Orchestrating Success with Universal Screeners

Fall 2012 -Spring 2013

How it all began…Summer 2012: Chichester School District was contacted by PaTTAN to participate in a study to test the sensitivity of 2 universal behavior screeners at the secondary level.

Fall 2012: Chichester Middle & High School prepared the data needed for the researchers, Wendy Oakes (Arizona State University) and Kathleen Lane (University of Kansas) on their visit, October 2, 2012.

Data was provided to this project from District database in reports that listed by Student Name, Teacher Name,

Class/Subject and Student ID.School used the Student Names for calculations. Researchers used the Student ID for calculations.

Process / Procedures:Every teacher of 8th period (high school) and 2nd period

(middle school) completed 2 separate screeners to identify students at no risk, moderate risk and significant risk.

Both screeners were done on paper Fall 2012 by teachers in an extended after-school staff meeting, coordinated by Wendy Oakes and Kathleen Lane and supported by PaTTAN: Tina Lawson, Donna Salkin and Diane Funsten.

SSIS: Social Skills Improvement System (Pearson)

SSRS: Social Skills Rating System

The SSIS Performance Screening Guide focuses on observable behaviors in four skill areas:

Prosocial BehaviorsMotivation to LearnReading SkillsMath Skills

Educators identify the level of performance for the student using criterion-referenced performance continua for each of these areas to measure the student’s skills against grade-level expectations.

The Social Skills Rating System allows you to obtain a more complete picture of social behaviors from teachers. Teachers evaluate a broad range of socially

validated behaviors-behaviors that affect teacher-student relationships, peer acceptance, academic performance, and more.

Then the real work began…A support team was then assembled to

determine how best to help match students who scored significant and moderate risk on one or more screeners with appropriate interventions.

This support team was different than SAP. It became the group that maintained all referrals to SAP as well as interventions that were Tier 2.

Joan Irwin, Social Worker and SAP coordinator

Nancy Alexander, Administrator

Nicole Athey, Internal Tier 2/3 coach and guidance counselor

Joelle Bobel, guidance counselor

Allison Ricco, school psychologist

Dan Chominski, guidance counselor

Meghan Castagna, guidance counselor

Chichester High School

Student Managemen

t Team

Chichester Middle School Student

Management Team

Steve Magliano, Asst Principal

Nick Cresta, guidance counselor

Heather Hahn, school psychologist

Don Morgan, dean

Aneida Merriweather, guidance counselor

Caroline Brewer, guidance counselor

Joan Irwin, social worker

Lynn Watts, guidance counselor

Melanie Scapello, librarian (data diva)

Ken Salamone, principal

The “Rules”Decision rules for analyzing and matching

students to appropriate interventions were designed by the team and tested (and revised) through the use of student data. Decision rules are used at every meeting.

At times, interventions were created to match the need. (Example: one student at risk for social skills was given leadership training and responsibilities within the Autistic support class.)

SAMPLE CHICHESTER HIGH SCHOOL

SAMPLE - CHICHESTER MIDDLE SCHOOL

Making it workInitially, based upon SWIS data, the target

group in the fall was the freshman class for high school. The target groups for the winter in both schools were all students who were found significant for risk based upon the screeners and teacher input.

Additional data was collected for students who were not previously identified as at risk to be sure that 2nd /8th period was not just a difficult class at the time.

Custom Report of 4+ referrals per student was generated and downloaded into Excel for filtering when comparing with universal screener data to initially assign students to intervention groups.

Attendance reports and student class attendance and grades in the Quick Look up was analyzed when comparing with universal screener data to initially assign students to intervention groups and determine the efficacy of the interventions in place.

Data Based Decision Making AgendaWhat students need to continue in the current

intervention?

What students need to be added into an intervention? For what purpose / outcome?

What students need to be exited to the “watch” list?

From the “watch list,” what students need to be added, continued or exited?

Select Sample Fall-Winter SupportsCheck and Connect Tardy call group (using auto-call in the morning)MentoringSmall instructional groups: anger management,

organization, coping skills, life skillsCounselor collaboration with special education case managerDaily check-inReferral to SAPRelaxation group conducted by PE teacherIndividualized supports

Examples: Working with county level judges in student contracting Setting up leadership experiences for certain students, etc.

Winter 2013 Procedural ChangesBy winter 2013, all participating schools requested that more

immediate data be received than the pencil-paper administration could allow in order to evaluate progress and identify students in further need of help.

January 2013, both screeners were put onto an Excel sheet. Each classroom teacher assigned scores based upon the screeners’ descriptions and input data into an Excel workbook on the server.

As a result, a classroom profile was generated instantaneously with identification of students scoring no risk, moderate and significant risk. This information was later assimilated by grade level for further data analysis by the student management team.

SRSS – Yellow: moderate risk

Red: significant risk

SSIS Yellow: 2 or 3 rubric

(moderate)Red: 1 rubric (at risk)

Green: 4 or 5 rubric (not at risk)

Example Class Profile (Teacher)

File can be found: http://becky-millspaugh.wikispaces.com/Universal+Screener+Project

Example School/Grade Level Planning Profile

Sample Interventions

assigned% of student population2 Universal

Screener Scores

File can be found: http://becky-millspaugh.wikispaces.com/Universal+Screener+Project

Lessons LearnedIt’s important to analyze and use information as soon

as possible to garner staff support in an endeavor like this at the secondary level.

Support teams have to define their role in PBS. They need to share these role definitions, results of data analysis and the identification of needs for intervention supports with the entire staff.

The staff on the tiered support teams (student management team) cannot be the only staff helping to run and coordinate interventions.