ICEC Presentation 11/8/2013 Dr. Joseph R. Williams Mrs. Kimberly Borri MSW Mrs. Kerry Fallon OT

1. Beyond Point and Level Systems: Teaching pro-social independence to students with severe emotional and behavioral challenges ICEC Presentation 11/8/2013 Dr. Joseph R. Williams Mrs. Kimberly Borri MSW Mrs. Kerry Fallon OT Ms. Danielle Fritz LBSI

2. Glenwood Schoolwww.glenwood-case.com • We are a public alternative school • K-21 • Students with severe emotional behavioral challenges • RTI instructional framework • All student progress monitored for academics and social and emotional functioning

3. Our Students Face Many Challenges • Mental illness • Poverty • Family distress • Abuse • Neglect • Multi-systems involvement • Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s)

4. Our Intentions • To tell our story in the hope that our experience validates the efforts of others engaged in the same work, contributes to programs undertaking significant reform, or perhaps motivates someone to undertake reform in their own program or building.

5. Disclaimers • We as a team are committed to customized solutions • Our problem may not be yours. We should be cautious with a “cut and paste” approach • Our approach may not fit your situation • We have experienced significant success, but are not satisfied. We have work to do. • We don’t believe that you can extinguish a behavior without addressing the thoughts and feelings that drive the behavior. We believe that the behaviors are windows of insight into altered perceptions and not the central issue.

6. Where We Were • Glenwood Has a long history and was located in multiple buildings over the course of 25 years • The program addressed severe behavioral issues with a “cost-response” orientation • Several iterations of point and level systems • Highly evolved systems of violations and consequences • Drops; Freezes; Skips; Double Days • Case Management and discipline handled through Social Workers • Lack of consensus • Physical Management; Isolated Time Out; Extended Day-minute for minute • Infrequent successful transitions back to the Gen Ed environment • Shared belief that a K-21 site could be a program with consistent interventions and expectations throughout the program • Frequent parent complaints and daily presence of law enforcement • Target behaviors were confronted which led to frequent power struggles & Physical Management

7. Under close scrutiny… • There was very little researchable evidence to support this approach • http://www.thinkkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/5Mohr-et-al-2009.pdf • Glenwood was not getting the desired results • High rate of Isolated Time Out • High rate of Physical Management • Poor attendance • A reputation as a “Tough Behavior School” • Not seen as an intervention but a destination • Parents averse to a Glenwood Placement

8. Where We Are 2 & ½ Years Later • We operate without a point-level system • We are committed to explicitly modeling; teaching; and assessing Pro-social Independence • Commitment to teaching social perspective taking • Teachers handle all case management and coordinate the interventions and services • Related service providers are equal partners in the instructional program • Elimination of a school-wide approach in favor of 3 developmentally appropriate instructional teams which operate in relative independence • Shared belief and commitment to essential frameworks and skill sets • Power struggles are frowned upon and seldom engaged in • Decreased law enforcement presence in our program • Elimination of extended day program; detentions used only at HS

9. Which has led to… • Fewer incidents of physical management • Decrease in utilization of ITO K-5 • ITO not employed above Grade 5 • Fewer injuries to students and staff • Improved relationships with students and parents • Individualized and accurate FBA’s and BIP’s • Increasingly positive climate in our building • Successful transitions at all developmental levels of our students back to their general education environment • What that looks like…

10. Fostering a Culture of Cooperation and Pro-social Independence • Don’t let the perfect become the enemy of the good- They may indeed be enemies • We don’t extinguish behaviors; we work to help students engage in pro-social behaviors more frequently because it is helpful to them • We believe that thoughts lead to feelings which result in observable behaviors • We are committed to: • Cognitive Coaching • Teaching Replacement Behaviors • Addressing deficits in Social Perspective Taking

11. Trauma Informed and Trauma Sensitive • Many of our students have experienced significant doses of adverse childhood experiences or traumas. Traumatic experiences in childhood and adolescence have been associated with increased health-risk behaviors; deficits in social perspective taking; and a host of behaviors which can be characterized as anti-social or maladaptive • It is critical for our team to understand the potential effect that child maltreatment and complex trauma can have on a students perspective and outlook on adults and peers • Understanding our students has to go beyond behavior

12. Required Reading and Resources • Helping Traumatized Children Learn • http://www.massadvocates.org/download-book.php • National Childhood Traumatic Stress Network • http://www.nctsn.org/trauma-types/complex-trauma • Adverse Childhood Experiences • http://acestudy.org/

