Bloomsburg University
of Pennsylvania
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 16
T E A C H E R E X C E L L E N C E I N P O S I T I V E B E H AV I O R S U P P O RT n Q U A RT E R LY N E W S n M C D O W E L L @ B LO O M U. E D U
Classroom Management Spotlight:
Effective Transitions in the Classroom
EVEN THE MOST EXPERIENCED teacher
understands that transitions may pose
challenges in the classroom. Ineffective
transitioning of students from one activity to
the next can result in inappropriate behavior
as well as lost instructional time. Effective
transitions should be planned and instructed
in much the same way as you instruct the
core curriculum in your classroom. There
are many keys to effectively transitioning
students throughout the ebb and flow of the
school day. The following keys to effective
transitions should be strategically planned
in your classroom and may prove equally
useful when transitioning students from your
classroom to other school settings (such as
walking in the hallway to lunch, the cafeteria
or the bus platform).
Keys for Effective Transitions
General Description
Make Transitions Explicit
Be sure to tie (link) clear, positively stated operational statements of expected transition behavior by your students to
your overall preventive classroom management plan (e.g. the three to five behavioral expectations defined across targeted
contexts). In turn, provide direct instruction (explicitly teach) the expected transition behaviors at the onset of the year,
along with providing booster sessions throughout the year. Model correct and incorrect examples through direct instruction
and simulations, providing multiple opportunities for student practice.
Provide Pre-corrections
and Reminders
Provide timely reminders of expected behavior before transitions occur. You should provide these reminders regularly at
targeted times of the year (start of the school year and return from breaks) and ramp up proactive use of reminders if
students struggle with transitions.
Provide Advanced Cues
to Transitions
Provide your students with one or two alerts as transitions are approaching. This can be efficiently done through a variety
of techniques usually pairing a visual cue (such as holding two fingers up indicating a two-minute warning) paired with
a verbal cue (such as the statement “Two minutes until you move to your next learning station.”). Also, be sure that
you explicitly instruct the students in what to do once you provide your advanced cue (e.g. cleaning up and organizing
materials for the transition).
Provide Positive Reinforcement
Provide behavior-specific praise for meeting transition behavior expectations (individually and whole group, when
warranted). Ignore nuisance behavior, but redirect students engaging in problematic transition behavior to perform expected
behavior when needed.
Pro-actively Monitor Student Transitions
Thoughtfully incorporating these keys into
your instructional planning can both increase
student performance and save you lots of
instructional time. While there is no rule as
to how long any given transition should take
within a given classroom, a reasonable target
is from 15 seconds to one minute (depending
on the nature of the transition).
The concept of proactively monitoring
student transitions can also be described as
“Active Supervision.” The components of
Active Supervision follow.
You should be moving around in proximity to your students as they transition, frequently scanning all students in all
locations and guiding/prompting/reinforcing expected transition behaviors.
Components of
Active Supervision
General Description
Scanning
View and examine the entire setting frequently. While you may be physically in one
location be viewing students in other locations. Think of yourself as an air traffic
controller with many planes to land safely. Look for students who are meeting transition
expectations to reinforce while also being aware of given students who are struggling
with the transition.
Moving
Be physically active and, if possible, do not sit behind a desk. Move around your
students in a calm, but random, unpredictable pattern. Use physical proximity
proactively to prompt appropriate behavior as well as to redirect inappropriate behavior
if it surfaces.
Interacting
Engage your students in brief conversations throughout transitions, as these are
ideal opportunities to further build and strengthen rapport. Provide pre-corrections
and reminders of expected behavior and provide behavior-specific praise for student
performance of expected transition behavior.
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McDowell Institute: Teacher Excellence
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There is no one correct way to approach
student engagement during transitions. Some
teachers create peer support systems paired
with management games where all students
in the class earn additional reinforcement
contingent upon successful transitioning over
time in a cumulative manner (e.g. teacher
places a marble in a jar following each
successful transition of the entire class with a
special prize earned when a set performance
criterion is achieved). Other teachers establish
a game, perhaps called something like “The
Time-to-Change Game,” for use during
transitions. Each student has a “rules of the
game” card to refer to, as needed, with the
teacher simply prompting and providing
behavior-specific praise to individual students
who “play the game correctly” throughout
transitions. Other teachers alternate
appointing particular students to lead small
groups of their peers throughout the transition
while providing varying forms of positive
reinforcement for performance of expected
transitioning behavior. These examples
illustrate a few ways in which a teacher can
more actively engage students in the process of
transitions in the classroom. Regardless of your
approach, be sure you thoughtfully address all
of the keys to effective transitions previously
described.
