Blending Social and Academic
Supports for Middle and High School
students at-risk: Academic Seminar:
Part 1
Jessica Swain-Bradway, Ph.D.
Illinois PBIS Network
Jessica.swainbradway@pbisillinois.org
A word about bamboo…
Greg Bell, Water the Bamboo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4DUcHJ
8qXs&feature=youtu.be
What are you building that will take several
years to realize?
Agenda: Part 1
Academic Seminar defined and conceptual
framework
Links to school retention and drop out
literature
Adolescent brain development
Importance of universal school-wide
foundations to support implementation
Agenda: Part 2 (8:30 am Wed)
Curricular material,
School and student level data,
School-level and district systems necessary
for implementation,
Link to the logic for building individual Tier
3 plans of support
Expectations
I will
 Be as clear and concise as possible,
 Provide relevant examples and,
 Embed activities
You will
 Ask questions when I am not clear,
 Share examples that link to the content,
Unicorn Dog will prompt all activities…
Unicorn Dog
Stage of T2 Implementation?
Conceptual Foundation
Academic Seminar
Tier 2 Support
 Class
• 45 minutes
• Meets every day
• 10-15 minutes of explicit instruction and practice in
organizational skills
• 25-30 minutes in homework completion- applying
organizational skills
– Curriculum (www.PBIS.org search Academic Seminar)
 More complex than CICO
• May be an appropriate addition to the foundation of CICO
 Additional “layer” of T2
• Addresses work avoidance
Conceptual Framework
 Kansas University Learning Strategies
 Teaching organizational skills to students with learning
disabilities results in significant gains in grades without
re-teaching or supplementing content skills.
 Best practices in teaching tell us to:
 Increasing scaffolding
 Increase opportunities to practice correctly
 Increase reinforcement of skill fluency
 PBIS tells us to:
 Create systems of support to maximize efficiency and
effectiveness
Secondary Supports
Increase structure and consistency
Increase positive adult interactions
Link academic and social supports
Increase home engagement
Are readily and continuously available
Increase progress monitoring
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
Support in the classroom…
Tier 2 isn’t “stuck” in the Academic Seminar
Classroom
 Or CICO Coordinator’s office…
Tier 2 in the classroom
START PBIS in middle and high school in the
classroom
 Differentiated instruction
Drop Out Literature
Wherever they roam…
Academic failure
(Allensworth & Easton,
2005; Balfanz, & Herzog,
2005),
Problem behavior (e.g.
disruption, disrespect,
etc.) (Sweeten, 2006;
Tobin & Sugai, 1999
Poor teacher
relationships (Barber &
Olson, 1997)
History of grade
retention (Allensworth
et al, 2005),
Low attendance
(Balfanz, & Herzog,
2005; Jerald, 2006;
Neild & Balfanz, 2006),
and
Diagnosed with a
disability (NTLS-2, ;
Wagner, Newman,
Cameto, Levine, Garza,
2006).
Why students drop out
Academic failure is the most empirically
robust predictor of drop out is (Allensworth & Easton,
2005; Berktold, Geis, & Kaufman, 1998; Harlow, 2003; Jordan McPartland, & Lara,
1999; Kemple, Herlihy & Smith, 2005; Markow & Scheer, 2002).
Students who drop out are NOT connected to
school (Berktold, Geis, & Kaufman, 1998; Harlow, 2003 : Jerald, 2006;
Bridgeland, DiIulio, & Morison, 2006).
24% of students who drop out are unable to
identify an adult in the school by whom they
feel supported (2006 High School Survey of Student Engagement).
School Retention Literature
Adult feedback or interaction (Croninger & Lee,
2001; Dynarski, 2001; Fashola & Slavin, 1998; Hayward &
Tallmadge, 1995; Kerr & Legters; Lee & Burkham, 2003;
McPartland, 1994; Schargle & Smink, 2001; Sinclair,
Christenson, Lehr, & Anderson, 2003; Thurlow,
Christenson, Sinclair, Evelo, & Thornton, 1995)
Increase home / school connection (Dynarski,
2001; Fashol & Slavin, 1998; Sinclair, Christenson, Lehr, &
Anderson, 2003; Thurlow, Christenson, Sinclair, Evelo, &
Thornton, 1995)
School Retention Literature
Increase structure and predictability
(Dynarski, 2000; Fashola and Slavin, 1998; Hayward and
Tallmadge, 1995; Lee and Burkham, 2003; Sinclair,
Christenson, Lehr, and Anderson, 2003)
Both academic and social supports (Dynarski,
2001; Fashol & Slavin, 1998; Hayward & Tallmadge, 1995;
Kemple, Herlihy, & Smith, 2005; McPartland, 1994;
Schargle & Smink, 2001; Thurlow, Christenson, Sinclair,
Evelo, & Thornton, 1995).
