Initial Themes • Focus • Structure • Staff roles • Professional development • Identification/monitoring

31. Emerging Themes – Focus • Primarily academic-focused; some incorporate additional aspects (behavior, social-emotional learning, etc.) • Most schools focused on reading supports (including content area literacy)

32. Emerging Themes – Structure • Most schools include students with disabilities in their framework • Most schools use traditional daily 6-8 period schedule • Creative uses of study hall • A few use block schedules • Concern for how classes are labeled on transcript • Variation in delivery of Tier 2

33. Emerging Themes – Staff Roles Tier 3 Academic Behavior • Special • Educator • and/or Content Specialist • School • Psychologist • or Behavioral Interventionist (and sometimes additional social services) Tier 2 • Combination of • Two teachers • (General and/or Special Educators ) General Educator (One content area instructor) General Educator, Counselor Tier 1

34. Emerging Themes – Professional Development • All schools provide professional development but there is tremendous variation • Most schools have coaches • Most schools use professional learning communities • Most recognize additional need for instructional supports

35. Emerging Themes – Identification/Monitoring • Data-based decisions central to all efforts • All schools have process for teachers once they notice a struggling student • Some schools contact middle schools for student information • Most schools have universal screening • Most schools have progress monitoring (combination of commercial & home-grown)

36. For More Information Contact:helpfor@betterhighschools.org