Pennsylvania Positive Behavior Support Implementers Forum
THE PENNSYLVANIA Positive Behavior
Support (PA PBS) Network hosts an
Implementers Forum each year to showcase
the continuing enactment of Positive
Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS)
across early interventions sites and school
systems. This year’s forum will be held
May 5 and 6 at the Hershey Lodge and
Convention Center
Sponsored by the Bureau of Special
Education, Pennsylvania Department of
Education, with support from the member
agencies of Pennsylvania’s Community of
Practice (CoP) for School-Based Behavioral
Health (SBBH), the forum serves as a
venue for stakeholders interested in the
implementation of school- or programwide PBIS. Typically more than 1,000
participants attend from early intervention
and school systems across the state.
The forum provides information about
establishing, maintaining and expanding
PBIS through a three-tiered decisionmaking framework that guides the
selection, integration and implementation
of evidence-based practices for improving
behavior outcomes for learners. The
audience is made up of PAPBS network
facilitators; school- and program-wide
PBIS coaches; district- and school-level
leadership teams; educators, including early
childhood educators; behavioral specialists;
school counselors; school psychologists;
special educators; behavioral and mental
health providers; individuals interested in
emotional support programs; district and
state policy makers; parents and caregivers;
and higher education professors working in
teacher preparation programs, along with
members of Pennsylvania’s Community of
Practice for SBBH.
As of fall 2015, educators at nearly 700
schools and Early Childhood Education
(ECE) programs in Pennsylvania have
received training and technical assistance
in Universal Prevention (Tier One) of the
PBIS framework. A number of these school
sites have established, or are in the process
of establishing, supports at advanced tiers of
the PBIS framework.
The McDowell Institute continues
to collaborate with the Pennsylvania
Training and Technical Assistance Network
(PaTTAN) through the CoP SBBH and
the Pennsylvania Positive Behavior
Support Network (PAPBS) in planning
and conducting the Implementers Forum.
BU undergraduate and graduate students
enrolled in teacher preparatory programs,
along with College of Education faculty, are
encouraged to participate in the upcoming
Implementers Forum, which will highlight
state-of-the-art PBIS practices and offer
professional networking opportunities with
leaders in the growing Multi-tiered System
of Support (MTSS)/PBIS movement. This
year’s forum also will provide unique
opportunities for faculty, staff and students
to delve into on-campus mental health
awareness and suicide prevention endeavors
and provide value-added training in YouthMental Health First Aid within the context
of teacher preparation.
For information, visit www.PaTTAN.org
or the www.PAPBS.org.
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Pennsylvania Schools Increasing Focus
on Youth Mental Health First Aid
YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID
(Y-MHFA), offered to a young person
experiencing a mental health problem or crisis,
is provided until appropriate treatment and
support are received or the crisis is resolved.
Y-MHFA is not a substitute for counseling,
medical care, peer support or treatment.
The process for training to become certified
in Y-MHFA is similar to first aid credentialing
for physical health concerns through the
American Red Cross. The training to earn a
certificate is eight hours in length. Schools
across the Commonwealth are increasingly
exploring Y-MHFA training for teachers and
other school staff to better meet students’
needs and meet requirements associated with
suicide prevention reflected in Act 71.
Act 71 was signed into law on June 26, 2014,
and codified school-based suicide prevention.
Commencing with the 2015-16 school year, the
following requirements were in effect.
Responsible Entity
Requirements of Act 71
Each Local Educational
Agency (LEA)
1) Shall adopt an age-appropriate youth suicide awareness and prevention policy.
2) Shall include four hours of training in youth suicide awareness and prevention every five years for professional educators in grades
6- 12.
3) May incorporate a youth suicide awareness and prevention curriculum into its existing instructional programs.
State Department
of Education
1) Shall develop a model youth suicide awareness and prevention policy, in consultation with a youth suicide prevention organization.
2) Shall develop a model youth suicide awareness and prevention curriculum and make it available to all school entities.
3) Shall compile, develop, and post on its publically accessible Internet website guidelines and materials for training of educators and
resources and age-appropriate educational material.
