2. Discipline in Louisiana Schools

3. Why Focus on Discipline in LA?  According to the NAEP background survey administered in 2003: 44 % of school officials reported that classroom misbehavior of 8 th graders was a moderate or serious problem. (LA Ranked 47 out of 51) 19 % of school officials reported that physical conflicts among 4 th graders were a moderate or serious problem. (LA Ranked 50 out of 51) 26 % of school officials reported that physical conflicts among 8 th graders were a moderate or serious problem. (LA Ranked 47 out of 51)

4. Why Focus on Discipline in LA?  SIS data – 5 year Trend

5. Why Focus on Discipline in LA?  2003 – Juvenile Justice Reform Act (1225) 79 of the 143 legislators co-authored this bill that was unanimously passed “The legislature hereby finds and declares that:  The good behavior and discipline of students are essential prerequisites for academic learning, the development of student character, and the general, as well as educational, socialization of children and youth.  Bad behavior and lack of discipline in many schools of the state are impairing the quality of teaching, learning, character development, and, in some schools, are creating real and potential threats to school and public safety.”

6. Why Focus on Discipline in LA?  2003 – Juvenile Justice Reform Act (1225) Subpart C-1 The Education/Juvenile Justice Partnership Act legislated that:  BESE would formulate, develop, and recommend a Model Master Plan for improving behavior and discipline within schools that includes the utilization of positive behavioral supports and other effective disciplinary tools  Each city, parish, and other local public school board should be responsible for the development of school master plans for supporting student behavior and discipline based upon the model master plan developed and approved by BESE

7. DATA SYSTEMS Why SWPBS in LA? PRACTICES Supporting Decision Making Supporting Staff Behavior Positive Behavior Support Supporting Student Behavior

8. 1. SWPBS is based on Coordinated Teamwork  Look at old issues from a NEW perspective  Explore the validity of “first impressions”  Stimulate creativity  Think outside-the-box (Florida Positive Behavior Support Project at USF, 2004)

9. Have you ever been part of this team?  No agenda is prepared  Meeting starts late  No time schedule has been set for the meeting  No one is prepared  No facilitator is identified  No one agrees on anything  No action plan is developed  Everyone is off task  Negative tone throughout the meeting

10. Establishing a Foundation for Collaboration and Operation  Necessary first step  Without this many schools cannot sustain long-term change

11. A School-based PBS Team  School Advisory Council’s must be committed to school-wide PBS and actively participate on the team  PBS team should remain small (3-7 participants)  Consider representatives that include: administration, general education teachers, special education teachers, guidance, specials teachers, parents…  Consider Core Team versus Peripheral Team

12. School-based PBS Team Meets Frequently  During initial planning, teams may need to meet more often  Team should meet at least once a month to: Analyze existing data Make changes to the existing database Problem-solve solutions to critical issues Begin to outline actions for the development of a plan

13. Enhancing Meeting Success  Administrator identifies how to free staff time for participation on the PBS Team  Clearly schedule meeting dates and times  Administrators remind staff of the significant impact and ultimate success

14. 2. SWPBS is Data Driven  Who are the students with multiple referrals?  What are the most common referral categories?  When are the referrals occurring?  Where are the referrals originating?  Why? Is there a system for follow-up to the multiple referrals?

15. Who? Students per Number of Referrals

16. What?

17. When?

18. Where?

19. 3. SWPBS Emphasizes Prevention  Prevention Decrease development of new problem behaviors Prevent worsening of existing problem behaviors Eliminate triggers & maintainers of problem behaviors Teach, monitor, & acknowledge prosocial behavior  3-tiered prevention logic that defines continuum of behavior support.

