1. Using Information for Decision Making
Identifying Interventions that support Targeted and Intensive Students
Susan Barrett

2. Monitor Objectives & Outcomes
Big Idea:
The staff determine what they want to answer, what data will answer the question, the simplest way to get that data, and then write an objective for where they want to be in the future.

3. Questions How does the team use to data to:
Get 80% staff buy-in (staff survey, TIC)
Keep 80% buy-in (BIG 5, communication)
for problem solving across all teams/committees
Utililize the three-tiered model of prevention (integrate student services, academic support, teacher support)

5. Positive Behavior Support
Supporting
Decision
Making
Supporting
Staff Behavior
INFORMATION
office discipline referrals
PBS self assessment survey
all staff (parents/students?) input
academic progress
attendance
direct observation
school improvement goal progress
SYSTEMS
School wide
Non classroom
Classroom
Individual students
PRACTICES
define (behav. expect. & routines)
teach
acknowledge
correct
follow up & feedback
consensus & collaboration
Supporting
Student Behavior

6. Why Collect Discipline Information?
Decision making
Professional Accountability
Decisions made with data (information) are more likely to be (a) implemented, and (b) effective

7. Key features of data systems that work.
The data are accurate
The data are very easy to collect (1% of staff time)
Data are used for decision-making
The data must be available when decisions need to be made (weekly?)
Difference between data needs at a school building versus data needs for a district
The people who collect the data must see the information used for decision-making.

8. What data to collect for decision-making?
USE WHAT YOU HAVE
Office Discipline Referrals/Detentions
Measure of overall environment. Referrals are affected by (a) student behavior, (b) staff behavior, (c) administrative context
An under-estimate of what is really happening
Office Referrals per Day per Month
Attendance
Suspensions/Expulsions
Vandalism

9. Office Discipline Referral Processes/Form
Coherent system in place to collect office discipline referral data
Faculty and staff agree on categories
Faculty and staff agree on process
Office Discipline Referral Form includes needed information
Name, date, time
Staff
Problem Behavior, maintaining function
Location

11. Minor Incident Reports
Overall Design
Smaller than referral
In triplicate
Replaced Detention Forms
Pre-Referral Documented Step
Flexible Consequences
Ex: Detention, reflection, parent signature, etc.
Administrative Intervention Before Referral

13. When Should Data be Collected?
Continuously
Data collection should be an embedded part of the school cycle not something “extra”
Data should be summarized prior to meetings of decision-makers (e.g. weekly)
Data will be inaccurate and irrelevant unless the people who collect and summarize it see the data used for decision-making.

14. Organizing Data for “Information”
Counts are good, but not always useful
To compare across months use “average office discipline referrals per day per month”

17. Using Data for On-Going Problem Solving
Start with the decisions not the data
Use data in “decision layers”
Is there a problem? (overall rate of ODR)
Localize the problem
(location, problem behavior, students, time of day)
Get specific
Don’t drown in the data
It’s “OK” to be doing well
Be efficient

18. Is there a problem? Office Referrals per Day per Month Attendance
Faculty Reports

19. Interpreting Office Referral Data: Is there a problem?
Absolute level (depending on size of school)
Middle Schools (>5 per day)
Elementary Schools (>1.5-2 per day)
Trends
Peaks before breaks?
Gradual increasing trend across year?
Compare levels to last year
Improvement?

26. Is There a Problem? #1 Maintain - Modify - Terminate

27. Is There a Problem? #4 Maintain - Modify - Terminate

28. What systems are problematic?
Referrals by problem behavior?
What problem behaviors are most common?
Referrals by location?
Are there specific problem locations?
Referrals by student?
Are there many students receiving referrals or only a small number of students with many referrals?
Referrals by time of day?
Are there specific times when problems occur?

29. Referrals by Problem Behavior

30. Referrals by Problem Behavior

31. Referrals per Location

33. Referrals per Student

34. Referrals per Student

35. Referrals by Time of Day

36. Referrals by Time of Day

38. Designing Solutions
If many students are making the same mistake it typically is the system that needs to change not the students.
Teach, monitor and reward before relying on punishment.
An example (Kartub et al, JPBI, 2000)

40. Targeted Group Supports
For those students who exhibit difficulties despite proactive school-wide prevention efforts
Likely to be student with both academic & behavioral challenges
Approximately 10% of school population

41. Remember… targeted-level students.
Without school-wide prevention, we cannot reliably identify
targeted-level students.

