Team Initiated Problem Solving

1. Team Initiated Problem Solving Rob Horner, Steve Newton, & Anne Todd, University of Oregon Bob Algozzine & Kate Algozzine, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

2. Today’s Goals • Coaches are able to: • Prompt & support facilitator, minute taker and data analyst to prepare for meetings • Meeting Foundations Checklist • Prompt the use of the TIPS model during meetings • Data-based Decision-making rules • Help teams stay focused during meetings • Electronic Meeting Minute format Clarification • Coaches are NOT expected to be Trainers • Trainers deliver TIPS team training & help Coaches anticipate errors while guiding them through the possible solutions & adaptations

3. Context • Every school has teams • Teams are being expected to do problem solving • Select curricula • Get training and implement new ideas/programs • Provide efficient leadership • “Communities of Practice” • Teams need to report data to administration, district, state • Teams NEED data to do good problem solving. • Most teams are not skilled at running problem solving meetings and using data for decision-making.

4. What do we need? • A clear model with steps for problem solving • Access to the right information at the right time in the right format • A formal process that a group of people can use to build and implement solutions.

5. Team Initiated Problem Solving (TIPS) Model Review Status and Identify Problems Develop and Refine Hypotheses Evaluate and Revise Action Plan Collect and Use Data Discuss and Select Solutions Develop and Implement Action Plan Problem Solving Meeting Foundations

6. Problem-Solving Meeting Foundations Structure of meetings lays foundation for efficiency & effectiveness

7. Using Meeting Minutes • Documentation of • Logistics of meeting (date, time, location, roles) • Agenda items for today’s meeting ( and next meeting) • Discussion items, decisions made, tasks and timelines assigned • Problem statements, solutions/decisions/tasks, people assigned to implement with timelines assigned, and an evaluation plan to determine the effect on student behavior • Reviewing Meeting minutes • An effective strategy for getting a snapshot of what happened at the previous meeting and what needs to be reviewed during the upcoming meeting • What was the issue/problem?, What were we going to do?, Who was going to do it and by When?, and How are we measuring progress toward the goal? • Visual tracking of focus topics during and after meetings • Prevents side conversations • Prevents repetition • Encourages completion of tasks

8. PBIS Team Meeting Minutes and Problem-Solving Action Plan Form Today’s Meeting: Date, time, location: Facilitator: Minute Taker: Data Analyst: Next Meeting: Date, time, location: Facilitator: Minute Taker: Data Analyst: Team Members (bold are present today) Administrative/General Information and Issues Problem-Solving Action Plan Evaluation of Team Meeting (Mark your ratings with an “X”)

10. Important Structural Components • Regular meetings & regular attendance • The “right” people • The right roles • Facilitator • Minute Taker • Data Analyst • Active Team Members • The right information for problem solving & decision making • Accomplishments – Products of successful meeting • Meeting Minutes (record of decisions & tasks concerning administrative/general issues) • Problem-Solving Action Plan (record of decisions & tasks concerning problems identified by team)

11. Before the Meeting… • Room reserved • “New” items solicited for agenda • Agenda produced • Team member roles determined • Data reviewed by Data Analyst before the meeting; Analyst ready to lead team through discussion of (a) possible new problems and (b) effects of in-process solutions on “old” problems • Computer reserved; access to SWIS online database assured • LCD projector reserved & set up to project data (or team has some other strategy for ensuring team members can review data at meeting) • Team members have individual TIPS Notebooks to bring to meeting(We’ll review the (a) before-meeting, (b) during-meeting, and (c) after-meetings responsibilities of individual team members later in this workshop)

12. At Close of and After Meeting… • Meeting Minutes and Problem-Solving Action Plan completed • Copy of Meeting Minutes & Problem-Solving Action Plan distributed to each member within 24 hrs.

14. Activity • Complete the Foundations Checklist • Use the PBIS team you know best

15. Identify Problems Team Initiated Problem Solving (TIPS) Model Develop Hypothesis Evaluate and Revise Action Plan Collect and Use Data Discuss and Select Solutions Develop and Implement Action Plan Problem SolvingMeeting Foundations

16. Organizing SWIS Data for Decision-making • Universal Screening Tool • Proportion of students with • 0-1 Office Discipline Referrals (ODRs) • 2-5 ODRs • 6+ ODRs • Progress Monitoring Tool • Compare data across time • Prevent previous problem patterns • Define Problems with precision that lead to solvable problems

17. Using office discipline referrals as a metric for universal screening of student social behavior 6+ office discipline referrals 2-5 office discipline referrals ~5% ~15% 0-1 office discipline referral ~80% of Students

18. Using ODRs to Identify Problems • Build a picture for the pattern of office referrals in your school. • Compare the picture with a national average • Compare the picture with previous years • Compare the picture with social standards of faculty, families, students. Goal Identify problems empirically Identify problems early Identify problems in a manner that leads to problem solving not just whining

19. Which Statement Is More Precise?

20. Solutions – Generic Strategies • Prevent – • Remove or alter “trigger” for problem behavior • Define & Teach – • Define behavioral expectations; provide demonstration/instruction in expected behavior (alternative to problem behavior • Reward/reinforce – • The expected/alternative behavior when it occurs; prompt for it, as necessary • Withhold reward/reinforcement – • For the problem behavior, if possible (“Extinction”) • Use non-rewarding/non-reinforcing corrective consequences – When problem behavior occursAlthough not a “solution strategy,”Safetymay need to be considered (i.e., procedures that may be required to decrease likelihood of injuries or property damage)

21. Trevor Test Middle School Hypothesis:

22. Implementing Solutions • Who is going to do it? • When will they do it? • Minute Taker writes this information down, facilitator follows up at next meeting on status of implementation

23. Evaluating Solutions • Define the goal for solving the problem • What will ‘it’ look like when you say it is not a problem • Define how you will know that the solutions were implemented as planned (with fidelity)? • How often will you conduct a status review? • Define how you will know that the solutions had a positive effect on student achievement, social competence, and/or safety? • How often will you monitor student progress?

24. PBIS Team Meeting Minutes and Problem-Solving Action Plan Form Today’s Meeting: Date, time, location: Facilitator: Minute Taker: Data Analyst: Next Meeting: Date, time, location: Facilitator: Minute Taker: Data Analyst: Team Members (bold are present today) Administrative/General Information and Issues Problem-Solving Action Plan Evaluation of Team Meeting (Mark your ratings with an “X”)

26. Next Steps • As a field: • Add TIPS training to Trainer repertoire • Integrate messages, language, and processes for using data for problem solving and progress monitoring across the state • Determine impact of TIPS on student outcomes (next grant proposal) • Coaches: • Prompt teams to not only define precision problem statements but to also define a goal for ‘what it will look like’ when we don’t have a problem • Prompt team members to be effective and efficient in their roles • data analysts create and summarize data to jump start the meeting • minute takers record relevant information(not novels) about problems discussed, solutions determined and action plan to implement solutions • facilitators ask questions to facilitate problem solving and decision making • Ask for support • Tell the Network what you need in order to be successful in your role(s)