20. 4. SWPBS is based on co- constructing expectations and teaches them to students and staff.  “If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach.”  “If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach.”  “If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach.”  “If a child doesn’t know how to drive, we teach.”  “If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we……..... ……….teach? ………punish?”  “Why can’t we finish the last sentence as automatically as we do the others?” John Herner (NASDE President) Counterpoint 1998, p.2  John Herner (NASDE President) Counterpoint 1998, p.2

21. 5. SWPBS requires systems to monitor and acknowledge pro-social behaviors of staff and students

22. Levels of PBS Adapted from Levels and Descriptions of Behavior Support (George, Harrower, & Knoster, 2003) School-wide –intended for all students, staff, in specific settings and across campus  Classroom –reflect school-wide expectations for student behavior coupled with pre-planned strategies applied within classrooms  Targeted Group – addresses students who are at-risk for school failure, or display a chronic pattern of inappropriate behavior that does not respond to school- wide interventions  Individual Student –reflect school-wide expectations for student behavior coupled with team-based strategies applied with individual students based upon child-centered behavior

23. Center for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (2001) Why SWPBS in LA?

24. Traditional Discipline versus PBS  Traditional Discipline: - Focused on the student’s problem behavior - Goal was to stop undesirable behavior, through the use of punishment.  Positive Behavior Support : - Replaces undesired behavior with a new behavior or skill. - PBS alters environments, teaches appropriate skills, and rewards appropriate behavior.

25. Elements of School-wide PBS  Establish a team/faculty buy-in  Establish a data-based decision-making system  Modify discipline referral process/forms  Establish expectations & rules  Develop lesson plans & teach  Create a reward/incentives program  Refine consequences  Monitor, evaluate, and modify

26. Responsibilities of the School-wide PBS Team  Assess the current behavior management practices  Examine patterns of behavior  Obtain staff commitment  Develop a school-wide plan  Obtain parental participation and input  Oversee, monitor, and evaluate all planned objectives and activities developed by team

27. Features of a Comprehensive System of PBS  Total staff commitment to managing behavior  Clearly defined and communicated expectations and rules  Consequences and clearly stated procedures for rewarding appropriate behavior and for correcting rule-breaking behaviors  An instructional component for teaching students self-control, expected behaviors, and social skills strategies  A support plan to address the needs of students with chronic, challenging behaviors

28. Overall Features of School-wide PBS (Sugai, 2001)  Create a continuum of behavior supports from a systems perspective  Focus on behavior of adults in school as unit  Establish behavioral competence  Utilize effective, efficient & relevant data- based decision-making systems  Give priority to academic success  Invest in research-validated practices  Arrange environment for “working smarter”

29. Results of School-wide PBS  When PBS strategies are implemented school-wide, students with and without disabilities benefit by having an environment that is conducive to learning  All individuals (students, staff, teachers, parents) learn more about their own behavior, learn to work together, and support each other as a community of learners

30. In Summary…The Process for School-wide PBS Includes:  A committed team leading all PBS efforts  Positively stated behavior expectations/rules  A method for identifying current problems (data)  Lesson plans to teach expectations/rules  Procedures for encouraging expected behaviors  Procedures for discouraging violations of school-wide expectations/rules  A plan for monitoring implementation and effectiveness

31. Utilizing Discipline Plans to Change School Environments and Improve Academic Achievement

32. BESE’s Model Master Plan  Definition of Discipline: The steps or actions which teachers, administrators, support staff, parents, and students follow to enhance student academic and social success  Goal of Plan: To educate all students by establishing efficient and effective systems and practices that support staff efforts and positive student behavior through the utilization of existing data to guide decision- making

33. BESE’s Model Master Plan  State-Level Activities Improving communication, coordination, and collaboration between schools and agencies serving children Improving Safe School Planning Revising school zero tolerance policies to guarantee compliance with all applicable provisions of law to ensure that schools do not make inappropriate referrals to agencies serving children Providing improved mental health services in or through schools

34. BESE’s Model Master Plan  State-Level Activities (cont.) Providing better assistance to parents in knowing about and accessing family strengthening programs Improving the coordination of special education and agencies serving children Improving classroom management using positive behavioral supports and other effective disciplinary tools Improving methods and procedures for the handling of school suspensions and the referral of students to alternative schools

35. BESE’s Model Master Plan  State-Level Activities (cont.) Providing better assistance to parents by providing knowledge about and access to family strengthening programs Providing better and more useful reporting on an annual basis of school behavioral and disciplinary problems Assisting each city, parish, and other local public school board with the development of a master plan for each school

