Evaluating the Role of Families in PBIS: The Positive Family Support Screener

1. D1 – Evaluating the Role and Participation of Families in Schools Implementing PBIS: The Positive Family Support ScreenerOctober 4, 2019 – 9:30-10:45 Key Words: Applied Evaluation, Family, Screening Lead Presenter: Sheri Luecking Co-Director Midwest PBIS Network Sheri.luecking@midwestpbis.org Exemplar Presenters: Amy Sanders, Asst. Supt., asanders@marionunit2.org Lesa Patton, Social Worker, lpatton@marionunit2.org Marion Unit 2 School District, Illinois

2. Strand: Applied Evaluation Recommended Experience: New to PBIS Description: This session will describe the implementation of a family screener and the use of data for improving family engagement in all buildings. An exemplar district will present how data was used to identify students for Tier II/III interventions and for tracking student progress Objectives: • Identify a family screener • Understand the importance of using multiple sources of data to screen students, both through universal screening and family screening • Identify strategies for establishing or improving the systems, data, and practice of family screening. Evaluating the Role and Participation of Families in Schools Implementing PBIS: The Positive Family Support Screener

3. Family and Community Engagement Defined Community: Organizations, community groups, and businesses that value the importance of local schools achieving high student outcomes and are identified as relevant stakeholders. Family: Any adult in a child’s life who has the responsibility of developing the child socially, mentally, academically, and otherwise. This would include parents, and/or extended members of one’s family.

4. Family and Community Engagement Defined Engagement: • Collaborative relationships, • Based on trust, mutual respect, and understanding, • Sharing responsibility for student success. • Bi-directional communication and data-based problem-solving are central features of family engagement the purpose of supporting student learning.

5. What does the research say?Systemic family engagement

6. Family engagement is associated with improved student outcomes • Family engagement training and implementation efforts lead to improvements in (Renee, M., & McAlister, S., 2011): • School climate • Social capital • Teacher-parent ties • Student performance • Bring knowledge of community context that allows for work that is more responsive to family needs (Warren, 2005;Warren & Mapp, 2011) • Allow for efforts that are responsive to community needs and fully enable community assets

7. Multi-Dimensional, Multi-Tiered Approach to Family Engagement • Aligns with & supports goals of children receiving Tier 3 support • Empowers families Responsive to Family and Student Needs • Aligns with and supports the goals of children receiving Tier 2 support • Networking & leadership opportunities • Welcoming, inviting school culture • Families’ preferences are basis of communication methods • Positive relationships, awareness, and two-way communication

8. Supporting Student Behavior Engaging Families How do you currently support students and engage families throughout the Tiered Model of Services and Support? Tier 3 Supports for Students: Engaging Families at Tier 3: Tier 2 Supports for Students: Engaging Families at Tier 2: Tier 1 Supports for Students: Engaging Families at Tier 1:

9. Universal Screener • Adapted the screener to fit the needs of Churchville • Survey was completed online through registration process for 6th/7th graders • now just 6th graders and new students • Developed process for implementing screener in a multi-tiered approach • 99% return rate

10. Communication with families based on tiered results

11. Screener Results (individual items) • Looking at the data from a multi-tiered approach • Parent events (by topic and targeted invitations) • Linking concern to support

12. About Marion CUSD #2 Town’s Population is 17,269 Rural Setting District Make Up 4,104 Pre-K-Grade 12 Students 55% Low Income 19% Disabilities 17% Mobility 5% Homeless District Schools Adams (Pre-K-8) Rural with 252 students 54% Low Income Jefferson (Pre K-5) 265 students 55% Low Income Lincoln (K-5) 544 students 60% Low Income Longfellow (K-5) 271 students 64% Low Income Washington (K-5) 562 students 53% Low Income Junior High (Gr. 6-8) 800 students 57% Low Income High School (Gr. 9-12) 1082 students 43% Low Income

13. Our Team Structure

14. Our Team Structure

15. When Our Teams Meet • Building PBIS Teams meet 1 time per month after school • District Teams meet 4 times per year for full day to participate in Regional Coaches meetings & to meet as a District team • Family Engagement Team met an extra four ½ days to participate in the webinars & to build capacity

16. How We Started • Identified a need to focus on family engagement Thanks Midwest PBIS • Reached out to partner with Devon Minch, USF & Meghan McCarthy at Churchville Middle School in Elmhurst SD • Conducted 3 webinars & an In-person event with a scope sequence • Importance of family engagement/partnership • 3 Tiers of Family Involvement based on the Positive Family Support model • Action planning for all districts/buildings

