The Colorado Framework for School
Behavioral Health Services
Eryn Elder
Colorado Legacy Foundation
720.502.4702
eelder@colegacy.org
October 4th, 2013
The Colorado Legacy
Foundation
• Is an independent 501 (c ) (3) that serves as a critical friend and
partner to the Colorado Department of Education in the effective
implementation of public policy.
• We identify promising practices, invest in innovative work,
recommend policy, evaluate results, and share our findings with all
Colorado school districts and schools.
• We believe that increased student achievement for all Colorado
students requires effective leaders in every school, effective
educators in every classroom, and healthy and engaging
environments that ignite a passion for learning in every student.
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Agenda
• The Framework Context
• Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Health and Schools
• The Colorado Context
• Introduction to the Framework
• Championing the Work Activity
• The Grant Opportunity
• Wrap-up/Closing
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Today’s Objectives
• Provide participants with background
information about The Colorado Framework
for School Behavioral Health Services
• Introduce participants to the new Colorado
Framework for School Behavioral Health
Services
• Help participants think about how they can
champion systems-level comprehensive
school behavioral health systems
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The Context - Research
Intervention
• Rose Community Foundation 2-year grant-funded
Early
Intervention
project
Prevention
• Research
– 57 people interviewed or participated in a focus group
– Over 75 academic articles and state policy
documents reviewed
– National scan of districts/schools implementing these
systems
– Gaps and barriers analysis – trend analysis = 14
school-related plus 6 overall gaps and barriers
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The Context - Research
• Investigated the scalability of Building Bridges for Children’s
Mental Health, a 2009 pilot by CDE in Mesa County
– Combined PBIS with a System of Care (SOC)
PBIS is “an implementation framework that is designed to
enhance academic and social behavior outcomes for all
students” (Sugai and Simonsen, 2012, p. 1).
Source: Sugai, G. and Simonsen, B. (2012). Positive behavioral interventions and supports: history, defining features, and misconceptions.
Retrieved from http://www.pbis.org/common/pbisresources/publications/PBIS_revisited_June19r_2012.pdf
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The Context - SOC
• SOC – “spectrum of effective, community-based services and
supports for children and youth with or at risk for mental
health or other challenges and their families, that is organized
into a coordinated school network, builds meaningful
partnerships with families and youth, and addresses their
cultural and linguistic needs, in order to help them to function
better at home, in school, in the community, and throughout
life” (Stroul, et.al, 2010, p. 3).
Source: Stroul, B., Goldman, S., Pires, S., and Manteuffel, B. (2010) Expanding Systems of Care Improving the Lives
of Children, Youth, and Families. Retrieved from
http://gucchdtacenter.georgetown.edu/publications/SOC%20Results%205-7-12.pdf
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The Context - Goals
• 1. Focus on building systems-level
Framework
• 2. Help districts and schools engage in
systems-level work within an already overtaxed system
• 3. Highlight the importance of a layeredcontinuum of social, emotional, and
behavioral health supports in schools
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Why Social, Emotional, and
Behavioral Health in School
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Why Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Health
in School
• Academic link: A growing body of literature highlights the strong
connection between social, emotional, and behavioral health and
academic achievement.
– “A study estimating the relative influence of 30 different categories of
educational, psychological, and social variables on learning revealed
that social and emotional variables exerted the most powerful
influence on academic performance” (CASEL, 2003, p. 7).
• The majority of youth who receive services do so in a
school setting.
Source: CASEL. (2003). Safe and sound an educational leader’s guide to evidence-based social and emotional learning
(sel) programs. Retrieved from http://casel.org/publications/safe-and-sound-an-educational-leaders-guide-to-evidencebased-sel-programs/
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Why Social, Emotional, and
Behavioral Health in School
• Punitive approaches to externalizers; no systems for
internalizers
• In Colorado and throughout the nation, teachers
overwhelmingly report they need this support.
• “Student Support: Schools must establish a multi-tiered
high-capacity, student support system that includes
school-wide positive discipline, social and emotional
learning and classroom-level and individualized student
supports.”
Source: From Tom Vander Ark’s blog, Non-cognitive Skills: Bad Name, Really Important. Retrieved from
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/on_innovation/2012/10/non-cognitive_skills_bad_name_really_important.html
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Why Social, Emotional, and Behavioral
Health in Colorado Schools
• Sampling of Colorado Legislation
–
–
–
–
–
Colorado SB 13-266, Creating a Coordinated Behavioral Health Crisis Response
System
Colorado SB 13-193, Increasing Parent Engagement in Public Schools
Colorado HB 12-1345, The Amended Fair Discipline in Schools Act
Colorado SB 10-191, Colorado’s Great Teachers and Leaders Act
Colorado SB 09-163, Education Accountability Act
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It is All Coming Together in
Colorado
• School Liaisons at the 17 Community Mental Health
Centers
• Trauma-Informed System of Care and Communities
of Excellence
• Colorado and Children Youth Information Sharing
Collaborative (CCYIS)
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The Framework
• Expands on the Building Bridges for Children’s
Mental Health project
• Combines a Multi-Tiered System of Supports
(MTSS) with a System of Care (SOC)
• Links to 1 of 3 specialized service delivery models
• Spotlights districts/schools engaging in this work
• Includes tools and resources to help districts and
schools create comprehensive school behavioral
health systems
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What is a Comprehensive School Behavioral
Health System (SOC with MTSS)?
