Tier II Supports: Teaming Structures Tim Lewis, Ph.D. University of Missouri OSEP Center for Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports

Tier II Starting Points Universals firmly in place Data used consistently in team meetings Data decision rules to identify students who need secondary supports Equal attention to practices (student support) and systems (adult support)

Tier II Starting Points Match intervention to student need Staff implementing interventions have skills and support ALL staff aware of interventions and their part in promoting generalization Focus on the systems to support throughout

Small Group / Targeted Interventions Data –Systematic way to identify at-risk students (e.g., office referrals, teacher nomination, rating scales) –Measure progress and fade support slowly Practices –Within class first option –Pull out programs must have generalization strategies –Link small group with school-wide rules and social skills –Academic & social strategies Systems –Training for ALL staff on procedures –Options for students who transfer in during school year

An Applied Tier II Process

Basic Steps 1.School-wide, including classroom, universals in place 2.Identify students who need additional supports 3.Identify what supports student needs –Environment –Intervention 4.Monitor & evaluate progress

Starting Point Work within current formal and informal systems Develop missing steps of efficient process Provide training and technical assistance to facilitators –Grade Level/Team Problem Solving Teams (partnership) –Tier II Team Guided process with templates for environmental modifications and interventions

Student Continuum of Positive Behavior Supports

Tier II Support Process Step 1 – Insure Universals, including Classroom, in place Step 2 – Student Identification Process –Decision Rules –Referral –Screen Step 3 - Grade Level/Team Problem Solving –Classroom supports (function-based) –Progress monitor Step 4 - Tier II supports –Non-responders to within class supports –Match function of student behavior to intervention –Progress monitor Step 5 - Evaluate Process

Classroom Essential Features 1.Classroom expectations & rules defined and taught (all use school-wide, create classroom examples) 2.Procedures & routines defined and taught 3.Continuum of strategies to acknowledge appropriate behavior in place and used with high frequency (4:1) 4.Continuum of strategies to respond to inappropriate behavior in place and used per established school-wide procedure 5.Students are actively supervised (pre-corrects and positive feedback) 6.Students are given multiple opportunities to respond (OTR) to promote high rates of academic engagement 7.Activity sequence promotes optimal instruction time and student engaged time 8.Instruction is differentiated based on student need

Systems Teach –Brief in-service, single topic focus Practice (performance feedback) –Peer coaching –Principal “walk throughs”

2. Identifying students Current data –Confidence in numbers –Consistency across data points Teacher Referral Screening Approximately 10% of total students

Data Decision Rules Office Discipline Referral (ODR) –Major –Minor Time out of Instruction –Buddy Room –“Discipline” Room

Other Strategies to Identify Students Teacher Referral –Questions to discuss: Who completes When What data must be used/cited Focus on externalizing and internalizing Screening –What instrument –Schedule

3. Team Problem Solving Grade level / Teams Once a week focus of meeting = social behavior concerns when decision rule met Standard problem solving steps

Team Problem Solving Process leader –Classroom teachers, Specialist teachers Tier II Team partner –School Psychologist, Counselor, Administrator Process –Data-based decision making Guiding questions –Function-based intervention Teach replacement Environmental alterations / supports –Monitor progress

Team Problem Solving Student meets data decision rule Classroom teacher completes preliminary forms (documents student progress to date) Team lead walks team through problem solving process Tier II Team partner attends if team is unable to identify patterns leading to intervention or when significant concerns noted Plan put in place Student progress monitored and reported at weekly meetings

4. Tier II Supports Students who do not respond to classroom / informal supports (within class intervention 2-3 weeks) Student brought to Tier II Team –Grade level problem solving plan –Progress data Based on function of problem behavior and response to classroom supports, match student to Tier II intervention

Tier II Supports Centralized Each has a coordinator Placed in support by Tier II Team Classroom supports continued / modified ALL in building aware of their role in supporting students in Tier II Supports

Tier II Team Initially, primary role will be to: –Build process –Assist with Team Problem Solving Process Once Team Problem Solving in operation, “lead” role will be to: –Review referrals and place students in appropriate tier II interventions –Serve as “coordinators” of tier II interventions –Monitor student progress –Monitor overall process

Tier II Supports Check in / Check Out Social Skill Groups Academic Supports

5. Monitor Student Progress and Evaluate Process Original data sources that lead to student identification –ODR –Attendance –Academics –“time out of class” –Teacher perception Key = frequent and regular –Celebrate success –Adjust if student doesn’t respond (or problems start reappearing) Cost –Benefit Analysis of overall process