Y-MHFA has been acknowledged as one
method for school districts to meet Act 71
requirements. Of perhaps greatest importance,
Y-MHFA training helps educators to more
efficiently screen for students in need.
Y-MHFA, an offshoot of Mental Health First
Aid for Adults, is considered an evidence-based
program by federal-level entities, including
the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) and United States
Department of Education (DOE).
The McDowell Institute is becoming
increasingly involved with Y-MHFA on
campus by providing Y-MHFA classes for BU’s
College of Education majors. An initial training
was held on January 30th, with future events
scheduled for February 27 and April 2, 2016.
At the state level the McDowell Institute is
playing a leadership role in Y-MHFA through
the Community of Practice on School-based
Behavioral Health (CoP SBBH). The CoP
SBBH is a statewide community of crosssector stakeholders and leaders who share
a commitment to the advancement of early
childhood, school-age and adult behavioral
health and wellness within Pennsylvania.
The CoP SBBH supports children, youth,
families, schools, and community partners
through development of comprehensive early
childhood and school-based behavioral health
support systems to overcome non-academic
barriers to learning so all students can
successfully transition into adulthood.
The current focus of the CoP SBBH is:
1) Promoting implementation and
sustainability of evidenced-based
multitiered systems of supports (PBIS);
2) Promoting integration of evidence-based
programming into decision-making
frameworks (e.g. situating mental health
evidence-based programs within the PBIS
framework); and
3) Fostering and leveraging articulated and
robust school-community partnerships
(e.g. Y-MHFA).
The CoP SBBH operates an affiliated
network of nearly 150 PBIS facilitators who
provide training and technical assistance to
the hundreds of schools that have adopted and
are implementing PBIS (go to www.papbs.org
for more information on PBIS implementation
in Pennsylvania). The McDowell Institute, as
a member of the CoP SBBH, is in the process
of organizing a parallel affiliated network of
Y-MHFA trainers in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.
To learn more about Y-MHFA, contact
Charlotte Kemper at the McDowell Institute at
ckemper@bloomu.edu.
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McDowell Institute Speaker Series February 9, 2016
THE MCDOWELL
INSTITUTE
presented its
inaugural speaker
series on Feb. 9,
at Bloomsburg
University, focused
on reducing
disproportionality
in school
discipline.
Racial and
ethnic disproportionality in school discipline
is one of the most significant problems in
education today (Gregory, Skiba, & Noguera,
2010; U.S. Government Accountability Office,
2013). Given the well-documented negative
effects of exclusionary discipline on a range
of student outcomes (American Academy of
Pediatrics Council on School Health, 2013),
educators must more effectively address
this issue. The existing research is clear that
that no single strategy will be sufficient to
produce substantive and sustainable change.
A multiple component approach emphasizing
five interrelated strategies to reduce
disproportionality in schools was highlighted
during both sets of events on Feb. 9.
Dr. Kent McIntosh, associate professor
at the University of Oregon’s College of
Education and director of the Educational
and Community Supports Research Unit,
shared his groundbreaking work in reducing
racial disproportionality in school discipline.
His research focuses on implementation and
sustainability of school-based interventions,
reducing discipline disparities, and integrated
academic and behavior support. Dr.
McIntosh is also lead author of more than 50
publications and principal or co-investigator of
over $20 million in federal grant funding. He
also serves as a coinvestigator on the Office of
Special Education (OSEP) National Technical
Assistance Center on PBIS and lead of the
center’s Disproportionality Workgroup.
Day Training
(Closed Session)
Education majors who have been awarded
McDowell Institute Student Fellowships
were paired with educational teams from
seven school districts that were awarded
special education performance grants,
“School-based Behavioral Health: Culturally
Responsive Approaches to Managing Behavior
Intervention and Supports (PBIS),” from
the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Buildings teams were composed of classroom
teachers, administrators and guidance and
support staffs.
These teams engaged in a full day of skill
development and planning sessions conducted
by McIntosh in collaboration with Dr. Tim
Knoster from the McDowell Institute and PBIS
training consultants from the Pennsylvania
Training and Technical Assistance Network
(PaTTAN). This session provided a structured
opportunity for current and aspiring
professional educators to develop skills in
culturally responsive approaches situated
within the PBIS framework to reduce racial
disparities in school discipline.
Evening Event
(Open Session)
Dr. McIntosh also provided an evening
presentation to over one hundred BU
students on strategies to reduce racial
disproportionality in school discipline in
Carver Hall. Special emphasis during the
evening session was on the difference between
implicit and explicit bias and the role that
implicit bias can have on school discipline.
