Building-Based Student Support Team

1. Overview & Best Practices of Building-Based Student Support Team COORDINATOR TRAINING A Regular Education Process

2. Ceceilia Mills Beth Thompson • Your BBSST TEAM – PREVENTION AND SUPPORT SERVICES TELEPHONE: (334) 242-8165 FAX: (334) 353-5962 E-MAILS: cmills@alsde.edu bthompson@alsde.edu

3. Part I: PROCEDURES Guidelines and Goals of

4. CONCERNS • Discipline & Drop-outs • Individual needs/challenges • Referrals to special education • Time & Energy

5. Why BBSST? • Purpose for students? • Purpose for staff? • Indicators of At-Risk Students? • Benefits? • Mandated or voluntary? • What’s working? • What’s not working?

6. LEE v. MACON • Mandatory BBSST Teams • Lee v. Macon Consent Decree, Prereferral Process, pgs. 4-7 • Ala. Admin. Code § 290-8-9-.1-.72ER(2) • Student Prereferral Form & Tracking Log • State-mandated forms as of December 1, 2000 • Distributed in hard copy • Can be downloaded from the website • Ends March 15 yearly & due electronically to SDE April 1 • BBSST training required for all certified personnel with yearly updates.

7. 2001 STUDENT REFERRALS

8. 2004 STUDENT REFERRALS

9. BBSST Definition A designated school-based committee designed to meet the needs of general education at-risk students. State At-Risk definition on pg. 38 of BBSST manual

10. Teamwork (synergizing) is a process • Collaboration centers around the concept that everyone’s combined ideas can be greater than just one person’s idea.

11. What is the T.E.A.M.Approach? Working cooperatively with classroom teachers, special education facilitator, administrators, parents and students— Together Everyone Achieves More

12. BBSST is nota guarantee of • Promotion • Making the honor roll • Passing the graduation exam • Higher SAT scores

13. What BBSST can be is a guarantee that a student will be given every consideration & accommodation that your staff can offer as an opportunity for success.

14. REFERRALSWhy refer a student? • Academic • Behavioral

15. BBSST is NOT used for International Baccalaureate (I.B.) GIFTED CLASSES or MAGNET CLASSES A. P. Classes Or any other class of “CHOICE”

16. BBSST IS used for GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSES ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION CAREER TECH ANY class that counts toward graduation credit

17. Active 504 or IEP students NEVER go to BBSST !

18. BBSST Teams are not 504, IEP, or ESL Teams

19. What about students that exit special education?

20. Transition Plans • Special education case manager that exits the student • into general education makes referral to BBSST. • Case manager meets with the team, including • general education teacher, to write plan • based on most recent IEP needs. • The plan does not include modifications from IEP, it • shapes those into regular classroom strategies that • taper off over 6 or more weeks. • General education teacher implements plan and • reports progress back to BBSST team at the end. I think I can…I think I can…I think I can...

21. FOLDERS • Become part of student records at withdrawal or transfer - send most recent (3-page) prereferral form only • Archive old 3-pg. plans only – discard attachments, etc.

22. LEA COORDINATOR RESPONSIBILITIES • Implements all local BBSST training. • Provides training for new teachers and new team members. • Provides yearly updates for principals each year. • Provides ongoing training opportunities for teachers, administrators, and parents. • Monitors implementation at the school level.

23. LEA COORDINATOR Monitor of Schools • Probably good idea to keep individual school files • Tracking log information (hard copy) • Team minutes/Sign-in sheets or 1-pg. yearly summary (like fire drills) • List of team members & job assignments • Parent notification information • Sign-in sheets from Central Office trainings • Principals’ written monitor information • New Teacher training sign-in sheet • Annual Principal update training sign-in sheet • LOOK AT MONITOR SHEET

24. Questions about…TEAM MEMBERS Regular members: Administrator Teacher requesting support Regular Educators Guidance Counselor Auxiliary (by invitation) members: Title I Teacher Parents Special Educators Paraprofessionals Central Office Staff Nurse Other Agency Representative

25. TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES • Set regularly scheduled meeting times at beginning of year • Set cut off time (1-2 days) before meeting for completed teacher form to be in • Schedule the referral meeting as quickly as possible • Encourage & support referring teacher • Clarify or prioritize reason for referral • Provide solutions & strategies • Write plans • Re-meet to evaluate success after every plan • Make decisions about need for future plans

26. The Principal is the Key! As goes the principal, so goes the school.

27. PRINCIPALRESPONSIBILITIES • Attends all meetings (active team member) • Determines the team make-up (not randomly selected, chosen for diverse experience & expertise) • Appoints a facilitator or co-facilitators • Approves a meeting time & arranges schedule - (preferably during the school day for staff coordination) & then turns it over to the facilitator • Supports (insures) interventions and/or strategies being implemented by contact with the teacher • Establishes confidentiality policy • Arranges time (schedule) for facilitator’s preparation • Encourages teachers to make referrals

28. IDEAS forPrincipal’s Documentation • Use pg. 2 of referral form • “Log” sheet like fire drill sheet • Create a form of your own or a system-wide form • 3 x 5 card file • Lesson plans indicator (make a copy) • Set up a time during plan for teacher to check in with you with their written documentation of implementation (from pg. 2) • Think out of the box.