17. Our Family Engagement Leadership Team Four ½ days of training and planning

18. Full-Day Training

19. Scope and Sequence • Webinar 1 • Understand best practices for family engagement • Become familiar with FACE innovation configuration • Vision casting for family engagement • Webinar 2 • Triangle activity for parent engagement • Using family screeners • Goal setting • Webinar 3 • Progress on goals • Revisit using family screener • Prep for full day • In-person/Virtual Day • Review 6 features of innovation configuration tool • provide activities for each feature • Leave with a solid action plan for improving family partnerships

20. Lessons Learned SHIFT from Family INVOLVEMENT to Family ENGAGEMENT

21. Lessons Learned Needed to COMMUNICATE with peers? • Leadership team built a definition & engagement pyramid to share out during • Administrator Meetings • School Level PBIS Team Meetings • School Staff Meetings Needed to decide what to TACKLE first? • Parent Readiness Survey • Using the Results to Address Family Needs • Provide staff with resources that target engagement Needed to make a SHIFT? • By taking the MTSS Family & Community Engagement Innovation Configuration Survey • By sharing information from the Midwest PBIS Family Engagement webinars • By “filling in our gaps” by creating a School/District Discipline Flowchart

22. How We Changed • Filled in a Gap by Completing a District and Individual School Discipline Flow Chart • Built Our Engagement Definition • Created an Engagement Triangle • Communicated with peers

23. How We Changed CUSD 2 Family Engagement Engagement is: • Ongoing, continuous • Reciprocal • Strengths-based partnership b/w families & school • Shared responsibility • Changes/evolves as child matures Involvement is: • Intermittent attendance or participation (ex. Career Day, Skate Nights, Party help) • One way/school directed • School-driven decision making • Changes/evolves as child matures • Filled in a Gap by Completing a District and Individual School Discipline Flow Chart • Built Our Engagement Definition • Created an Engagement Triangle • Communicated with peers

24. How We Changed • Filled in a Gap by Completing a District and Individual School Discipline Flow Chart • Built Our Engagement Definition • Created an Engagement Triangle • Communicated with peers

25. How We Changed • Filled in a Gap by Completing a District and Individual School Discipline Flow Chart • Built Our Engagement Definition • Created an Engagement Triangle • Communicated with peers

26. School Readiness Survey

28. Plan B 73% More!

29. Washington Elementary School • School Enrollment • 562 Students • Staff Members • 41 Certified • 21 Non-Certified • Student Demographics • Free/Reduced: 53% • Mobility Rate: 10% • Homeless: 6% • Ethnicity: • 79.7% White • 6% Black • 11.7% Two or more races • Average Class Size • 23 Students ***1:1 Initiative grades K-5***

30. How We Changed • Asking parents to provide input with a School Readiness Survey • Our Observations: • “We were surprised by some of information shared”. • “As Educators, it is a difficult shift, but a beneficial one.” • “Now we are planning to use the information to better serve our students & families.” • “Next year, we want to better promote & offer the survey to all our parents and/or caregivers.”

31. Survey Benefits • Provided teachers a window into parent perceptions of their child • Provided useful information about reliable contact information and best way and times to contact families • Gave parents a voice (workshops, concerns, etc.) • Information allowed teachers to be more knowledgeable about their students and families from the very start of school

32. Next Steps High response rate to Parent Interest Workshop led to a “deeper dive” second survey. This survey was completed at Parent/Teacher Conferences in October. Parents were asked to indicate: • What topics they were most interested in attending? • What time was more convenient for them to attend (day or evening)? School Readiness Survey Interest Survey

33. Parent Interest Survey

34. Focused on #1 Desired Topic

35. Parent University

37. 100 calls on 100th Day

38. Positive Post Cards

39. Ripple Effect?

40. Summary and Next Steps • Challenge your team and staff to think differently about family engagement • Gently challenge negative assumptions (e.g., If they don’t show up/respond, does that mean they don’t value education? Could it mean something else? Can you try another approach to share/obtain the information?) • Consider opening your school and using as community center • Do one small thing differently each week to see what works with your staff and families Each person share one thing you’ll do differently for family engagement tomorrow

41. Family Engagement Challenge Between NOW and Halloween, we challenge your team to make ONE small change regarding your communication/engagement with families. Some possible ideas are: • Each teacher contacts 2 families per week (phone, email, post card, etc.) • Discuss weekly Family Newsletter (if already have one, any additional information you want to include with the lens of engagement?) • Creating a tracking tool for teachers/school staff to log all parent contacts so that everyone is able to view (should not include personal information) • Administration reinforcement of teachers contacting home • Any other ideas?

42. Grateful to • University of South Florida Multi-Tiered System of Support: Devon Minch • Churchville School, Elmhurst School District, Illinois: Meghan McCarthy • Positive Family Support Model, Arizona State University Tom Dishion and Kevin Moore • National PBIS Center • Midwest PBIS • YOU!!! Thank you for attending & your compassion to students

44. Miami, FL Hyatt Regency Miami March 11-14, 2020 For more information, visit: conference.apbs.org