Brain Development
Path through the grassy field…
Not just a cool hat…
• Observing which brain
structures participate in
specific functions …
• Functional Magnetic
Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
 Blood oxygen levels
• Magnetoencephalography
(MEG)
 Electrical currents in neurons
Regulating conscious and
subconscious behaviors
Frontal
Lobe: Self
control,
judgment,
emotional
regulation
Corpus callosum: communication
between 2 sides of brain
Parietal
Lobe:
Sensory
integration
Temporal
Lobe:
Emotional
maturity
Prefrontal cortex
For adults, the Prefrontal area, is the “CEO”
of the brain






Memory
Attention
Reasoning
Planning
Decision Making
Impulse Control
Adolescent cognitive processes
ARE VERY DIFFERENT
from adult cognitive processes
Surprise! (Not)
 Adolescent brains actually function differently than
adult brains.
 The physical evidence gathered from fMRI and MEG
images shows that the adolescent brain is only about 80
percent as developed as an adult brain.
 Notably, the frontal lobes are responsible for planning,
organization, and impulse control, are typically underdeveloped during adolescence.
 In some cases the “adolescent brain” may persist until about
the age of 30.
 Elizabeth Sowell, Prof of Neurology, UCLA Lab of Nero Imaging
full
Corpus callosum:Reaches
communication
between 2 sides maturity
of brain in
20’s
Frontal
Lobe: Self
control,
judgment,
Restructured in
emotional
teen years
regulation
Parietal
Lobe: unti
Immature
Sensory
age 16+/integration
Temporal
Still developing
Lobe:
after age 16
Emotional
+/maturity
The Amygdala!
Previously, erratic behavior during
the teen years attributed largely to
the influx of steroidal hormones
around puberty.
Evidence from brain research
suggest that differences in
structure and functional
connectivity may also play a role.
Adolescent brain functioning relies
heavily on the instinctual part of
the brain, the amygdala – which
regulates our emotional responses
Universal Foundations
Universal Foundations
Bottom line, student success, across MOST
of our students and groups (85%+)
Small groups that “fall out” of the data
inspection:
 Because Universal doesn’t “fit” them?
 Because they need additional supports?
 There is a difference
Universal Foundations
Universal system must be extremely robust
 Withstand changes in funding, administration,
student body demographics, community
trauma, etc.
Universal teams anticipate changes and
challenges and build in systems to mitigate
Valued Outcomes?
When students leave your doors, what do you
want them to be able to do?
Explicitly supported by universal systems
(expectations, R+, consequences)?
Are your universal systems flexible enough to
incorporate student views, community views,
family views?
 Who is defining “success”?
Universal Foundations
Universal practices and systems:
 Academic enablers
 Student centered / Family Friendly
Define expectations, provide reinforcement
for demonstration of academic enabling
social behaviors.
Systems supporting student involvement
 Ownership
Universal Foundations: Academic
Enablers
Expectations of high academic achievement
Define, teach and reinforce the social
behaviors that support academic
achievement
 Asking questions
 Organization
 Tracking progress
Treat Self-Management like a content area
that happens in every classroom
Universal Foundations: Student
Centered
 From students, for students
 With family and community input
 Start with “self”
 Define expectations
 Create acknowledgements
 Refine consequences
 NOT Top Down:
 Example of Top Down- Respect means students are on time
to class because the teachers need to start teaching right
away.
 Example of Student Centered- Respect means students are
on time so they receive all the information they need to be
successful
Universal Foundations
How do YOU know it’s working?
What evidence do you have?
Does it all align? (fidelity, outcomes,
perception data, etc.)
What information are you missing?
For whom is it NOT working?
 What isn’t working?
 Why isn’t it working?
% Students on
track to
graduate
% Students
passing all
content area
classes
% Students
Failing one
content area
class
GRADE
% Meeting
Attendance
criteria
9
75%
70%
60%
25%
50%
10
70%
60%
50%
10%
25%
11
87%
92%
78%
5%
13%
12
67%
93%
85%
10%
12%
Ethnicity
IEP status / Category
Gender
Other?
ODRs
1. How do you currently “cut” data?
2. What are other ways to disaggregate
that are meaningful to your school?
Community?
Bottom Line Tier 2
Build capacity to support about 15%
Increase strength of universal systems
 Consider brain development
 Embed Tier 2 in the classroom
Resources
PBIS.org
Pbisillinois.org
National Institute of Mental Health
National High School Center
Questions?
Until Tomorrow…
Breakout D: 8:30-9:45 am
Cypress
Blending Social and Academic
Supports for Middle and High School
students at-risk: Academic Seminar:
Part 2
Jessica Swain-Bradway, Ph.D.
Illinois PBIS Network
Jessica.swainbradway@pbisillinois.org
Agenda: Part 1
Academic Seminar defined and conceptual
framework
Links to school retention and drop out
literature
Adolescent brain development
Importance of universal school-wide
foundations to support implementation
Agenda: Part 2
 Review
 School and student level data
 Curricular material:




Eligibility
Skill sets
Classroom features
Instructional practices
 Systems necessary for implementation
 School
 District
 Link to the logic for building individual Tier 3 plans of
support
Academic Seminar
Tier 2 Support
 Class
• 45 minutes
• Meets every day
• 10-15 minutes of explicit instruction and practice in
organizational skills
• 25-30 minutes in homework completion- applying
organizational skills
– Curriculum (www.PBIS.org search Academic Seminar)
 More complex than CICO
• May be an appropriate addition to the foundation of CICO
 Additional “layer” of T2
• Addresses work avoidance
Academic Seminar
Outcomes
• Increase self-management
sufficient to document
increases in assignment
completion, credit
accrual.
