Monongalia County Schools G.U.I.D.E.S. Groups United to Inspire, Develop, and Educate Students Elementary Alternative Education Pilot Grant

Guiding Principles Elementary schools are challenged by students with serious behavioral and mental difficulties, which are correlated to three indicators (attendance, behavior, course failure) for drop out. Monongalia County Schools had the 7th largest special education population in the state at the time the Grant application was submitted. Monongalia County was within the top four counties for the largest population of students identified as having emotional behavioral disorders- 7.3% of special education students identified as EBD.

Guiding Principles Elementary schools would benefit from additional training in implementing preventive strategies. Students whose needs exceed school resources would benefit from the availability of alternative educational placements. Student, school, and parent have needs that can be addressed through parent trainings, community linkages, and formal plans for reintegration to the school of origin.

Collaboration West Virginia University Psychology Department- Dr. Claire St. Peter & Applied Behavior Analyst Program West Virginia University School of Social Work West Virginia University Health Sciences Center- Dr. Lauren Swagger United Summit Center Monongalia County Schools School Nurses Monongalia County Schools School Counselors & Alternative Education Counselor Area Pediatricians and Psychiatrists Administration/Counselors/Teachers from School of Origin IEP Specialists/Academic Coaches/Technology Integration Specialists Burlington Family Services (Attendance Designees)

Location G.U.I.D.E.S. is located in a separate school building that houses the Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Team, School Health, and Attendance Designees. G.U.I.D.E.S. students are afforded the opportunity to have recess outside on a full size playground. Related Arts (Music, Art, P. E., and Library/Media) are provided by itinerant teachers weekly. Meals are brought to the school from a nearby elementary school. Transportation is provided to G.U.I.D.E.S.

Staffing 2 Teachers Certified in: Elementary Education K-6, Special Education Multi-Categorical K-12, Board Certified Applied Behavior Analysts. 2 Graduate Students from the WVU Applied Behavior Analysis doctoral program. Ph. D. Level Behavior Analyst consultant and supervisor of graduate students. Itinerant Related Arts Teachers WVU Psychology students complete intern hours in the G.U.I.D.E.S. Classroom. Director of Special Education serves as the administrator.

Implementation Review of school-wide PBS FBA/BIP Training Crisis Team Training CPI Training Liaison Meetings with BD teachers on strategies SAT Training Tier II Behavior Strategies Training (Check in /Check out) Training on G.U.I.D.E.S. criteria/application process School Mentor Training Morning Side Academy Training for G.U.I.D.E.S. teachers

WATCH A VIDEO OF MORNINGSIDE ACADEMY

Curriculum & Assessments Morningside Generative Curriculum Individualized instruction targeted to students’ needs Structured academic periods to increase the rate of student learning

Empirically based instructional strategies Frequent data collection (every learning session for every student) Data-driven decision making for academics and behavior

Behavior & Instructional Strategies Classwide level system Function-based behavior interventions that are individualized for each student Based on the student’s preferences for rewards Often initially intensive and systematically faded over time

Behavior Plan in Action

Behavior & Instructional Strategies Direct social skills instruction Facilitated peer groups to develop appropriate social interactions

Parental Involvement in G.U.I.D.E.S. Daily communication with parents through progress logs Frequent phone conferences with parents to celebrate student success and update parents on changes Collaboration with parents, social workers, and physicians Working with parents on consistency of expectations between home and school Providing parents with information for community resources

Who is a good candidate for G.U.I.D.E.S.? General and Special Education students in grades K-5. Students who have demonstrated extreme behaviors (multiple incidents of physical aggression). General Education students who have been unresponsive to Tier I and Tier II behavior strategies. Special Education students whose IEPs have been fully exhausted at the school of origin.

What are the outcomes of G.U.I.D.E.S.? Second-grade boy who transitioned from a residential placement in October 2011 All of the data are from GUIDES. The gray bars show behavior when the student first arrived at GUIDES. The black bars show the data from the 10 most recent days at GUIDES (early May, 2012). For some of the students, the black bars show behavior intervention plans that are still being developed (for example, MM and MMc). Data are the mean responses per hour across at least 10 days.

What are the outcomes of G.U.I.D.E.S.? Third grade student who transitioned from a residential placement

What are the outcomes of G.U.I.D.E.S.? Second grade student who was referred after seriously injuring a classmate

What are the outcomes of G.U.I.D.E.S.? First grade student referred for physical aggression and leaving classroom/school frequently

What are the outcomes of G.U.I.D.E.S.? Kindergarten student referred for severe aggression, disruption, and inappropriate language

What do parents think about G.U.I.D.E.S.? "He isn't getting sent home everyday and his grades are improving. He is learning in a new way and making progress.“ "The communication between home, doctor and school has helped a lot. The graphs and charts sent to the doctor help him make decisions about medication and diagnoses.“ "I don't know where he would be otherwise! He was on home-bound for several weeks and I didn't know what they were going to do to get him back to school. This program is just what he needs!"

Transition Student meets individualized transition goal while at G.U.I.D.E.S. Student’s entire team develops a transition plan that describes each member’s responsibilities for transition Extra support provided by G.U.I.D.E.S. staff during initial transition Ongoing consultation with teachers from the school of origin

G.U.I.D.E.S. Statistics

G.U.I.D.E.S. Statistics

G.U.I.D.E.S. Statistics