36. School-Level Planning Goal  Assure classroom management using positive behavioral supports and effective disciplinary tools through the: Establishment and utilization of a school-based leadership team to meet on a regularly scheduled basis to review data and guide process Establishment of a data-based decision making process Identification of data-driven academic, career and technical, discipline/behavioral performance results in the School Improvement Plan Development of school plan through step-wise process

37. School-Level Leadership Team  Each leadership team shall, to the extent possible: Include school administrators, teachers, parents, guidance counselors, and school bus operators Establish clearly defined behavioral expectations Use data to make environmental changes, monitor, evaluate, and modify the model plan Review/revise plans that align with Master Plan for Discipline to ensure that all plans meet statutory requirements

38. School-Level Data Based Decisions  Current data systems are set up to meet state & district needs  In this day of accountability, schools need access to meaningful information - School Improvement Graphical displays Timely User friendly

39. Critical Questions  How many office discipline referrals are there per day each month? Need the number of days a month based on location? based on the type of behavior? by student? by time of day? by which staff? originating from special education and general education?  What is the range of consequences provided based on the type of behavior exhibited?

40. Average Referrals Per Day Per Month

41. Referrals By Problem Behavior

42. Referrals By Location

43. Referrals By Time Of Day

44. Referrals By Student

45. Referrals By Staff

46. Data Systems  The Department will require that schools make data-based decisions - provide schools with necessary information to make decisions.  These features and/or elements are anticipated for the school level, not to report to the Department.

47. Purpose of Data  With a school-wide data collection system, schools are better prepared to respond proactively to situations  Schools can begin to identify problems and generate solutions  Monitor and evaluate success of interventions  Recommended that data are entered daily, but at least weekly (at a minimum)

48. Data-based (Guided) Decision-making  Provides teams with access to comprehensive, accurate, and timely data  Impacts behavior for the entire school, classroom settings, targeted groups, and individual students  Increases the probability that systems changes and interventions will be more successful  Provides a resource for evaluating effectiveness

49. Creating a School Level Discipline Plan

50. School-Level Step-Wise Planning  Required: School consistently and uniformly utilizes two BESE-approved Discipline Referral forms (or forms that contain all necessary components) Optional: School has created an addendum to BESE-approved forms to assist with data collection  Optional: School has a Zero-Tolerance Policy Required: Team has reviewed Zero-Tolerance Policy to ensure compliance If needed: Team has revised Zero-Tolerance Policy  Required: Team has reviewed procedures for handling suspensions and expulsions

51. School-Level, Step-Wise Planning  Required: Team has reviewed procedures for referrals to Alternative Education Programs.  Required: Team has reviewed Code of Student Conduct for Compliance.  Required: Team has refined consequences to create a reward/incentives program for positive behavior.  Required: Team has created a procedure to ensure consistent delivery of the rewards/incentives program.  Required: Team has identified the clearly defined behavioral expectations in a small set of school rules.

52. School-Level, Step-Wise Planning  Required: Team has worked with teachers to develop lesson plans to teach expectations.  Required: Team has worked with teachers to establish a schedule for direct instruction at the beginning and throughout school year.  Required: Team works and will continue to work with the principal to develop and submit annual report.  Required: Team has reviewed programs for Substance Abuse prevention (R.S. 17:404).

53. School-Level, Step-Wise Planning  Required: Team has reviewed the SDFSC plan and the Crisis Management Plan. If needed: Plans have been updated/revised.  Required: Team has a plan and continues to develop a plan to improve and strengthen parental and community involvement and partnerships.  Required: Team works and continues to work with counselors to develop a plan to identify the mental health needs of students and match needs with available resources.

54. School-Level, Step-Wise Planning  Required: Team is working to help improve communication, coordination, and collaboration between the school and agencies that serve children.  Required: Team is working with the local youth planning boards.  Required: Team has reviewed/established procedures to ensure that record transfers occur no later than 10 days from receipt of written request.  Required: Team has reviewed/established procedures to ensure that information pertaining to suspensions and/or expulsions is included on student transfer records.

55. School-Level, Step-Wise Planning  Required: Team has reviewed established procedures/trainings to ensure that all staff cooperates fully with CWA.  Required: Team has reviewed and is working to ensure that student and parent/guardian statements of compliance, with all necessary components, are disseminated and collected at the beginning of each school year.