29. IDEAS forPrincipals or Coordinators A quick check – one easy way to determine whether your school/system is making appropriate referrals Compare the tracking log names to: • Progress report names • Report card grades of “D” or “F” • Discipline referrals to office (book or list) • Projected retention list • Retention list

30. Administrators Title I Facilitators Teachers who know the students Teachers who are efficient in problem solving Teachers dedicated to changing lives Support Group Counselors Special education educators Parents Choosing your team members Building A Strong Committee

31. FACILITATORRESPONSIBILITIES (A general education classroom teacher, cannot be a special education teacher.) • Schedules meetings • Receives student’s names in advance • Prepares agenda for meetings • Stores data for documentation • Facilitates/leads in team discussion • We recommend co-facilitators

32. RECORDER RESPONSIBILITIES • Records the meeting notes & minutes. • Records information on pg 2 of each student’s intervention plan during the meeting. • Lists extra suggested strategies for students’ files. • Writes down plans for unresolved issues. • Shares the responsibility of completing the tracking log with the Facilitator.

33. REFERRING TEACHERRESPONSIBILITIES • Makes request for support & provides information on pg. 1 of referral form for a complete picture: • Cumulative records summary page (copy) • Work samples • Assessment records • Behavior info: office referrals, behavior checklist, discipline letters sent home, past behavior contracts, etc. • Attempted interventions & results • Interaction with parents

34. Work Samples for Teachers to attach: • Teacher-led activity • Independent activity • Homework or paper with • excuse & signature • 4. Copies of tests

35. Children: • Have different backgrounds • Learn at different rates • Learn in different ways

37. Intelligence Area: Is Strong In: Likes to: Learns Best Through: Famous Examples: Common Misbehaviors: Verbal/ Linguistic Reading, writing, telling stories, memorizing dates, thinking in words Read, write, tell stories, talk, memorize, do word puzzles Reading, hearing, and seeing words; speaking; writing; discussions T.S. Eliot, Maya Angelou, Abraham Lincoln Passing notes, reading during lessons Logical/ Mathematical Math, reasoning, logic, problem-solving, patterns Solve problems, question, reason, work with numbers, experiment, use computers Working with patterns and relationships, classifying, abstract thinking Albert Einstein, John Dewey, Susanne Langer Working on math or building things during lessons Visual/ Spatial Reading, maps, charts, drawing, puzzles, imagining things, visualization Design, draw, build, create, daydream, look at pictures Working with pictures and colors, visualizing, drawing Pablo Picasso, Frank Lloyd Wright, Georgia O’Keeffe, Bobby Fischer Doodling, drawing, daydreaming Bodily/ Kinesthetic Athletics, dancing, acting, crafts, using tools Play sports, dance, move around, touch and talk, use body language Touching, moving, processing knowledge through bodily sensations Charlie Chaplin, Michael Jordan, Martha Graham Fidgeting, wandering around the room Singing, picking up sounds, remembering melodies, rhythms Sing, hum, play an instrument, listen to music Rhythm, melody, singing, listening to music and melodies Leonard Bernstein, Mozart, Ella Fitzgerald Tapping pencil or feet Understanding people, leading, organizing, communicating, resolving conflicts Have friends, talk to people, join groups Sharing, comparing, relating, interviewing, cooperating Mohandas Gandhi, Ronald Reagan, Mother Teresa Talking, passing notes Understanding self, recognizing strengths and weaknesses, setting goals Work alone, reflect, pursue interests Working alone, self-paced projects, reflecting Eleanor Roosevelt, Sigmund Freud, Thomas Merton Conflicting with others Musical/ Rhythmic Interpersonal/ Social Intrapersonal/ Introspective Nelson, Kristen. “Seven Ways of Being Smart.” Instructor. July/August 1995:29.

38. http://www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory/default.asp?ref=ga&data=learning+styles+free+test#excelhttp://www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory/default.asp?ref=ga&data=learning+styles+free+test#excel

39. www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory/questions.asp?cookieset=ywww.learning-styles-online.com/inventory/questions.asp?cookieset=y

40. http://www.studyguide.org/learning_styles.htm

41. What is it that we really want the students to do?

42. Study Skills Test Taking Skills Higher Order Thinking Skills Problem Solving Skills

43. Kids aren’t born “instant students”. We can’t assume they know how to act the way we want them to. The behavior we want needs to first be taught to them. Just as we teach math skills before we expect them to perform math, so must we teach basic behavior skills before we can expect them to have those skills. We have elaborate curriculum guides for teaching academic skills, but usually have no guide at all for teaching foundational behavior skills. BEHAVIOR DISCIPLINE

44. The right thing at the wrong time is still the wrong thing.

45. Accommodations Vs. Modifications What Is the Difference ??

46. MODIFICATIONS are changes made to course content and/or grade level. PROVIDED THROUGH THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PROCESS ACCOMMODATIONS are adjustments made to enhance a student’s participation (increase success) in an activity without a change in course content. These would be changes in presentation and/or the evaluation. MAY BE PROVIDED THROUGH BBSST *Alabama Course of Study cannot be cut.

47. How Long? • Give intervention 6-9 weeks (30-45 class days)…… • If it is not helping the student-there’s absolutely no change after 2 weeks, change it.

48. If the team decides that the student needs additional an ‘formal’ BBSST plan monitored by the team at the end of the 30-45 days: • Complete pg. 3 to close out this plan. • Enter the name on the log again. • New pg. 1 OR • Adjust pg.1with current averages & • any new information (use different ink color). • Team completes a new pg. 2 (new strategies). • Teacher implements plan for another 30-45 days. • Team reconvenes at the plan end to discuss results and future recommendations.

50. TEACHERS Don’t “wait” too“late” to utilize the BBSST process. Half-way through the class (final credit) is a good checkpoint. The end of the year (or credit) is TOO LATE to help the student!!