McDowell Institute Announces the First Student Fellowship Awards In Positive Behavior Support
THE MCDOWELL INSTITUTE awarded
Student Fellowships in Positive Behavior
Support to nine undergraduate and graduate
students in the College of Education.
The students selected include: Jordan
Dunkelberger, Jessica Harry, Heidi Kulp,
Julia O’Shea, Bryce Perles, Emily Salmon,
Kaitlyn Small, Ashley Smith and Chloe Stine.
The McDowell Student Fellowship
Program in Positive Behavior Support was
developed to enhance student understanding
and application of Positive Behavior Support
through guided in-depth classroom and
field-based study. Teacher and leadership
candidates participate in the following
fellowship activities:
• Completion of five on-line modules on
Positive Behavior Support
• Participation in, and completion of,
Youth Mental Health First Aid Training
provided through the McDowell
Institute
• Participation in additional McDowell
Institute professional development
activities and speaker series
• Completion of a Synthesis Project in
Positive Behavior Support
The McDowell Student Fellowship
Program in Positive Behavior Support is a
competitive, annual process. For additional
information on the program and application
process, see the McDowell Institute website
or contact Dr. James Krause, 570-389-4991 or
Dr. Craig Young, 570-389-5180.
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McDowell Institute Supports Student Teachers in Spring 2016
EACH SEMESTER, the McDowell
Institute for Teacher Excellence in
Positive Behavior Support provides
value-added experiences for soon-tobe student teachers as they approach
their placements. On Jan. 19, more than
150 student teachers benefited from a
refresher session on preventive classroom
management.
This session reviewed the core
evidence-based practices of building
rapport with students, establishing clear
behavioral expectations and providing high
rates of positive reinforcement to students.
These three preventive approaches are the
same three strategies that are emphasized
in required coursework of all education
majors across all disciplines and reflective
of the literature associated with Positive
Behavior Support.
Effective implementation of this
triad of interrelated strategies plays a
significant role in establishing a healthy
classroom-learning environment
where students will feel safe and thrive
in both academic achievement and
social/emotional learning. Consistent
implementation of these three core
practices has been shown to dramatically
reduce the likelihood of student problem
behavior in the classroom.
Plans are already in motion for
providing this value-added professional
development session for student teachers
prior to their placements in fall 2016.
Students in COE LLC Have Fun While Learning
STUDENTS in the College of Education Living
Learning Community (LLC) enjoyed many
social and educational activities during fall
2015, like game nights, karaoke parties, and
“Munchin’ Meetings,” where they have fun
and discuss topics to enhance their classroom
learning. A team of mentors takes the lead
in organizing and managing LLC activities.
Here, you can learn a little more about these
dedicated young educators.
Jacklyn Erb
My name is Jacklyn Erb, and I am a sophomore
at Bloomsburg University. I am originally from
Bristol, Pa., but came to BU to study special
education/early childhood education with a minor
in American Sign Language. In the future, I hope
to get my master’s degree in deaf education and
work in a school for the deaf or at an Intermediate
Unit. For me, the best part about the Education
LLC is the vast amount of resources it offers and
the connections that can be made with people who
share the same passion for education!
Lauren McCarthy
Hi there! My name is Lauren McCarthy,
and I’m a senior at Bloomsburg University in
the secondary education history program. I’m
originally from Levittown, Pa. (two and a half
hours away), so, moving to college was very
stressful. Thankfully, I had the Education LLC to
make my transition easier. I met all of my friends
that I still have to this day during freshmen year
in the LLC. The Education LLC in particular
helped me learn requirements for the major and
what was expected of me, as well as gave me social
opportunities to bond with my friends and make
new ones.
to become an English teacher in the near future
and continue to make as much of a positive impact
on the lives surrounding me as I can.
Lauren Thompson
I am Josh Meck from Eagleville, Pa., which is
right by Valley Forge and the King of Prussia Mall.
I am currently a junior at Bloomsburg University
studying early childhood education with a
concentration in science. I plan to be an elementary
school teacher and hope to be a principal one day.
My favorite thing about being in the LLC is being
able to interact with a variety of students and
faculty.