• A comprehensive school behavioral health
system includes district- and school-level
educational and local behavioral health
professionals working in concert with families
to improve prevention, early intervention, and
intervention strategies within the school and
community to meet students’ social,
emotional, and behavioral health needs.
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The Framework – Overview
• Combines a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
with a System of Care (SOC)
– MTSS – Whole-school, data-driven, prevention-based framework
for improving learning outcomes for EVERY student through a
layered continuum of evidence-based practices and systems
(CDE)
– SOC – “spectrum of effective, community-based services and
supports for children and youth with or at risk for mental health or
other challenges and their families, that is organized into a
coordinated school network, builds meaningful partnerships with
families and youth, and addresses their cultural and linguistic
needs, in order to help them to function better at home, in
school, in the community, and throughout life” (Stroul, et.al,
2010, p. 3).
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Students’ Needs Are NOT Fixed
Tier 3 – Intensive
Tier 2 – Targeted
Few
Students
Some Students
Tier 1 - Universal
All Students
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The Framework - Selection of
Best Practices
• Includes a best practices guide to help
schools implement comprehensive school
behavioral health systems
• Selected from research, interviews, and
focus groups – guided by leadership
advisory committee
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Best Practices Pyramid
Tier 3 – Intensive
Few
Students
Tier 2 – Targeted
Some Students
Tier 1 - Universal
All Students
Foundation
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Best Practices - Foundation
• District and School Teams Drive this Work
•
•
•
•
•
•
Family-School-Community Partnerships
Mental Health Stigma Reduction
Staff Professional Development
Positive School Climate and Culture
Accountability Systems
Data-Based Decision Making
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Best Practices – Tier 1 Services
•
•
•
•
Referral Process
Behavioral Health Screening
Social, Emotional Learning Opportunities
Positive Behavior Supports
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Best Practices – Tier 2 Services
•
•
Progress Monitoring
Evidence-Based Interventions
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Best Practices – Tier 3 Services
•
•
•
Crisis Response
Re-entry Plan
Individual/Group Counseling/Therapy
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Linking with Systems of Care
Tier 3
Tier 2
Tier 1
• Adequate Information
Sharing
• Strong Communication
Loop
• Warm Hand-Off
• Wraparound Services
• Youth-Driven and Family
Guided Services
Foundation
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Linking to 1 of 3 Specialized Services
Delivery Models
•
Tier 3
•
Tier 2
•
•
•
Tier 1
Adequate
Information Sharing
Strong
Communication
Loop
Warm Hand-Off
Wraparound
Services
Youth-Driven and
Family Guided
Services
Co-located schoolbased health center
School-based
therapist
Community-based
services
Foundation
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The Challenge
• "It's not fair, it's not just, it's not right," says Bostic, a former
high school teacher himself…“Some people say schools have
no business doing mental-health-related stuff, and I
appreciate that. But the reality is, whether you do something
or nothing, you're affecting kids' mental health every day
you're a teacher.”
Source: Scholes, Laura. A depressing trend: teenage mental illness is on the rise. | Edutopia | K-12 Education &
Learning Innovations with Proven Strategies that Work. Retrieved from <http://www.edutopia.org/depressing-trend>.
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Barriers and Opportunities
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The Champion
• Need someone at the school to guide the
team’s work
• How does the social worker fit into this
model?
• What opportunities do you have to be
embedded into the school academic culture?
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Social Worker and Comprehensive
School Behavioral Health Systems
• Collaboration across 3 levels
– Home-school-community liaison
– Consultant
– System-level specialist
Source: Berzin, SC, O’Brien KHM, Frey A, Kelly MS, Alvarez ME, Shaffer GL. Meeting the social and behavioral
health needs of students: rethinking the relationship between teachers and school social workers. J Sch Health.
2011; 81: 493-501.
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Leaders of Systems ChangeDeveloping Your System
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The Framework Release
• November 2013
• Print and online
• CD of tools and resources
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Tools and Resources
•
•
•
•
•
•
Needs assessment
Universal screening toolkit
Social and emotional learning guide
Building Bridges resources
Example referral forms
And more!
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Grant Awards
• $5,000+ to 5 districts/schools
• January 2014—December 2014
– Possible 2nd year of funding
• Technical assistance, tools, and resources
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Application
• CLF released an application for funding on
Wednesday, October 2nd, 2013.
• Application must include: 2 strategies
aligned to the Framework.
• Click here for a copy of the application.
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Examples of Strategies
• By December, 2014, X amount of school
professionals will be trained in Mental Health First
Aid Youth Curriculum.
• By December 2014, school X will begin using a
universal screening system.
• By December 31, 2014, X amount of middle schools
in ABC school district will implement social,
emotional skill building opportunities.
• By December 31, 2014, X amount of schools will
have a partnership with a behavioral health
professional.
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Application
• Funding Application – Due November 22nd
by 5 p.m.
• Awards will be announced in December.
• Grant money will be released in January.
• For questions, please contact me by email at eelder@colegacy.org or by phone
at (720) 502-4702.
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Grant Awards for School
Climate
Emphasis on 4 Strategies
1. Empower Students to Be Change Agents
2. Create a Community of Upstanding Allies
3. Use Professional Development and Policy Change
to Facilitate Adult Change in Practice
4. Use Data to Drive Decisions
Transforming School Climate Toolkit
Contact Finessa Ferrell by e-mail at
fferrell@colegacy.org or by phone at 720-502-4709.
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Closing and Wrap Up
• Brief reflection
• Please fill out the evaluation form.
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