1. Social Academic Instructional Groups
August 17th Session 5
9:00 – 10:30
Social Academic Instructional Groups
August 2010
Marla Dewhirst
Technical Assistance Director, IL PBIS Network

2. In Partnership with OSEP’s TA Center on Positive Behavior Support
Co-Director’s: Rob Horner, University of Oregon and George Sugai
University of Connecticut

3. School-Wide Systems for Student Success: A Response to Intervention (RtI) Model
Academic Systems
Behavioral Systems
Tier 3/Tertiary Interventions %
Individual students
Assessment-based
High intensity
1-5% Tier 3/Tertiary Interventions
Individual students
Assessment-based
Intense, durable procedures
Tier 2/Secondary Interventions %
Some students (at-risk)
High efficiency
Rapid response
Small group interventions
Some individualizing
5-15% Tier 2/Secondary Interventions
Some students (at-risk)
High efficiency
Rapid response
Small group interventions
Some individualizing
Tier 1/Universal Interventions %
All students
Preventive, proactive
80-90% Tier 1/Universal Interventions
All settings, all students
Preventive, proactive
Illinois PBIS Network, Revised May 15, Adapted from “What is school-wide PBS?” OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Accessed at

4. Check on Assumptions
You already have at least one type of ‘group’ being offered in your school?
Your teachers sometimes ‘inquire’ about the purpose/goal/format of these groups?
You’d like to be able to give teachers concrete feedback on progress?
You really just want to improve your current group support ‘system’?

5. ٭ Positive Behavior Support Social Competence & Academic Achievement
OUTCOMES
Supporting
Decision
Making
Supporting
Staff Behavior
DATA
SYSTEMS
PRACTICES
Adapted from “What is a systems
Approach in school-wide PBS?”
OSEP Technical Assistance on
Positive Behavioral Interventions and
Supports. Accessed at
Pbis.org/schoolwide.htm
Supporting
Student Behavior

6. Systems for Students with High-Risk Behavior
Tertiary Prevention:
Specialized
Individualized
Systems for Students with High-Risk Behavior
#2: Tiers must layer on top of one another
~5%
Secondary Prevention:
Specialized Group
Systems for Students with At-Risk Behavior
~15%
Primary Prevention:
School-/Classroom-
Wide Systems for
All Students,
Staff, & Settings
(2) And that each tier is ‘layered on top of’ the prior tier. In fact, you can find some non-examples indicating that “universal support is FOR 80% of youth”, rather than universal support is FOR ALL youth…and we know we’re doing it right when 80% or more of the youth respond. So..here’s the test of whether or not you’re truly implementing a ‘3-tiered intervention model’ Think of a student in your school who you’d consider as having the highest level behavior support needs. This is very likely a youth who has an IEP (although not necessarily). What interventions is that youth getting? Try to think about what their typical day/week looks like. What adults & students do they interact with?
Now think of your schools Universal supports. Things like ‘gothcha’ tickets, large group re-teaching of expectations, school dances etc. Is this youth having the same access to those supports as other kids do?
Now, think of your schools simple secondary interventions. Things like CICO, mentoring, maybe quick skills groups. Does this youth get supported by these interventions??
There’s a good chance that “those kids are getting (only) tertiary supports” and often this means SpEd supports. In fact, if you don’t work in a SpEd class..you may not even know the youth with the highest level support needs. The past system was more based on “plugging youth into’ interventions (otherwise referred to as ‘placing’) (he’s tier 3 or sped) rather than LAYERING interventions on top of one another so that this youth would be considered ‘getting tier 3 support would mean he’s getting tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3’.
So…since we know the way this should look is for youth to have these interventions layered…we next have to visit a) what are our interventions at the tier 2 and tier 3 levels and b) what’s our system for ensuring a layering (rather than ‘plug in’) approach?
~80% of Students

