Student Support Services Student Discipline (Extension of January Presentation on Progressive Discipline)
Across the country, school discipline has been: Repeatedly described as a priority concern for teachers, principals and parents. The subject of community and public discussion and perception. Cited as a reason for teacher turnover. Discussed as a major contributor to overall school climate. 2
Student Discipline is a balance Seriousness of ensuring student safety and maintaining a safe/ orderly learning environment Allowing students to learn appropriate behavior 3
Between 2011/2012 and 2012/13 school years: High School 4.1% point reduction Middle School 4.3% point reduction Elementary -.5% point increase Percentage of students who were suspended at least one time 5
Georgia: Absences in 9 th Grade/Graduation Rate 4 Years Later 0 absences 76.32% 0-5 absences 74.94% 6-10 absences 11-14 absences 64.04% 50.98% 15 or more absences 26.2% Georgia Department of Education 6
What are we doing in APS to address the behavioral needs of students? 7
Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) Each school developed a plan for continuous improvement Schools that had 10% of their entire student body or any subgroup with more than 10 days of suspensions were required to develop action steps to improve student behavior and reduce suspensions. 8
Student Support Teams (SST) Required team at each school according to Georgia DOE Requirement Also known as Tier 3 in the Georgia Pyramid of Interventions Provides a brainstorming process for students who need interventions (academic or behavioral) Includes research-based interventions, progress monitoring tools and progress monitoring data Intervention Bank developed and posted on Sharepoint Multiple, ongoing trainings were provided to a wide variety of personnel Principals Counselors School Psychologists Special Education Lead Teachers SST Chairpersons Training re-delivered in schools 9
Student Action Teams (Professional Learning Community) Cross Disciplinary Teams Social Workers, Graduation Coaches, School Counselors, Behavior Specialists Meet bi-weekly to coordinate their efforts to support students Three training sessions for the cross disciplinary teams this year. 10
Behavior Specialists - Interventions 14 Full-Time Employees with certifications in Counseling, Teaching, Leadership, Social Work, or School Psychology Serve 28 Schools Schools chosen based on an analysis of data 15 High Schools 10 Middle Schools 1 Elementary School 2 Alternative Schools Cohorts of 25 students with the greatest average number of suspension days 11
Schools with Behavior Specialists - Interventions High Schools BEST High Carver Arts Carver Health Sciences Carver Technology Douglass High Grady High Jackson High Mays High North Atlanta South Atlanta Health & Medical South Atlanta Law & Social Justice Therrell Health Science & Research Therrell STEMS Washington Banking Washing Health Middle Schools BEST Middle Brown Middle Coretta Scott King Middle Harper-Archer Middle Long Middle Martin Luther King Jr. Middle Bunche Middle Coan Middle Inman Middle Sylvan Middle Elementary School Dunbar Elementary Alternative Schools Crim Forest Hills 12
Behavior Specialists - Interventions Provide two meaningful interactions with each student weekly such as: Check In Check out Group Sessions Reviewing incidents with students Goal Setting Behavior Contract Funded through re-directed federal special education funds due to suspension disproportionality I m not your Behavior Specialist. I m your Student Advocate. 13
Moving Forward Continue current activities Use this semester and the summer for foundation building activities to: Implement Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in 10-20 schools during the 2014-2015 school year 14
Moving Forward Implement a cross-disciplinary Steering Committee to support schools Principals Teachers Central Office Administrators Parents Students Analyze the ongoing efforts across the district to help provide support and direction to our schools 15
Moving Forward Specific recommendations for additional support structures and interventions will be made during the FY15 budget approval process. 16