43. Using Data to Select Interventions
Who are the students who need additional support? (referrals by student, targeted:2-5 referrals, intensive: 6 or more referrals)
What are the interventions? (link to SW)
What is the referral process? (teacher support-quick, easy, )
What is the time frame students get access to the intervention? (72 hours)
What is the process to determine function?
FACTS, student questionnaire, role of academics, hypothesis statement, team process?
Does the SST have access to the data for ongoing monitoring of intervention?

45. Secondary Prevention: Primary Prevention:
Tertiary Prevention:
Interagency Partnerships
Community Partnerships
Court/ Institutional Liaisons
Spot Light On Schools/ P.O.s
Maryland’s Tomorrow Program
Homeless Program
NW/SW IEP Team
Individual Student IEP/ 504 Plans
Student Therapeutic Support
Student Threat Assessments
Abuse and Neglect Reporting Program (CPS Liaisons)
Traumatic Loss Teams
Baltimore County
32 Schools:
14 ES, 12 MS, 6 HS
~5%
~15%
Secondary Prevention:
Project Attend/ FACE
School Resource Officer Program
D.A.R.E./ S.A.D.D. Programs
Student Assistance Programs
Wellness Centers
Health Action Plans/ Appraisals
Peer Helper/ Mediation Programs
Pupil Personnel Home Visits/ Social Histories
Instructional Support Teams (IST)
Functional Behavior Assessments
Behavior Intervention Plans
Educational/ Psychosocial Assessments
Psychological Assessments
Student Case Management
Social Skills, Anger Management, Conflict Resolution
Parent Presentations/ Trainings
Alternative School/Program Placements
Primary Prevention:
School Improvement Planning
School Emergency Safety Plans
Positive Behavior Plans/ Codes
Character Education Programs
Parent/ Family Resources
Student Support Teams
Health Screenings/ Protocols
School Nurse/ Assistant Services
Essential Guidance Curriculum
School Counselor Services
Pupil Personnel Services
Residency/ Attendance Officer Services
School Social Work Services
School Psychologist Services
~80% of Students

46. Targeted and Intensive /Programs/Initiatives
Name of school: County: School Year
Programs
Purpose
Expected Outcome
Target Group
Outcome Data (Is it working?)
Recommendations:
1. What programs groups can we eliminate?
2. What programs groups can we combine?
3. What programs groups need to be supported for improved outcomes and sustained functioning?

47. Targeted and Intensive /Programs/Initiatives
Name of school: County: School Year
Programs
Purpose
Expected Outcome
Target Group
Outcome Data (Is it working?)
Homework Club
Recommendations:
1. What programs groups can we eliminate?
2. What programs groups can we combine?
3. What programs groups need to be supported for improved outcomes and sustained functioning?

48. Conduct Brief Functional Assessment
Is the behavior maintained by peer attention?
Is the behavior maintained by escape from social interaction?
Is the behavior related to lack of academic skills?
Escape Motivated BEP
Reduce adult interaction
Use escape as a reinforcer
BEP + Academic Support
Increase academic support
Peer Motivated BEP
Allow student to earn reinforcers to share with peers
Horner, Hawken, Marsh

49. How would we use data to decide where and how to direct problem solving and effectiveness of implementation.
L. Newcomer

50. Summary of PBIS “BIG IDEAS”
Systems (How things are done)
Team based problem solving
Data-based decision making
Long term sustainability
Data (How decisions are made)
On going data collection & use
ODR’s (# per day per month, location, behavior, student)
Suspension/expulsion, attendance, tardies
Practices (How staff interact with students)
Direct teaching of behavioral expectations
On-going reinforcement of expected behaviors
Functional behavioral assessment

51. Using Data School-Wide What’s happening? Are we meeting our goals?
Are we doing what we said we would?
Individual Students
What do we do next?

52. School-Wide Analysis: What’s Happening
Can we predict our problems?
Why are they occurring?
What can we do to prevent?
Is it working?

53. School-Wide Data Analysis: What are our Goals?
What do we want?
Is it happening?
If Yes - what next?
If No - what next?

54. School-Wide Analysis: Are we Doing it?
Are we doing what we said we would?
What are our barriers?
What do we have to do to make it work?