Meaningful Expectations and Consequences

1. Meaningful Expectations and Consequences A Workshop Presented by: The New York State Center For School Safety

2. Mahatma Gandhi said: • You must be the change you wish to see in the world. If you want love in the world, you must be loving. I you want kindness, you must be kind. If you want less aggression, you must be less aggressive.

3. Warm-up Activity • Make a quick list of words or phrases that come to mind when you think of the word: DISCIPLINE

4. Introductions and Logistics • Schedule for the day • Location of services for attendees • Who’s who

5. Workshop Goals • Explore the concepts and application of meaningful expectations and consequences • Plan strategies to incorporate meaningful expectations and consequences into daily school life • Give opportunities for sharing of ideas and strategies

6. What are your expectations? • What do you hope to gain from this workshop? • What do you hope to take back to your school?

7. Student Achievement/ NYS Standards/National Standards Systemic School Reform Foundations for Meaningful Expectations and Consequences

8. Where are we in Education? • Purpose: From preparing students for technical careers or college to building competencies for student success in today’s world. • Diversity: From viewing differences as problems to viewing differences as assets & from exclusion of students who challenge to full inclusion.

9. Where are we in Education?: 2 • Knowledge: From memorizing and reciting to thinking and doing. • Learning: From passive learners to active learners. • Teaching: From information giving to guiding and coaching.

10. Where are we in Education?: 3 • Curricula: From linear, discipline based content to interdisciplinary curricula & From a sequential scope to project focused curricula connected to the real world. • Leadership & Decision-Making: From authority-based leadership to site-based management. • Assessment/Accountability: From content indicators to performance indicators.

11. Other Factors • Languaging: How do we frame Education • Philosophy shift to Process vs. Product • Leadership and REAL Conversations • School Climate and Culture • SAVE Legislation • IDEA Legislation

12. SAVE Legislation • District-wide school safety plan • Building level emergency response plans • Codes of conduct • Teacher/principal authority • Health curriculum/Violence prevention education • Reporting/protections

13. IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Six Principles • Free appropriate education • Appropriate evaluation • IEP • Least restrictive environment • Parent and student participation in decision making • Procedural safeguards

14. IDEA Impact • Requirements for data driven decision making and functional behavior assessment have a broader application to the development of school-wide social skills/character education programs and environmental/program modifications to promote positive behavior

15. Visualization • Identify and experience the climate and culture of your school • Identify alternative approaches

16. Albert Einstein said: • No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it. We must learn to see the world anew.

17. What did you learn? • Stand up and walk over to a person you do not know. • Tell the person your middle name • Speak for one minute about what you learned from the visualization exercise

18. Expectations • Do you know what they are? • Do students know what they are? • Do students know what they must do (behaviorally) to meet your expectations?

19. The Focus • A paradigm shift from: Traditional/Punitive Discipline to a Developmental/Teaching/Support Approach

20. Dealing with behavior at school • It is the issue for which teachers most frequently request assistance • Most common reason for classroom removal and lost education time • This impacts on achieving higher academic standards • Increasing frequency of behavior problems • cultural issues • especially in classrooms,

21. Typical responses to problem behavior • Punishment • Timeout: back of the class, office • Detention • Suspension • Increased control • More rules - stricter punishment • Security measures • Referrals • Send them to another school • CPSE evaluation, classification, program • Clinical: see the psychiatrist, get meds

22. Nature of traditional responses • Typically reactive - we respond after the behavior has happened • Focus almost exclusively on the individual student: • Seen as the source of the problem • Intervention targeted at this level

23. The impact this has • Decreased attention to education • Focus on discipline and punishment • School works like a legal system • Emotional distancing • Blame • Confusion • Self-doubt • Students • Teachers

24. What actually happens • Studies have demonstrated that: increasing punishment, without providing additional supports, leads to increases in: • Aggression • Vandalism • Truancy • Tardiness • Dropouts

25. Strengths & Limitations of Reactive Discipline • Effective for individuals with an extended repertoire of behavior, who “care” about typical consequences • Referenced to the “real world” • Ineffective for those who have limited skills, or do not “buy into” the system • Reduced efficiency with increased use • Ignores functional nature of persistent behavior • Does not teach appropriate skills

26. How is student behavior related to our expectations?

27. What Should We Be Asking • Do students know what behaviors are expected? • Do students know how to deliver the expected behavior? • Are there incentives for demonstrating appropriate behavior?

28. An Alternative:Effective Behavior Support • School-wide discipline practices • Social Skills Instruction • Self-management Strategies • Behavioral Interventions and classroom management • Functional behavioral assessment based behavioral support planning • Active supervision for non-classroom settings • Teacher Assistance Team Planning/Problem Solving

29. Effective Behavior Support Addresses: • High rates of problem behavior • Ineffective and inefficient disciplinary practices • Lack of general and specialized behavioral interventions • Lack of staff support to address problem behavior • Negative school climate • High use of crises/ reactive behavior management practices

30. Developing Building-wide Programs • Character Education • School-wide recognition programs • Teaching expected behaviors • Poughkeepsie • Fern Ridge

31. Fern Ridge Example • Before • Negative school climate • High administrative turnover • 7,000 referrals, 93-94 year (500 students) • React to student behavior by writing referrals • No parent involvement • Limited proactive problem solving • Most at-risk students excluded from school for long periods

32. The High Fives • The expectations for students were defined as positive expected behaviors by the following rules: • Be Responsible • Be Respectful • Follow Directions • Keep Hands and Feet to Self • Be There – Be Ready

33. Establishing the “High Fives” • Operationally define each rule • observable criteria • for each setting in building • First two days of school • teach & practice the rules • passports stamped • Incentives • positive write-up slips • lottery • “gold-card”

34. Targeting Specific Areas • The locations for teaching and reinforcing the high fives were selected based on referral data. • In addition, two activities were chosen for training due to high rates of inappropriate student behavior. • Expected behavior was identified for each location/activity.

35. Fern Ridge Example • After • High Fives training first two days of school • Entire staff participates • Most at-risk students receive a special Behavior Education Plan • After one year, a 47% reduction in referrals • Today, a 68% reduction in referrals

36. Getting Students to Use the High Fives • “One of the most valuable lessons the staff learned about effective behavior support was the fact that, if they wanted to see a measurable change, they would need to teach students the acceptable behavior. Simply expecting positive behavior would not guarantee positive results.”

37. The Results: Average daily referrals/month 38

38. Healthful and Meaningful Expectations • 1. I will be prompt and prepared. • 2. I will be an active participant. • 3. I will be respectful. • 4. I will exercise self control. • 5. I will be honest. • 6. I will be ethical. • 7. I will use common sense in making decisions. • 8. I will be a self starter. • 9. I will know how and when to assert myself. • 10. I will be resilient.

39. Healthful & Meaningful Consequences • Self Evaluation and Correction • Conferences with Teachers • Conferences with Administration • Conferences with Parents • Time Out (Lunch Period) • Time Out ( 10th Period) • Time in Quiet Room • External Suspension • Superintendent's Hearing

40. What can you do in your school? • Look at your data! • Determine what the current expectations are. • Decide what to modify. • Identify what behaviors look like in a variety of environments. • Develop concrete universal approaches for teaching expectations and letting students know when they are getting it right.

41. Charles Darwin said: • It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one who is responsive to change.