7. There is a continuum of support
(ordered by intensity of intervention & effort needed to implement)
Tier 1/Universal
School-Wide Assessment
School-Wide Prevention Systems
Check-in/ Check-out (CICO)
Tier 2/ Secondary
Tier 3/
Tertiary .
Social/Academic Instructional Groups (S/AIG)
Intervention
Group Intervention w. Individual-ized Feature (e.g., Check and Connect and Mentoring)
(3) The next thing we’ve learned is that we can be quite specific as to what those intervention categories are at tier 2 and tier 3. Since we know interventions that require the most time/energy/creative work/expertise/training etc. go towards the red…we list the least ones near the green. The ‘continuum’ also runs from least ‘indiviudalized/comprehensive intervention to most. What we’ve learned over the past 4 years of a federal demonstration project here in IL is that schools need more specific guidance on actually WHAT to do in each tier. And without that guidance, we’ve found schools’ triangles that, for example, just list negative consequences along the triangle/continuum..buddy room etc.. (gulp!) or schools that list universal (sometimes classroom-type) of interventions as tier 2. So…after years of intense literature/research reviews and collaborating with other leaders in the field, we’ve outline the 2 tiers more specifically as being composed of these interventions. They start with the interventions that can a) hold the most youth, b) are the quickest/easiest to implement and c) require the least amount of individualizing. You’ll find sessions at this conference on all of these intervention types (running groups, cico, fba etc.).
Brief Functional Behavior Assessment/
Behavior Intervention Planning (FBA/BIP)
Complex or Multiple-domain FBA/BIP
Illinois PBIS Network, Revised October 2009
Adapted from T. Scott, 2004
Wraparound

8. Social / Academic Instructional Groups
Three types of skills-building groups:
1) Pro-social skills
2) Problem-solving skills
3) Academic Behavior skills
Best if involves use of Daily Progress Report
These are often the skill groups facilitated by social workers and counselors 8

9. Social / Academic Instructional Groups
Selection into groups should be based on youths’ reaction to life circumstance not existence of life circumstances (ex. fighting with peers, not family divorce)
Goals for improvement should be common across youth in same group (ex. use your words)
Data should measure if skills are being USED in natural settings, not in counseling sessions (transference of skills to classroom, café etc.)
Stakeholders (teachers, family etc.) should have input into success of intervention (ex. Daily Progress Report) 9

10. 10 Critical Features for Tier 2 Interventions
Linked directly to school-wide expectations and/or academic goals
*Continuously available for student participation
*Implemented within 3 school days of determination that the student should receive the intervention
*Can be modified based on assessment and/or outcome data
5. Includes structured prompts for ‘what to do’ in relevant situations
Individual Student Systems Evaluation Tool version 2.0
Anderson, Lewis-Palmer, Todd, Horner, Sugai, & Sampson

11. 10 Critical Features (continued)
Results in student receiving positive feedback from staff
Includes a school-home communication exchange system at least weekly
Orientation materials provide information for a student to get started on the intervention
*Orientation materials provide information for staff/ subs./ volunteers who have students using the intervention
Opportunities to practice new skills are provided daily
Individual Student Systems Evaluation Tool version 2.0
Anderson, Lewis-Palmer, Todd, Horner, Sugai, & Sampson

12. 10 Critical Features: Considerations
*Continuously available for student participation
Each student’s participation should be time-limited. Ex. After 6 weeks, either exit from intervention or progress to higher level intervention.
*Implemented within 3 school days of determination that the student should receive the intervention
Youth can enter intervention at point of identification. No waiting for the ‘beginning’ of a group. Each session is a stand-alone behavioral lesson.
*Can be modified based on assessment/outcome data
Limit modifying actual intervention for individual students unless youth is at ‘individualized’ level of support
*All staff are informed of the details of the interventions

13. Instructional Group Interventions
Pre-Packaged (social skill curriculum)
Designed by school
Choose & modify lessons from pre-packaged material based on skill group
and/or
Create Lesson Plans (Cool Tools) to directly teach replacement behaviors

