Potential Slide Bank for Academic Seminar For August 2014 Presentation

Freshmen Success: Building a Solid Foundation for Success Rationale and Research

Current Supports Targeting Freshmen? What is in place explicitly for freshman in your school? Is this aligned with the school-wide climate components/ (expectations, acknowledgements, consequences, etc.)? Please share

Why Freshmen? A research study in the Chicago Public Schools found that students who fell behind in credit accumulation during their 9 th grade year had a 22% graduation rate, as compared to an 81% graduation rate for students who were “on track” in 9 th grade (Allensworth & Easton, 2005). The most powerful predictors of whether a student will complete high school include course performance and attendance during the first year of high school (Allensworth & Easton, 2007). In fact, according to Jerald (2006), low attendance during the first 30 days of the freshman year is a stronger indicator that a student will drop out than any 8 th grade predictor, including test scores, other indicators of academic achievement, and age.

Freshmen Success: Universal Support Systems Embedded into school structure and culture Preventative MTSS Freshmen-wide Leadership Team Data-based Decision Making Curriculum Engagement-focused Content Acquisition and Application Peer Navigator Support

Freshmen Success Curriculum 12 lessons Approximately 45 minutes Delivered by Teacher & Peer Navigators Lessons w/ Exit Tickets Check-Ins Front-loaded in year

FS Curriculum DomainCurriculum Units and Learning Objectives Behavioral Engagement (academic enablers and school rules) Getting Work Done  Use a planner or similar device  Prioritize tasks and develop plans to accomplish them  Develop a study plan for test preparation  Demonstrate test taking strategies for various test types Getting Along  State schoolwide expectations  Demonstrate classroom expectations and routines  Demonstrate classroom participation strategies Cognitive Engagement (motivation, work tasks, self-regulation) Getting to Graduation  Identify a direction for the future – career goal, school relevance  Know graduation is attainable  Identify what graduation requirements are and where to locate  Identify if on track and how to get/stay on track for graduation  Develop an action plan to improve current academic status Emotional Engagement (school belonging, connection to and support by peers and teachers) Getting Connected  Identify school resources/supports: academic and social  Identify how and when to ask for help  Identify extracurricular opportunities in school and community that align with interest areas and describe how to get involved  Identify and practice how to get teachers on your side

Freshmen Success Systems Leadership – Expectations – Communication – Data – Consequence Acknowledgement Discipline

FS: Leadership System Freshmen Leadership Team – Separate team or subteam of SW Leadership Team – Regular meetings – Use Data for Decision Making – Focus in on Freshmen-wide efforts – a scaffolded approach to SWPBIS

FS: Communication Systems The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. GEORGE BERNARD SHAW  Agreements and dialogue among all Freshmen Teachers  Utilize similar systems as SW efforts

FS: Data Systems Attention to Behavior AND Academics Complicated by need to integrate multiple data sources BEHAVIOR ACADEMICS

Why Freshmen? A research study in the Chicago Public Schools found that students who fell behind in credit accumulation during their 9 th grade year had a 22% graduation rate, as compared to an 81% graduation rate for students who were “on track” in 9 th grade (Allensworth & Easton, 2005). The most powerful predictors of whether a student will complete high school include course performance and attendance during the first year of high school (Allensworth & Easton, 2007). In fact, according to Jerald (2006), low attendance during the first 30 days of the freshman year is a stronger indicator that a student will drop out than any 8 th grade predictor, including test scores, other indicators of academic achievement, and age.

Early Warning Indicators Course Performance in Core Subjects GPA Credits State Tests Attendance Office Discipline Referrals Additional Factors On-Track Indicators On-Track Meeting all graduation requirements Cs or better in all areas 2.5 or moreMeeting credit graduation requirement for grad plan year Level 3 or above or concordant scores within the same school year 4% or less absences per quarter or semester 3 or less Level I and/or minor referrals Disengagement No extra curricular involvement Substance Abuse High Mobility Mental health issues Free/Reduced lunch Foster/group home Transient/Homele ss Parent unemployment Student employment Changes in behavior/ appearance More recent traumatic event Missed guidance appointments No show for yearbook picture At-Risk for Off Track Lacking 1 graduation requirement 2.0 to 2.49Behind 1 Credits Level 2 on State Tests 5% or more absences per quarter or semester 4 or less Level I and/or minor referrals Level II ODRs per semester Off-Track Lacking 2 graduation requirements Failing 1-3 classes Less than 2.0Behind 3 credits Not passed both sections of 10 th grade State Tests or retakes No concordant scores 10% absences per quarter or semester 5 or more Level I and/or Level II ODRs per semester Highly Off- Track Lacking 2 or more graduation requirements Currently failing 3 or more classes Less than or equal to 1.5 Behind 4 or more credits Not passed 10 th grade State Tests or retakes No concordant scores 15% or more absences per quarter or semester 5 or more Level II ODRs for fighting/ profanity/ disruption per semester Extremely Off-Track Meeting no graduation requirements 2-3 Years Behind Less than or equal to 1.0 Not meeting cohort graduation plan Not passed 10 th grade State Tests or retakes No concordant scores 20% or more absences per quarter or semester Established pattern of severe behavior Level II & III ODRs