Practices
• Explicit teaching,
reinforcement of selfmanagement skills.
• Work completion supports
Academic Seminar
Data
• Screening data (grades,
attendance, teacher
referrals, discipline
referrals).
• Progress data (grades,
attendance, assignment
completion, CICO points,
etc.)
• Outcome data (grades,
graduation rates, etc.)
Systems
• Early Identification
• Communication
 Amongst teachers
 From middle school
•
•
•
•
Academic Class
Check-In Check Out
Decision-making rules
Training, FTE
School Successes
School Demographics
# students
per term
%
successful
each term
%
“Repeaters”
% requiring
additional
supports
School
Total
Enrollment
Archibald
800
80-90
75%
25%
6-10%
Ingenuity
800
80-90
60%
30%
6-10%
World *
200
12-15
95%
30%
N/A
Canter **
1,300
90-110
90%
25%
3-5%
Academic Seminar
Percentages represent average over the past 4 years.
* World High School is an international baccalaureate school.
** Exceptionally good at in-classroom differentiation of content
Academic Engagement Data, Participants
Academic Engagement Data, Participants and Peers
Curricular Materials
Academic Seminar Handbook, 2nd
Edition
Academic Seminar, 2nd Edition
Build skills necessary across content areas
and school-levels (including college, post
high school)
 Organizational Skills
 Student Guided Supports
Eligibility: Academic Seminar for
Students who…
 At risk for failing 1 or more content area 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
Student Guided Supports
Interacting with Teachers
Greeting
Acknowledging Help
Request for Feedback
Asking “Good” Questions
Asking for Help
Organization Skill Set
Goal Setting
Tracking Progress
Planner
Notebook
Graduation Plan
Test Taking
Study Skills
• Utility across content
areas
• Immediate access to
classroom reinforcers
Scope and Sequence *p.20
Model, lead, test
Students only move to the next skill / and
the next level of instruction when they are
at 95%
Classroom / Instructional
Features *p 19
High structure
Best practices in behavior management
and instruction
Differentiated instruction
Set up for success
 All worksheets, books, materials, etc.
Lesson Plan format *p 21
Pre-requisite
Goals
Time / materials
Teacher talk
 Model, lead, test
Wrap-up
Follow up activities
Special notes
Systems
Systems: District
Support T2 implementation
A commitment to staffing the class,
 hiring staff and / or adding FTE as necessary to
meet anticipated capacity,
 funding related materials,
Providing credit for course completion
Regularly reviewing student progress data
(as with all interventions).
Systems: School
 Strong Universal
 Tier 2 in the classroom
 Tier 2 Systems team
 Universal screening
 A commitment to staffing the class(es),
 providing physical classroom and related materials,
 facilitating attendance of training opportunities for
Academic Seminar teacher(s),
 providing a regular planning period,
 regularly reviewing and sharing student progress data.
 Make AcSem 1st period
 Keep enrollment below 15 students per classroom
Systems: Classroom
45 minute daily class
Five minute entry task,
10-15 minutes teaching and practice,
20-25 minutes supported homework
completion.
High density of explicit teaching, practice,
corrective feedback and reinforcement.
Students may/ may not also be enrolled in
additional layers of Tier 2 support (Check In
Check Out, Check & Connect, mentoring, etc.).
Questions / Obstacles /
Facilitators
Activity
1- Make a list of questions
• Be prepared to share
2- What obstacles can you see to implementing
this type of class?
• Be prepared to share
3- What systems would you need to have in place
to facilitate implementation?
• You guessed it, be prepared to share.
Exemplars
How Are Schools Doing This?
Freshman Seminar
Junior / Senior Transition Course
Revamped Study Hall
Elective
In conjunction with CICO:
 To address work avoidance
OR School Examples
NEHS
• 80+ students per term
• 9th, 10th, 11th & 12th
graders
• IEP and Non IEP
 11 / 12 extend curriculum
to transition goals
• About 60% success rate
(non-repeaters)
•
•
•
•
CHS
80+ students per term
Mostly freshman
IEP and non-IEP
About 80%-85% success
rate (non-repeaters)
Linking to Tier 3
Increased T2 supports
Screening for T3
 Small classroom setting provides increased
information on student needs and functioning
 Individualized
 Wraparound, RENEW, FBA
Not THE entire T3 intervention
 Place to monitor goals, plan implementation, etc.
 IF it fits
Resources
WWW.PBIS.org (Search Academic Seminar)
Chapter 10 in Responding to Problem
Behavior in Schools: The Behavior
Education Program, Second Edition, Eds.
Crone, Horner, & Hawken ISBN: 978-160623-600-0
Thank you!
 Jessica.swainbradway@pbisillinois.org