Process for Accessing Support Gentry Middle School

RRKS Team STAT Team School-Wide Systems Matrix Lesson Plans School-Wide Data Acknowledgement Communication Core Team Representative District PBS Support Building Administrator and Counselors *Meets Monthly Core Team Representative SAT Partner Core Team Teachers *Meets Weekly Core Team/Classrooms Implement AIS Monitor Progress Refer to SAT SAT Process Teacher Training and Support Targeted Interventions Individual Student Plans SAT Team Administrator Counselor Behavior Specialist Process for Disseminating Practice

Skills-Based Training Training Model –SAT members with behavior specialist Behavior basics and management SAT process Function-linked strategies –SAT members with STAT team representative –SAT and STAT with core team teachers

Tools Tools for Teachers –SAT flowchart –Pyramid to Success –RRKS TOC –AIS guide (Alternative Intervention Strategies)

Classroom Teacher Issues Out of seat, Talking to classmates, Talking out, Off-task, Violation of class rules, Inappropriate language, Lack of materials, Gum, Disrespect, Cheating, Tardies, Minor destruction of property Method for handling student behaviors Proactive: Positive call to parents, Use praise, Use Rewards, Daily/Weekly Goal sheets, Proximity to instructor, Provide choices, One-to-One assistance, Pre-correct for transitions/trouble situations, Regular breaks for exercise, Give a job, RRKS Review, Reward lunch with teacher, etc. Corrective: One and only one REDIRECT, RRKS Review, Safe-seat, Buddy Room, Think Sheet, Parent Phone call, Lunch Detention, Recovery Study Hall, Removal of privilege in classroom, etc. Team Issues Repeated minor & major disruptions in multiple classrooms, Throwing things, Hallway/Lockers problems, Attendance, Repeated disrespect to peers or adults, Cheating, Inappropriate to substitute, Insubordination, Chronic Disruptions Method for handling student behaviors Proactive: Parent contact (mandatory), RRKS review, Team conference, Team conference with student, Team conference with Parents, Team conference with Administrator/Counselor, Triage in the AM with the student, Triage at lunch with the student, Team Focus, etc. Corrective: Removal of privilege on team, Recovery Study Hall, Buddy Room, etc. Office Issues Bus referrals, Truancy, Chronic offender, Threatening student or adult, Fighting, Refusal to go to or Disruptive in Buddy Room, Sexual harassment, Weapons, Drug/cigarettes/ tobacco/alcohol, Assault – physical or verbal Teacher Method for handling student behaviors  Referral Form – send student to office with completed form  Process with student before re-entry Office Method for handling student behaviors Proactive: RRKS Review, Parent Contact Corrective: Loss of Privilege, Saturday detention, Opportunity Center, Suspension, etc. Pyramid to Success for All

RRKS TOC (front side) RRKS – Time Out of Class Code: _____ Student: _________________________ Date:______________________ Incident Time: ____________________# of min. out of rm.: __________ Teacher: _______________________Subject: ____________________ What did you do/not do that got you sent out of class? ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Circle the RRKS expectation that was not followed: Respect ResponsibleKindSafe What will you do differently next time?______________________________________

RRKS TOC (back side) Processing Checklist: Processing data & time: Review with the student reason he/she was sent out. Teach & practice replacement behavior. Provide positive reinforcement for replacement behavior. Check the setting in which the behavior occurred. Whole group instruction Small group instruction Individual work Working with peers Alone 1-on-1 instruction Interacting with peers Other: Please identify below Minor List: Circle the appropriate code (MDD) Defiance/Disrespect/Non- compliance (MDS) Disruption (MI) Inappropriate Verbal Language ( MO) Other(MPC) Phys. Contact (MP) Property Misuse

Gentry FBA Matrix Lewis, 2008

Ongoing Support Weekly, skills-based, with feedback Periodic, intensive, with follow-up Example Sessions Classroom/team universals AIS process Follow-up AIS Peer observations Feedback and systems maintenance

Lessons Learned Teachers need to consistently implement classroom universals Problem solving teams may need training on team process and how to collect, analyze and make data decisions Protect meeting time, use an agenda and keep minutes Build in time for professional development New teachers may have no background knowledge regarding this process It is hard to stick to Tier 2 data rules and not “jump” to Tier 3 Teachers often see “Support” as Outside Classroom Communication, communication, communication!