Curriculum Knowledge Test Grade System Graduation Req Pers Resources Credits Math/LA Acad ResourceExtracurricular Off Track 9 th Credits Teacher CreditsTask Breakdown Task IDPriority Levels Test Strategies Study Plan

Academic Seminar Curriculum: Defined, example, data

Academic Seminar Tier 2 Support – Class 45 minutes Meets every day 5 -7 minute entry task to orient student to tasks / skills minutes of explicit instruction and practice in organizational skills minutes in homework completion- applying organizational skills – Curriculum ( search HS-BEP) – More complex than CICO – Additional “layer” of T2 – Addresses work avoidance

Academic Seminar Class functions as: – Extension of & Intensified Universal Tier : Expectations Acknowledgements Addition of Organization Skill Set – Explicit instruction – Frequent practice opportunities – Explicit, frequent acknowledgement for demonstration of organization skills

Conceptual Framework Kansas University Learning Strategies – Teaching organizational skills to students with learning disabilities results in significant gains in grades without re-teaching or supplementing content skills. Best practices in teaching tell us to: – Increasing scaffolding – Increase opportunities to practice correctly – Increase reinforcement of skill fluency PBIS tells us to: – Create systems of support to maximize efficiency and effectiveness

Adolescent Brain Development

Massive Rewiring The brain consolidates learning by pruning away gray matter and strengthening other connections by wrapping them with white matter The period of pruning is as important for brain development as is the period of growth Source: Adolescent Brains are Works in Progress. Frontline

Pre-Frontal Cortex—The “CEO” PFC of adolescent is about 80% developed compared to adults

The Amygdala— Emotional Control Center Adolescent brains rely heavily on this part of brain to interpret events and information!

Cerebellum— Coordination of Mind & Body It is possible to be physically AND mentally clumsy during development

“Use It or Lose It” "If a teen is doing music or sports or academics, those are the cells and connections that will be hardwired. If they're lying on the couch or playing video games or MTV, those are the cells and connections that are going to survive." Dr. Jay Giedd National Institute of Mental Health Bethesda, Md.

Effects of Stress on the Adolescent Brain 2010 survey by the American Psychological Association – 43% of 13- to -14year-olds felt stressed every day. – 59% of 15 to 17year-olds felt daily stress The negative impact of stress hormones on the brain could not come at a worse time. – Stress overloads the prefrontal cortex – Stress makes it harder to regulate emotions and thoughts – Stress is happening when teens are struggling to gain the self-control and regulation they need to stay on track (Romero and McEwen, 2006).

Implications for Practice Adolescents need MORE support around Executive Functioning Skills and Social-Emotional Skill development: – Decision Making – Planning – Persisting – Understanding how behavior impacts others Cause/Effect Long Term Effects Supports need to be developmentally appropriate

Frontline video on Brain Development ows/teenbrain/view/ ows/teenbrain/view/ Inside the Teenage Brain

Organization Skill Set Student Guided Supports Goal Setting Tracking Progress Planner Notebook Graduation Plan Test Taking Study Skills Utility across content areas Immediate access to classroom reinforcers

How Are Schools Doing This? Freshman Seminar Junior / Senior Transition Course Revamped Study Hall Elective In conjunction with CICO: – To address work avoidance

Academic Engagement Data, Participants and Peers

School Successes School Demographics # students per term % successful each term % “Repeaters” % requiring additional supports SchoolTotal Enrollment Academic Seminar Archibald %25%6-10% Ingenuity %30%6-10% World * %30%N/A Canter **1, %25%3-5% Percentages represent average over the past 4 years. * World High School is an international baccalaureate school. ** Exceptionally good at in-classroom differentiation of content

Adolescent Brain

Combining Academic and Social Supports Alone, the Academic Seminar class targets academic difficulties. Students receive explicit instruction in organizational and self- management strategies, and assisted homework completion to help increase their academic success. Adding the behavior report card, a Check-In Check-Out cycle, to the Academic Seminar class provides social supports for students who are also experiencing behavioral difficulties. Both the Academic Seminar Class and Check-In Check-Out cycle together constitute the HS-BEP.

Focus of Intervention while honoring Contextual Fit The features outlined serve as a framework for implementation. Teachers should feel free to create learning activities around the critical features of the curriculum outlined in the lesson plans. Behavior Support Teams and or teachers may find the need to make modest modifications to fit school contexts or student needs. Regardless of modifications the focus of the intervention is to decrease the difficulty of academic task by providing explicit instruction in organizational skills and homework completion while increasing self-management skills and contingent reinforcement from teachers through use of the HS- BEP Card.

