Shift Happens

Howard Middle SchoolThen and Now

ByDaphne Smith

“We Made The News Again”

• Student assaults teacher, sends her to the hospital

• Howard Middle was on lockdown today-student brings a gun to school

• Student sets off the sprinkler, floods entire school building

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” Albert Einstein

Or……..

“If you always do what you always did,

you’ll always get what you always got.”

-Moms Mably

The DataThe Data07 – 08 Student Discipline

Expulsion = 81

Remand EVS = 658

Suspension = 898

In Sch. Sus. = 1352Actions by Grade Level6th Grade = 4867th Grade = 9148th Grade = 4739th Grade = 42110th Grade = 36311th Grade = 20312th Grade = 129

The Way We Were

• A Failing School• On the List to be taken over by

the state for excessive number of suspensions (particularly for special ed students)

• High Teacher Turnover Rate• Low Teacher Morale• Unmotivated Students

2007-2008 Policies

• No Assemblies allowed• Morning announcements took place

15 minutes over the intercom during 1st block

• No School Wide Behavior Plan, only ISS, Suspension, Evening School, or Washington Alternative Placement

• No After School Clubs/Organizations• No In School Activities (Pep Rallies,

Dances, etc)

What needed to change

•Entire Discipline System•Student Motivation•Faculty/Staff Attitude•Strict 07-08 policies regarding

assemblies, in and out of school student activities

•Academic Curriculum

“The Times-They are a Changing”- Bob Dylan

• By Summer of 2008, administrative changes took place (new principal/new assistant principal) who were very much on board with revamping the discipline system

• A group of Howard Middle staff (myself, special ed/regular ed, administration, school counselor, and reading interventionist) met throughout the summer to devise the needed changes for the 2008-2009 school year

What we came up with• RTI 3 Tiered Behavior Model• Point system with levels of offense for

referring a student for disciplinary measures• Creation of a discipline room and problem

solving document for the student to complete upon referral to the discipline room

• Creation of Short Term ISS, Reward System for students earning less than 5 discipline points each

• Creation of M and M Groups, Literacy Block, and 8th grade Math Remediation program

• Proposal of a summer camp for targeted 6th and 7th grade students at risk for gang affiliation

Out with the Old, In with the New

• Old• No effective discipline

system• No assemblies• No in school/after

school student activities

• Pause class (Teach/Re-teach)

• 6 blocks (Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Pause, Related Arts)

• New• RTI Behavior Model• Morning assemblies in

the auditorium• In School Pep Rallies,

Talent Shows/Fashion Shows, Faculty/Student Games, Drama Club, Art Club, Debate Team

• 5 Blocks (Language Arts, **M and M/Literacy Block, Remediation Math**, Math, Science, Social Studies, Related Arts)

Summer Camp-2008

• 10 Upcoming 7th and 8th grade boys attended a Weekend retreat aimed at teaching critical thinking skills and leadership skills in order to serve as mentors for fellow students during the 08-09 school year.

• Activities included: ropes course, hiking, archery, problem solving activities, and journal reflections prior to the camp and after the camp

• 3 Faculty chaperones attended as well as one administrator

“Whole Lotta Shaking Going On”-Jerry Lee Lewis

• Of, utmost importance was to train the staff on new discipline system during the professional development activities prior to beginning the 08-09 school year.

• Staff needed incentives to buy in to the new plan and to change their mindset in a positive direction.

• The Staff In-Service began with the following Introduction:

CONGRATULATIONS HOWARD MIDDLE FOR MAKING

AYP!!!!!!!!!!!!

In Addition, the following announcements were made• Howard Middle achieved AYP for the first

time in the school’s history• All Staff with the exception of 2 new

administrators returned to Howard Middle for the first time in the school’s history

• The Staff was served a Complimentary Continental Breakfast from Panera Bread for their efforts

• Staff was informed that at the end of each month during the faculty meeting, there would be an award for the Faculty member who was voted Teacher of the Month (movie tickets, gift certificates, teacher supplies, etc)

What is PBS?

•Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is based on a problem solving model and aims to prevent inappropriate behavior through teaching and reinforcing appropriate behaviors.

School Wide PBS

Primary Prevention: Tier 1 (Universal)

• Involves system-wide efforts to prevent new cases of a condition or disorder

• Works for over 80% of all students in a given school

• It reduces the large numbers of office discipline referrals for minor problems.

• Having a system for documenting the occurrence of problem behaviors (e.g., office discipline referrals) provides a way to determine which students need more intensive intervention.

Tier 2: Targeted Group

• Interventions are administered to small groups of students which require limited time and staff involvement.

• Interventions include social skills groups, group counseling, and/or mentoring programs.