13. LSCI • Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI) is a nationally recognized, professional training and certification program • LSCI views problems or stressful incidents as opportunities for student learning, growth, insight, and change • Staff learn therapeutic intervention strategies to help students cognitively restructure how they experience stress and conflict

14. Social Perspective Taking • Cognitive Coaching with LSCI’s 6 Reclaiming Interventions

15. Replacement Behaviors • Explicit instruction, modeling, and rehearsal of calming strategies and pro-social skills • Zones of Regulation • A program developed by an occupational therapist, Leah Kuypers, to help develop self-regulation and self-management skills within one’s environment • The child learns to identify their current physical or emotional state and match it to a corresponding colored zone • Each zone has a set of tools to be used to help the child demonstrate expected behaviors • The critical premise is that no zone is bad, it is how we manage these feelings and our reactions given the situation

16. Replacement Behaviors • Focus for implementation of the Zones of Regulation at Glenwood • Consistent adult training and implementation • All adults using the same language with kids • Ensure curriculum is taught with fidelity • Classroom and individual visual supports • Opportunities for modeling and practice

17. Social Perspective Taking • Zones of Regulation • Second Step, School Connect, and other SEL curriculums • Consistent language used during de-briefing

18. Teacher Perspective • Running a self-contained classroom without points and levels. • Collaboration  Team approach (Classroom teacher, Para-professionals, social worker, OT, etc.) • Unified implementation has created an environment in which students have been shown consistent support from all staff members. • Decreasing the frequency and intensity of stressful events. • Identifying the central issue of a stressful incident rather than reverting to immediate loss of point. • Building genuine relationships brings in authentic problems.

19. What It Looks Like: A Classroom Perspective • Zones of Regulation: It is okay to feel a certain way! • Using Life Space Crisis Intervention in the classroom. • Condensed version may be necessary. • Allow the drain off (that may include leaving the student alone). • Providing insight  reverting back to what happened in the classroom. • “I understand” • Always point out a positive of any situation. • Moving forward

20. 4 Frames for Understanding OrganizationsBolman and Deal • Cultural/Symbolic Frame • Political Frame • Human Resource Frame • Structural Frame

21. Cultural Frame • We removed 3 of the 4 ITO room doors • Redesigned the logo; T-shirts for all • We hosted a CASE Board meeting during the day when students were present • Made a commitment to greeting all people everyday, every time • Committed to purposeful language; shared language

22. Political Frame • We made a commitment to telling our own story • Made an explicit commitment to establishing and maintaining quality relationships with parents, families, our team, and our districts • We established our website • www.glenwood-case.com

23. Human Resource Frame • Designed and implemented a rigorous and relevant curriculum on staff development • All teachers are trained in the curriculum that they deliver • Increased the role of the social worker and assigned to developmental teams • Included students in the hiring of new faculty • Supported the CASE mentoring program • Implemented shared decision making model • Established the framework for PLC’s

24. Structural Frame • The CASE Board has made a significant investment in our building • We reorganized into 3 distinct teams • Implemented research supported curriculum and interventions • Established and implemented an authentic system for assessing pro-social independence • Committed to the process

25. Preliminary Data: Our Students Remain Intense

26. Preliminary Data: Decreased Frequency per Month and Rate per Day of the Use of ITO

27. Forms and Their Functions • Independence Rubric • Independence Chart • Independence Report (Summary) • FBA & BIP

30. Pro-Social Independence for IEP Growth & Linkage to Services

31. Pro-Social Independence for IEP Growth & Linkage to Services

32. Pro-Social Independence for Coordination of Care

33. Individualized FBA/BIP

34. Crisis Intervention & Safety BIP What Does the Crisis Look Like In the Moment?” taken from CPI Legal Guidelines and Documentation by Kim Borri, C.A.S.E. Crisis/Safety BIP shared by Carol Dahlquist, SASED

35. Purposeful Change is Possible • Shared mental models of understanding are critical to initiating and following through with cultural and philosophical change • Evidence based frameworks for understanding students and student growth are critical • Understanding why something is supposed to work is essential to understanding if something works • Authentic teaming produces processes that team members internalize and adhere to • Significant reductions in the use of physical management is possible and practicable • Thoughts drive feelings which drive behaviors

36. Our Wiki http://glenwoodschoolcase.pbworks.com Go to the link and request access. We will happily include you and you may have access to many of our documents related to this presentation. 