Graphic representing Implementation Steps As much as possible the scope and sequence of the specific academic skills should be organized to mirror the academic demands of the general school (such as exams, projects, etc.) so the skills learned in Academic Seminar can be applied to general content assignments. The HS-BEP curriculum focuses on the following academic activities: – Planner use and maintenance – Notebook organization – Goal setting for academic and social behaviors – Tracking progress – Test taking – Study strategies – Creation of a Graduation Plan

Steps to Implementing Academic Seminar Purpose of Academic Seminar To provide a daily check in, class by class checks, and check out with teachers To provide organizational, social and academic prompts To establish regular communication with families of students participating in HS-BEP To build organizational skills To provide assistance for homework completion

Steps to Implementing Academic Seminar Identification of student participants Summer school programs Request for assistance nomination Student who is failing classes due to missing or incomplete work 2-3 Office Discipline Referrals

Student Selection Process for HS-BEP Teachers request assistance for students who: Engage in problem behavior, but no “crisis” behaviors: – Occasionally skips class – Talking during teacher instruction – Failure to complete homework, class work, class projects Appear to benefit from increased structure Lack organizational skills: – Notebook, backpack is disorganized. – Student often misplaces or can’t find assignments Have academic skills appropriate for course Are achieving below a “C“ in core classes Student responds positively to at least one adult in the school.

Steps to Implementing Academic Seminar Procedures for participating in the intervention Staff: – Provide student with a brief, positive welcome – provide rated feedback and positive comment at the end of class. What the students do: – Checks in and out with HS-BEP coordinator every other day (if on CICO) – Establishes specific academic or social goals – Uses the card throughout the day as a prompt – Solicits teacher rating at the end of each class period

Steps to Implementing Academic Seminar Procedures for participating in the intervention Families: Prompts the student to share the HS-BEP card, provides positive feedback, signs the card, reminds student to return card to school. The parent does not use the card to correct the student again, but simply uses the card as a tool for starting a conversation about the school day. Coordinator: Orients student to intervention, manages HS-BEP card data, checks in and out with each student every other day, communicates with staff about student HS-BEP card status.

Steps to Implementing Academic Seminar Procedures for training staff, students, family – Staff training at the beginning of the year with boosters in winter and spring. – Student handbook provides a description of the program Data system for monitoring student progress – HS-BEP coordinator responsible for HS-BEP card data entry (using SWIS-CICO), learning activity grading. All data to be updated once every 48 hours.

Steps to Implementing Academic Seminar Decision making cycle – Student progress monitoring HS-BEP coordinator enters and summarizes data for twice monthly Behavior Support Team meetings. Guidelines for concern: – Significant departure in HS-BEP card points, grades, Office Discipline Referrals, or attendance. – Fidelity and effectiveness of secondary level intervention Behavior Support Team review overall student progress at twice monthly meetings. Behavior Support Team completes fidelity check at least twice per year, fall and spring.

EXAMPLE OF DAILY LESSON PLAN

Daily Entry Task The learning activities in Academic Seminar focus on teaching students how to organize and prioritize academic tasks. A Daily Entry Task at the beginning of each Academic Seminar class period orients the students’ academic efforts for the 45-minute class period and helps them prioritize tasks for work completion after school or the next day

Lesson Plan

HS-BEP CI/CO Card Use The HS-BEP card is an additional component deigned to increase the structure and support of Academic Seminar. The HS-BEP card is for students who are engaging in more intense “at risk” behaviors that result in an office discipline referral (i.e. skipping class, repeated class disruptions, repeated latenesses, etc). The HS-BEP card is a behavioral report card that students use to remind them of their social behavioral goals and provides a schedule for recruiting teacher feedback. Students begin their day checking in with a positive, supportive adult. Throughout the day they receive positive, written feedback from their classroom teachers contingent on demonstration of school-wide expectations. The HS-BEP card concurrently functions to remind teachers to “catch” students engaging in positive behaviors and provide feedback acknowledging the positive behavior. The HS-BEP card is embedded into the daily classroom protocol of Academic Seminar. Depending on the level of students’ social needs they can participate in Academic Seminar with or without the HS- BEP card component.

HS-BEP Teacher Responsibilities Teacher Selection May be a Special Education teacher, or content area teacher, who students relate to Adult in the school who provides explicit, consistent expectations, positive feedback, and relevant supports. The HS-BEP teacher is directly responsible for: Managing classroom behaviors Delivering academic curriculum Teaching students the Check-In Check Out cycle Morning check-in/Afternoon check-out Management of academic and social data See HS-BEP Classroom Guidelines (page 34)

Administrative Support Administrative support is vital to the implementation of HS-BEP. An administrator will need to: – Allocate sufficient FTE, for both teaching and data management, to meet the student need within the building, – Determine which staff member(s) is qualified to teach the HS-BEP class, – Facilitate reorganization of systems and processes within the school to allow for ease of identification, progress monitoring, and data management. Administrative support can also be crucial in building staff support of the HS-BEP. Above and beyond the administrative functions, visible, active support of the HS-BEP should be evident by: – Regularly scheduled HS-BEP team meeting times, – Regular attendance of the HS-BEP team meetings, – Approving, and or facilitating staff updates as part of staff meetings or school- wide s

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