1. Academic Seminar: The High School Education Program
Christopher Pinkney, Portland State University
With thanks to:
Jessica Swain-Bradway, Midwest PBIS Network

2. Agenda
Brief overview of Tier 2 supports within a Multi-Tiered System of Support
Overview of Academic Seminar
Q & A

3. Think, Pair, Share
How many of your school’s students would benefit from increased organizational skills?
What supports are currently available in your school for students at risk of academic and/or social failure?
At risk of failing classes
Engaging in repeated, minor problem behavior
As an educator, what student behaviors do you find most reinforcing (rewarding)?
What makes it all worth it?

4. Tier 2 Supports

5. Definition Tier 2 supports are any range of interventions that are:
delivered in small groups to students with similar skill deficits,
increase the structure and predictability of the school day,
link academic and social supports,
increase opportunities for students to receive positive feedback from adults,
increase opportunities for students to learn, practice and be acknowledged for a specific skill set that is directly related to their area of need.
Tier 2 practices are designed as an additionally layer of support for students who are not responding adequately to Tier 1 supports.

6. Purpose
Tier 2 practices, systems, and data are functionally the same as Tier 1 foundations: to teach, practice and reinforce expected social behaviors to maximize academic engagement.
Structurally, we focus Tier 2 on small groups of students with similar skill deficits. This “targeted” grouping allows us to be more efficient and specific in addressing obstacles to learning.
Tier 2 ALWAYS builds on, and is much more effective (and manageable) within a Tier 1 system being implemented to fidelity.

7. 10 Critical Features for Tier 2
Intervention linked directly to school wide expectations and/or academic goals.
Intervention continuously available for student participation.
Intervention is implemented within 3 school days of determining the student is in need of the intervention
Intervention can be modified based on assessment and/or outcome data

8. Critical Features continued
Intervention includes structured prompts for what to do in relevant situations.
Intervention results in students receiving positive and/or corrective feedback from staff.
Intervention includes a school-home communication exchange system at least weekly.

9. Critical Features continued
Orientation process and introduction to materials is provided for students as they begin the intervention
Orientation to and materials provided for staff/sub’s/volunteers who have students using the intervention. Ongoing information shared with staff.
Opportunities to practice new skills are provided daily.

10. What is Academic Seminar?

11. What is Academic Seminar?
Tier 2 Support Class for students at risk of academic and/or social failure
Daily class
45 minutes
5-7 minute daily entry task
10-15 minutes of explicit instruction & practice
25-30 minutes in work completion – applying skills

12. What is Academic Seminar?
Class functions as:
MORE intense 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

13. 4 PBIS Elements Supporting Social Competence & Academic Achievement
OUTCOMES
SYSTEMS
DATA
Supporting Staff Behavior
Supporting Decision Making
PRACTICES
Supporting Student Behavior

14. What is Academic Seminar?
Outcomes
Practices
Increase self-management sufficient to document increases in assignment completion, credit accrual.
Explicit teaching, reinforcement of self-management skills.
Work completion supports

15. What is Academic Seminar?
Data
Systems
Screening data (grades, attendance, teacher referrals, discipline referrals).
Progress data (grades, attendance, assignment completion, CICO points, etc.)
Outcome data (grades, graduation rates, etc.)
Early Identification
Communication
Amongst teachers
From middle school
Academic Class
Check-In Check Out
Decision-making rules
Training, FTE

16. What Academic Seminar is Not
It is not a solution for students in Crisis
Violence
Mental health
Substance abuse
Suicidal comments or suggestions
High truancy rates (more than 3 times per week)
It is not a replacement for all other academic support classes
Supported work completion
It is not the solution for every student in need of tier 2 support
See eligibility slides later in presentation

17. Things to Consider
What is the smallest thing you can do the have the biggest impact?
What is the ONE thing you need all HS (and MS) students to do that would make a WORLD of difference in school and home?
Improve one specific skill set that cuts across all content areas.

18. The Academic Seminar Course

19. Course Goals Academic self-management skills
Increase positive adult interactions
Supported work completion
Increase progress monitoring of academic and social success

20. Academic Self-Management Skills
Planner use and maintenance
Notebook organization
Creation of a graduation plan
Goal setting for academic and social behaviors
Tracking progress
Test taking
Study skills

21. Academic Seminar Curriculum – Expanded by RHS
Judy and Melanie at RHS have taken HS-BEP Curriculum and been able to add to it depending on student needs. Have stayed within the conceptual framework : reduce punishers by increasing academic success and direct teaching of school appropriate social skills / self-management.