Hello! My name is Lauren Thompson. I am
currently a junior studying early childhood and
special education with a minor in American Sign
Language. I have been involved with the COE LLC
since my freshmen year here at Bloomsburg – first
as a mentee and now as a mentor. I love working
with first-year students by supporting and guiding
them in any way I can to make their transition
from high school to college as smooth and
comfortable as possible. I have learned more about
the COE, become more involved around campus
and created friendships through my experiences
in the LLC. Someday I hope to help my future
students grow like I have with my mentees!
Valerie Mussey
Looking Ahead
Josh Meck
My name is Valerie Mussey, and I am from
Allentown, Pa. I’ve been a mentor for the
Education Living and Learning Community since
fall 2014. I am now a junior and am so proud to
say that I am still a mentor for the Education
LLC. Having been a mentee and now being a
mentor, I’ve grown as a person and student. I’ve
learned great leadership skills, developed lifelong
friendships, and been given the opportunity to help
incoming freshmen become all they can be. I hope
This spring 2016 has many exciting
opportunities on deck for our students, including
trips to New York City and Washington, D.C. The
mentors will be planning diversity activities and
advising workshops. Plus, more social activities
are in the works. Thanks to these hard-working
mentors for their support of our LLC students.
McDowell Institute: Teacher Excellence
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Positive Behavior Support
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Quarterly News
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Roesch Awarded McDowell Faculty Fellowship
in Positive Behavior Support
DR. DANIEL ROESCH, assistant professor
of teaching and learning, is the recipient of
the inaugural McDowell Institute for Teacher
Excellence and Positive Behavior Support
McDowell Faculty Fellowship. The McDowell
Faculty Fellowship Program (MFFP) was
established to provide faculty members
within the College of Education with the
opportunity to enhance their professional
growth through scholarly endeavors, including
research and field-based application of Positive
Behavior Support. Roesch will receive a $2500
honoraria to support and augment his research
endeavors.
Roesch’s research will focus on the
perceived leadership style and characteristics
present when implementing Positive Behavior
Interventions and Supports (PBIS) with
fidelity. He believes this fellowship will
“allow me to address my interest in the study
of sustainable school outcomes that evolve
through teacher empowerment and leadership.
PBIS provides a framework for consistent
action through proactive approaches to
teaching and supporting expected student
behaviors.”
The McDowell Institute promotes
professional development of COE faculty in a
manner that further creates positive outcomes
for all Bloomsburg University and K-12
students impacted by their endeavors. This
faculty fellowship will be awarded annually
to support faculty who are interested in
conducting research, projects, and initiatives
in Positive Behavior Support and associated
evidence-based practices that address non-
academic barriers to learning. All permanent
COE faculty are eligible to apply. For more
information visit www.bloomu.edu/mcdowell
or contact Dr. James Krause, 570-389-4991,
or Dr. Craig Young, 570-389-5180.
Hutchings to Speak at 2016 ‘CATCH’ Conference
DR. TROY HUTCHINGS will serve as
the keynote speaker at the 2016 CATCH
Conference. This event, developed as a
collaborative endeavor with the McDowell
Institute for Teacher Excellence in Positive
Behavior Support, was initiated as a
professional development opportunity for
student teachers at BU. Hutchings is Senior
Strategic Advisor at Educational Testing
Service (ETS) in Princeton, NJ, where he
provides thought-leadership to research
initiatives and practical applications in
educator ethics. He has a record of fulltime teaching, research, and administrative
responsibilities at the university level spanning
15 years, and has also served as a high school
administrator, teacher, and coach in public
and private schooling environments for 16
years. He researches, writes, speaks, and
develops materials on a national level in the
areas of teacher sexual misconduct with
students, educator decision-making, and the
professional continuum-of-responsibility
associated with a framework for an ethical
and legal teaching practice. He has served as
a Subject Matter Expert on projects as diverse
as the development of the national Model Code
of Ethics for Educators, the Georgia Educator
Ethics Assessment, as well as a full-length
interactive movie, The Good Teacher dealing
with teacher sexual misconduct with students.
His contributions to educator professional
practices were recognized nationally by the
National Association of State Directors of
Teacher Education and Certification in 2009,
when he received the Annual Doug Bates
Award.
This year’s CATCH event is projected to
have over 100 student teachers in attendance.
For more information, contact Ms. Charlotte
Kemper at 570-389-5124.
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania is committed to affirmative action by
way of providing equal educational and employment opportunities for all persons
without regard to race, religion, gender, age, national origin, sexual orientation,
disability or veteran status.
McDowell@bloomu.edu