14. Identify and Implement Empirically Validated Curriculum/Materials
Bully Proofing your School
Cool Tools: An Active Approach to Social Responsibility
First Steps to Success
Good Talking Words
Second Step Violence-Prevention Curricula
Stop and Think
Skillstreaming
The Social Skills Curriculum
The Tough Kid Social Skills
The Walker Social Skills Curriculum: The Accepts Program

15. Teaching Behavioral Expectations
1) State behavioral expectations
2) Specify observable student behaviors (rules)
3) Model appropriate student behaviors
4) Students practice appropriate behaviors
5) Reinforce appropriate behaviors

16. Steps of a Behavioral Lesson Plan
1) Explain expectations & why need
2) Check for student understanding/buy-in
3) Model examples
4) Check for student understanding/buy-in
5) Model non-examples
6) Check for student understanding/buy-in
7) Model examples
8) Students practice

17. Data-Based Decision-Making
Student outcome data is used to:
Identify youth in need of support and to identify appropriate interventions
Progress-monitor youth response to intervention
Exit or transition youth off of interventions
Intervention process data is used to:
Assess intervention fidelity
Monitor the effectiveness of the intervention itself
Make decisions regarding the continuum/ menu of interventions/supports

18. Use of Daily Progress Report
Transference and generalization of skills
Prompting of replacement behaviors
Reinforcement of replacement behaviors
Stakeholder feedback and buy-in

19. Sample: Daily Progress Report
Check-In/Check-Out
EXPECTATIONS
1 st block
2 nd block
3 rd block
4 th block
Be Safe
Be Respectful
Be Responsible
Total Points
Teacher Initials
Real example from Grant Middle School in Springfield. “In training or member" is for students.  Once they are in full swing - usually a couple weeks, they move to "member"  It is mostly to help teachers know they may need to help encourage the student - maybe ask for the sheet if they forget to give it to them - maybe hand the sheet back to them at the end of the period in case they forget to come up and get it on their own. 
Adapted from Responding to Problem Behavior in Schools: The Behavior Education Program by Crone, Horner, and Hawken 19

20. Use #2 voice level when upset
Sample: Daily Progress Report
for GROUP Intervention
EXPECTATIONS
1 st block
2 nd block
3 rd block
4 th block
Be Safe
Use your words
Use deep breathing
Be Respectful
Keep arm’s distance
Use #2 voice level when upset
Be Responsible
Ask for breaks
Self-monitor with DPR
Total Points
Teacher Initials
Adapted from Grant Middle School STAR CLUB
Adapted from Responding to Problem Behavior in Schools: The Behavior Education Program by Crone, Horner, and Hawken 20

21. 3-Tiered System of Support Necessary Conversations (Teams)
Universal Team
Secondary Systems Team
Problem Solving Team
Tertiary Systems Team
Uses Process data; determines overall intervention effectiveness
Uses Process data; determines overall intervention effectiveness
Plans SW & Class-wide supports
Standing team; uses FBA/BIP process for one youth at a time
CICO
Universal Support
Brief
FBA/BIP
SAIG
Complex
FBA/BIP
WRAP
Group w. individual
feature
Brief FBA/BIP
Sept. 1, 2009 21 21

22. Social/Academic Instructional Groups Resources
Edwards, D., Hunt, M.H., Meyers, J., Grogg, K.R., Jarrett, O. (2005). Acceptability and student outcomes of a violence prevention curriculum. Journal of Primary Prevention, 26(5),
Merrell, K. Strong Kids: A social emotional learning curriculum: Oregon Resiliency Project. Retrieved from
Rathvon, N.A. (1999). Effective School Interventions: Strategies for enhancing academic achievement and social competence. New York: Guilford.
Lewis, T.J., Sugai, G., & Colvin, G. (1998). Reducing problem behavior through a school-wide system of effective behavioral support: Investigation of a school-wide social skills training program and contextual interventions. School Psychology Review, 27,
Delucia-Waack, J.L. (2006). Leading psychoeducational groups for children and adolescents. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.