When students believe that success is possible, they will try.
The PREPARE program
Shorecrest High School
15343 25th AVE NE Shoreline, WA 98155 (206) 361-4286
08-09 STAFF Sondra Wilson Kathy Elwell ProgramRick Pasana Overview
When students believe that success is possible, they will try. The Shoreline school district has been serving K-12 students whose learning has been affected by emotional or behavioral challenges, for the past two decades, through a variety of programs. In the last ten years, at the two high schools, the following model has provided a framework. It is the model, which provides a firm, fair, consistent, family-like environment for students; a model that Shorewood High School’s Phoenix program was first to use, and has had much success with over the years, graduating many students since 1994.
Kathy Ellwell Behavior Technician
Provides Behavior support to students, collects data
STAFF Sondra Wilson Certified Teacher
IEP manager, Plans & directs all academic instruction, Responsible for daily classroom management
Rick Pasana Paraeducator
Supports Teacher and Students
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When students believe that success is possible, they will try.
Program Components
Self Advocacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Natural Consequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Academic Accountability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Experiential Outings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Incentives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Goal Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Social Skills Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Data Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Expectations/ Levels system . . . . . . . . . . . 11 “Chances” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Behavior Contract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
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When students believe that success is possible, they will try.
ADVOCACY ad·vo·ca·cy n active verbal support for a cause or position ad·vo·cate vt to support or speak in favor of something n 1. somebody who supports or speaks in favor of something 2. somebody who acts or intercedes on behalf of another 3. somebody, for example, a lawyer, who pleads another’s case in a legal forum
Self-advocacy is your ability to speak up for yourself, for your needs and wants. It is a learned skill. It requires trust that when you voice your needs they will be heard and someone will help you meet them. It requires resiliency to cope with when your voice is not heard or people don’t help you meet your needs. It is a skill that takes practice. It is a skill we will be helping you develop as a student in the PREPARE program. For Example Instead of:
Try:
“I’ve having a rough time right now. Can I. . . Take a walk with a staff member” Talk with you about it later” Step out of the group for a while, then re-join when I’m ready” (While out of the group, I won’t be disruptive). Do my work by myself, just be left alone.” Go talk to my counselor”
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When students believe that success is possible, they will try.
Call my (family member) at the break and talk with them”
CONSEQUENCE con·se·quence n 1. something that follows as a result 2. the relation between a result and its cause
Natural consequences are the events that occur logically as a result of your actions. Just as is understood in science that for every action there is an equal reaction, in our human relationship to the world and others, for every choice we make, there is an outcome. Sometimes these outcomes are good, usually when our choice is beneficial to our self, or others. Sometimes these outcomes are not so good, usually when our choice is harmful to our self, or others. We are the only ones who have control over our actions thus we are the only ones who can accept responsibility for the consequences of our actions. In the PREPARE program we will be helping you to see and understand this connection.
If I manage myself in positive ways, naturally positive things will happen for me. I am responsible for my actions and I bring undesirable consequences upon myself when I act inappropriately.
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When students believe that success is possible, they will try.
Along with accountability for your actions, we will be helping you develop accountability for your academic progress. Progress reports will be distributed to you every other Monday. They are to be completed and signed by your parent/guardian, and returned to school on Friday in order for you to participate in morning movie time. Also, all work from my courses, must be done and turned in to me by each Friday in order to participate in morning movie time.
EXPERIENTIAL ex·pe·ri·en·tial adj derived from or relating to experience as opposed to other methods of acquiring knowledge
From time to time, we will be organizing field trips in the PREPARE program. They are meant to serve two purposes: 1) to act as an incentive reward for students who attain an 80% average of positive school behavior; and 2) as a time for students to practice the social skills they’ve been learning and practicing in the classroom. Generalization of these skills beyond the classroom is one of the biggest obstacles in the social skills education. It is our mission then to get you, the student, out into the community where you can enjoy yourself and be utilizing the functional communication and social skills learned in the PREPARE program. Field
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When students believe that success is possible, they will try. trips in the past have been to the Seattle aquarium, the zoo, to Richmond Beach, to Hamlin Park, bowling, skating, to the Pacific Science Center, etc.
Friday movies * Popcorn * Soda pop * Movie rental coupons * DVDs * CDs * pens * cool school supplies * books/magazines/comics * game time * sports time * video game time* computer time * field trips * positive praise
INCENTIVE in·cen·tive n something that encourages or motivates somebody to do something adj serving to encourage or motivate somebody
To reinforce positive and appropriate behavior, the PREPARE program provides a variety of tangible and non-tangible incentives for students. Students may sometimes be spontaneously awarded incentives as a positive reinforcement of appropriate school behavior, like being on-task. Other times, students may earn them as part of a contractual agreement with the teacher, particularly in regards to progress on personal goals.
GOAL goal n 1. the space or opening into which a ball or puck must go to score points in a game such as football or hockey, usually a pair of posts with a crossbar and often a net 2. the score gained by getting the ball or puck into the goal 3. something that somebody wants to achieve 4. the end of a race
Just like when a sports player takes their eye off the ball, you as a player in the game called life, will strike out if you aren’t focused. In order to prepare you to hit the big pitches in life, we’ll be helping you set some personal goals for yourself throughout the year. Then, like a supportive
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When students believe that success is possible, they will try. coaching staff, we’ll be monitoring your progress and offering you guidance as needed along the way, and of course cheering when you score a goal!