Tier 3: Individual Student

• The PBS/RTI team needs to conduct a more in-depth analysis of the student’s data which at this point, would include all of the information examined in Tier 1 as well as the student’s response to and the fidelity of the Tier 2 interventions.

• In-depth analysis includes a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA), One on one classroom teacher consultation, Behavior/Mental Health Rating scale, and Direct observation

M and M Groups• Focus on Emotional Intelligence• Daniel Goleman’s 5 part theory

which categorizes how student and teacher perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors interact to promote or hinder appropriate social interaction

Emotional Intelligence

• Self Awareness• Self Control• Motivation • Empathy• Social Skills

The Stop Light

• Stop- State the problem and how you feel

• Calm Down- Set a Positive Goal• Think Before you Act-Think of lots of

solutions/consequences, go ahead and try the best plan.

The Hassle Log

• I am feeling _____________• Tell the Problem __________• What do I want to happen ____• What can I do to make it

happen_________________

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

ISS SUS EXP DET EVESCH

NTP

2007

2008

6-8 TCAP Results-Language Arts

6-8 TCAP Results6-8 TCAP Results

Actual Projected

  2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010  

Advanced 2.1% 2.9% 8.1% 5.6% 17.9% 22.9% 

Proficient 49.3% 54.5% 61.4%68.6

% 69.2% 77.1% 

Prof/Adv 51.4% 57.4% 69.5%74.2

% 87.1% 100% 

6-8 TCAP Results-Math

Actual Projected

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Advanced 5.2% 8.4% 11.0% 10.0% 23.4% 28.4%

Proficient

53.5% 58.6% 63.3% 62.8% 64.3% 71.6%

Prof/Adv

58.7% 67.0% 74.3% 72.7% 87.7% 100%

Think-Link Predictive Results (March test) vs. TCAP Results

Proficient/Advanced

TL2006

TCAP2006

TL2007

TCAP2007

TL2008

TCAP2008

6th grade 58% 60.0%

67% 61.7%

88% 77.8%

7th grade 58% 53.6%

78% 70.7%

78.8%

68%

8th grade 45% 58.8%

61% 77.2%

65.8%

77.6%

Total 53.7%

57.5%

68.7%

69.9%

77.5%

74%

Results for Summer Camp Students

• 3 out of the 10 students were promoted to the 9th grade Success Academy for exemplary behavior and grades.

• 1 student has received no zero tolerance incidents or in home arrests as compared to being arrested out of school twice last year and a zero tolerance offense at school.

• 1 student transferred to Orchard Knob Middle and became a starter for the Football team, was constantly placed in Washington Alternative last year.

• 1 student has only received 4 disciplinary referrals this entire school year.

• 1 student has received 3 referrals this entire school year as compared to last year when he was predominantly in evening school and suspended.

• 1 student has only received 1 referral the entire school year.• 1 student has received no discipline referrals this school year and

has maintained grades of B’s and C’s.• 1 student has not been successful and continues to receive

discipline referrals, ISS, Suspension, and evening school placement for disruptive and defiant behavior in the classroom.

Behavior Referral Comparison

• 2007-2008 school year

• 6th grade-486• 7th grade-914• 8th grade-473• Total

Referrals=1873

• 2008-2009 school year to date

• 6th grade-688• 7th grade-399• 8th grade-428• Total

Referrals=1515

Reading Levels for 6th and 7th grade

• 6th grade• Average reading

grade level• August 2008: 4.7• December 2008: 5.4

• Boys: August= 4.2• December= 5.0• Girls: August= 5.0• December= 5.5

• 7th grade• Average reading

grade level• August 2008: 4.8• December 2008: 5.7

• Boys: August= 5.1• December= 5.6• Girls: August= 4.6• December= 5.8

America’s Choice-Math Mediation program for 8th graders

• Implemented in January of 2009

•Students have shown an 18% increase on the Percents Unit

•Students have shown a 13.75% increase on the Fractions Unit

End of the Year Reward for students with no discipline referrals

• There are 320 students currently enrolled at Howard Middle.

• Of the 320 students, 11 (6th graders) will receive a Free IPOD on the last day of school

• 20 (7th graders) will receive a Free IPOD on the last day of school

• 14 (8th graders) will receive a Free IPOD on the last day of school

Closing Comments

• Did we completely resolve our behavioral/discipline issues? NO

• Did our efforts reduce behavioral/discipline issues? YES

• Over the past year,• Strong Teacher/Student Bonds were

formed• Academic Gains were made and• Students’ lives were positively

changed

Final Thoughts Regarding the Closing of Howard Middle

• My Personal View V School Official View

• 2 goals I hoped to accomplish today:• Showing how a supportive

administrative team and devoted faculty can turn a failing school around

• Alleviating some of the negative connotations and reputation my school has encountered

• Placement for next school year