22. Increase Positive Adult Interactions
Greeting
Asking for help
Acknowledging help
Asking “good” questions
Requesting feedback

23. Student-Guided Supports Supportive Teacher Behaviors
Academic Seminar
Student-Guided Supports
Greeting
Support Requests
Acknowledgement
Questions
Feedback Requests
Supportive Teacher Behaviors
Greeting
Individualized Support
Advanced Notice
Feedback
Student Academic Engagement
Is there a functional relation between student participation in the Student-Guided Supports (SGS) curriculum and increases in student use of the SGS behaviors?
If there is a functional relation between student participation in the SGS curriculum and changes in student behavior, is there a functional relation between changes in student use of SGS behaviors and changes in supportive teacher behaviors?
If there is a functional relation between student use of the SGS behaviors and changes in supportive teacher behaviors, is there a functional relation between increases in supportive teacher behaviors and improvements in student classroom performance?

24. Course Goals Application of academic self- management skills
Supported Work Completion
Increase in Progress Monitoring
Application of academic self- management skills
Content specific support
CICO points
Summary reports twice per month
Self-monitoring and evaluation

25. Think, Pair, Share
How would you describe Academic Seminar to a peer? To a parent?
What is the goal of Academic Seminar?

26. Eligibility and Monitoring

27. Eligibility At risk for failing 1 or more content area class
Want to provide this support before students fail a class
Not earning credits due to lack of work completion:
Have appropriate supports / skill level for content area classes
Incomplete homework, class work
Could use additional supports organizing
Black hole back pack
Missing work
Don’t know due dates, class requirements
Find at least one adult reinforcing
Are not in “crisis”
Have organizational / self-management goals in IEP

28. Eligibility Grades Credits Attendance Minor office referrals
And WHY they are failing
Credits
Attendance
Minor office referrals
No BIG red flags
Set them up for success- bigger hills are harder to climb.

29. Monitoring Daily participation in class
Mid-term and semester grades, all classes
Attendance
Discipline
CICO (if participating)

30. How do we do this?

31. Secondary Team Members Roles
Administrator
Allocate resources, approve system level changes.
Has working knowledge of school-wide, secondary, and tertiary systems already in place within the school.
Behavior support personnel
Facilitates identification of students who are not responding to universal supports.
Provides suggestions for modifications: intensifying, individualizing, combining supports, fading, etc.
Academic Seminar teacher(s)
Teaches the Academic Seminar class.
Enters progress monitoring data every hours.
Provides twice monthly summaries of: students responding to the intervention, students not responding and requiring additional supports.
Facilitates communication between content area teachers and the Academic Seminar team.
School counselor/Psychologist
Facilitates communication between content area teachers and Academic Seminar team.
Facilitates communication across all three tiers of supports.
Content area teacher
Provide information about current instructional practices within content area classrooms.

32. How do we implement? Hold onto the core features:
Intense teaching of academic self-management
Logically link self-management with the REAL work they have to do every day
Aligned with SW expectations and acknowledgements
Match intensity of intervention with intensity of need
Use data to get kids in, monitor and get kids out
Add a layer (CICO, mentoring, Check-N-Connect) as needed
NOT the kitchen sink

33. How are Schools Implementing?
Identify the students
Who can you grab?
Quick math: what is 10% of your student population?
Create the schedule for offering the class
How many sections do you need?
How do fit within the master schedule?
“Taking over” a class that is not working well
Study hall
Advisory
Identifying a qualified teacher(s)

34. How are Schools Implementing?
Downloading and looking over the curriculum:
Does it fit your population?
What do you need to add?
AVOID adding more: smallest thing to make the biggest difference
Kids who need math help, still need math help.
Can you layer?
Can you prioritize and transition?
Can you add someone with math expertise to a section of AcSem to provide help during homework time.
NOT re-teaching alone, but using the organizational skills to help kids get organized to be successful in math THEN providing extra content support.

35. Student Testimonials (Baraboo School in Wisconsin)
"I'm really glad I got to be in this class because it has helped me so much with my work and getting help on the subjects that I don't really understand." "I'm very thankful I'm able to have this class and I’d love to have it every year to help me graduate." "It helped me be organized and remember my things I need to get done and helped me bring my grades up to passing."

36. Thank you and Q & A Christopher Pinkney Jessica Swain-Bradway
Jessica Swain-Bradway
You may find the Academic Seminar curriculum at
Search “Academic Seminar”