Introducing yourself * Starting a Conversation * Asking for Help * Making decisions Dealing with Embarrassment * Dealing with Frustration* Setting goals * Following Directions * Giving and Receiving compliments * Listening * Working with Others
You may think we’re just born knowing how to do these things, but we’re not. How we interact with others are social skills and they are learned behaviors. They take practice and guidance. In the PREPARE program you’ll be receiving both: 1) direct instruction in social skills; 2) as well as be subject to “teachable moments” which are opportunities to apply what you learn with us to the real world, under our supervision. The curriculum we’ll be using is actually where the program derives its name. Long-time behavior specialist and teacher, Arthur Goldstein, has compiled all his researched work into a ten-section curriculum (the PREPARE curriculum) covering a variety of social skills instruction specific to adolescence: Moral Reasoning training, Perceptual Reasoning training, Problem Solving training, Skillstreaming, Stress Reduction training, Anger Management training, Empathy training, etc. We will incorporate instruction from other sources to compliment the core work we’ll be doing from the PREPARE curriculum.
DATA da·ta1 n 1. information, often in the form of facts or figures obtained from experiments or surveys, used as a basis for making calculations or drawing conclusions 2. information, for example, numbers, text, images, and sounds, in a form that is suitable for storage in or processing by a computer
In order to monitor your progress in the program and adjust your instruction and support as needed, we will be collecting daily data on your
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When students believe that success is possible, they will try. behavior. This data will be evaluated frequently and used to determine your level of participation in the PREPARE program.
The basic operating principle is that you earn points daily based on your performance of appropriate school expectations. These points are then averaged every two weeks to determine your placement on a level. The level you’re on affords you appropriate privileges.
Daily
Expectati on
2week Level
points
Privile ges
Daily points will be awarded by student and approved by staff for each course period based on the following behavioral expectations: Arriving to Class on time and Prepared Completing class work Demonstrating respect for people and property Demonstrating control of voice and body Following directions Students may earn between 0 to 4 points in each category. Points not only determine level placement but account for up to 25% of students’ grades in the courses in which they are part of the PREPARE program. Progress will be accounted for, as well as performance. Point values are as follows: 4 points = met and exceeded behavior expectations 3 points = met behavior expectations 2 points = partially met behavior expectations 1 point = did not meet behavior expectations 0 points = was not present
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When students believe that success is possible, they will try.
Daily
expectat ion
Level Points average Above 3.2
2week
Behaviors student is Level demonstrating
Voluntarily helpful Following program and school rules Achieving personal goals Participating in larger school community Attending 90% Actively participating in all classes Actively working toward personal goals Attempting to be part of larger school community Attending 80% Attempts all class work Involved in most group activities Resolution of any significant problems in class/ on 10
points
Privile ges
Privileges student has earned
Extracurriculum outings with staff Free TAP Participation in all outings Use of video games, CD player, computer, cards, and board game Unsupervised breaks and lunch Free TAP Participation in all outings Food and drinks in class Use of cards, board games, computers and CD player Unsupervised breaks and lunch Can be invited on any outing Drinks in class Use of cards, board games, computers and
Actualized
Trustworthy
2.7 average
Participatory
2.3 average
When students believe that success is possible, they will try.
campus Attending 60% No significant incidents on campus Attempting positive social interactions with peers and staff Practicing respect and accountability CD player Unsupervised breaks and lunch Can be invited on academic outings Use of cards, board games
Baseline
Below 2.0
CHANCE chance v 1. to do something knowing that it is risky 2. to do something without a cause or plan
To protect the safety of everyone in the PREPARE program, yourself included, we must have a policy for when students decide to take a chance that’s risky. Our hope is that you will only chose to do things in class that you know are safe for yourself and others and that you’ll think before you do things. But we also know that there will be days when you won’t be thinking before you act or you’ll get the itch to do things that you forget are a gamble. As a result, the following program is in place to protect the learning environment for everybody:
Each day you’re in the PREPARE program you’ll have 10 “chances”. If you keep yourself from taking any chances then you’ll keep all 10 and most likely be awarded an appropriate incentive. However, if you take any of the chances listen below, you’ll lose “chances” according. This is a way for us to monitor when you are in need of some extra support.
After a loss of 4 “chances” = a staff member will invite you to advocate for yourself. At this point you have the opportunity to work with them or alone to regain control of yourself and the situation. Our hope is you will return to class with a plan to take care of yourself so as to not lose any more “chances”.
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When students believe that success is possible, they will try.
After a loss of 7 “chances” = a staff member will ask you to leave the class with them so that you might save face and have the space and time to work through what’s going on. This is another opportunity for you to take advantage of the supportive PREPARE staff and develop a plan to return to class and finish your day successfully. After a loss of 10 “chances” = a staff member will escort you home for the remainder of the day. This is considered an extended time-out and NOT a suspension. Student will not be counted absent but will be required to make up missed class work. A new day means a new set of 10 “chances” and as always, a smile.
Student can lose 1 “chance” for: Student can lose 2 “chances” for:
Swearing Excessive interrupting Arguing (not negotiating) Unsafe playful behavior Teasing/ Bullying Making rude or demeaning remarks to peers or staff Throwing things intentionally Otherwise disrupting the learning environment Leaving w/o permission Demonstrating unsafe or significantly disruptive behavior in class Threats Harassment: Racial, sexual, etc. Fighting
Student can lose 4 “chances” for:
Automatic dismissal will
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When students believe that success is possible, they will try.
result Destruction of property Out-of-control behavior Bringing a weapon to campus Being in possession of or under the influence of drugs/ alcohol
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