1 Moving School Improvement Policy and Practice Forward: Context for Common Core Standards for a Unified, Comprehensive, & Systemic Learning Supports Component

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Moving School Improvement Policy and Practice Forward:

Context for Common Core Standards for a Unified, Comprehensive, & Systemic

Learning Supports Component

Developing a System to Address Barriers &

Re-engage StudentsFour Fundamental and Interrelated Concerns

Framing Interventions to Address

Policy Barriers to Learning and Teaching into

Revision a Comprehensive System

of Interventions

Rethinking

Developing Systemic Organizational &Change Mechanisms for Operational

Effective Implementation, Infrastructure

Sustainability, &

Replication to Scale

Also, counter the overemphasis on extrinsic reinforcers by reintroducing a focus on intrinsic motivation.

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Research has focused on all four concerns.

For our purposes here we will just highlight: I. Why a Unified & Comprehensive System of Learning Supports is Imperative for School Improvement Policy and Student and Teacher Well-Being

II. Frameworks and standards for a learning supports component

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Some Major Concerns

High student dropout rates High teacher turnover Continuing achievement gap So many schools designated as low performing High stakes testing is taking its toll Plateau effect

Teachers shouldn’t be expected to do it alone!

I.Why is a system of learning supports imperative for school improvement policy?

UCLA

When it comes to policy, the Carnegie Task Force on Education has stressed:

School systems are not responsible for meeting every need of their students.

But . . .

when the need directly affects learning, the school must meet the challenge.

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The Challenge:Barriers to Learning/Development/Parenting/Teaching

Range of Learners

Motivationally ready and able

Not verymotivated/lackingprerequisite

skills/different rates& styles/minorvulnerabilities

Avoidant/ very deficient in capabilities

No barriers

Barriersto

Learning,Development,

Parenting,Teaching

TraditionalParenting &

Teaching

DesiredOutcomes

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For most youngsters, it’s more about Environmental Conditions

Neighborhood Family School and Peers

than about Individual deficits

And, of course, a holistic approach emphasizes

>Protective Buffers (strengths, resiliency)

>Promoting Full Development

Stressing the Full Range of Barriers to Learning/Development/Parenting/Teaching

What has been the long-standing approach to student problems in

districts and schools?

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Current approach to addressing barriers at schools

Talk about fragmented!!!

Psychological Testing

Violence & Crime

Prevention

Special Education

After-School Programs

HIV/Aids PreventionPupil Services

District

Juvenile Court Services

Community-Based Organizations

Mental Health Services Social

Services

HIV/AIDS Services Child

Protective Services

Pregnancy Prevention

Counseling

Codes of Discipline

Physical Education

HealthEducation

Clinic

Health Services

Nutrition Education

School Lunch Program

Drug Prevention

Drug Services

Smoking Cessation for Staff

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What this means for systemic change:

Current situation is that the efforts to provide supports to address barriers are Marginalized in policy and practice.

This leads to

Fragmentation

Poor cost-effectiveness (up to 25% of a school budget used in too limited and often redundant ways)

Counterproductive competition for sparse resources (among school support staff and with community-based professionals who link with schools)

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Why the Marginalization?

A Policy Problem

Direct Facilitation of Learning & Development

Instructional / Developmental Component

Management Component

Governance and Resource Management

Safe schools &

Some Student & Family Assistance

Besides offering a small amount of school-owned student "support” services, schools outreach to the community to add a few school-based / linked services.

II. Reframing School Improvement Policy

Clearly, schools have some student and learning supports. What’s missing is a dedicated, unified, comprehensive, and systemic component directly focused on:

(1) addressing barriers to learning and teaching

AND

(2) re-engaging students who have become

disconnected from classroom instruction and schools

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UCLA

Governance and Resource Management (Management Component)

The need is to move from the prevailing two-component policy framework to a three-component framework to

develop a unified and comprehensive system of supports

Addressing Barriers to Learning/Teaching (Enabling or Learning Supports Component)

Direct Facilitation of Learning (Instructional Component)

Examples of Initiatives, programs and services at schools that belong under the umbrella >positive behavioral supports

>programs for safe and drug free schools

>bi-lingual, cultural, and other diversity programs

>compensatory education programs

>family engagement programs

>special education programs

>mandates stemming from the No Child Left Behind Act & other federal programs

Toward a Unified & Comprehensive System of Learning Supports

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A Unifying Concept for Working with Schools

Range of Learners

No barriers

BarriersTo

Learning,Developme

nt, Teaching

Instructional

Component

ClassroomTeaching

+Enrichmen

tActivity

DesiredOutcomes

(High Expectations& Accountability)

(High Standards)

Motivationally ready and able

Not very motivated/ lacking prerequisite skills/ different rates & styles/ minor vulnerabilities

Avoidant/ very deficient in capabilities

Learning Supports Component

(1) Addressing Interfering Factors

(2) Re-engaging Students in Classroom Instruction

A Comprehensive Intervention Framework for Learning Supports consists of

a full continuum of interventions

& An Organized Set of Content Arenas

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Levels of Intervention Continuum:Interconnected Subsystems for

Meeting the Needs of All Students

Systems for PromotingHealthy Development &

Preventing Problemsprimary prevention – includes

universal interventions(low end need/low cost

per individual programs)

Systems of Early Interventionearly-after-onset – includes

selective & indicated interventions(moderate need, moderate

cost per individual)

Systems of Caretreatment/indicated

interventions for severe andchronic problems

(High end need/high costper individual programs)

School Resources (facilities, stakeholders, programs, services)

Community Resources (facilities, stakeholders, programs, services)

See examples See examples

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Categories of Basic Content Arenas for Student/Learning Supports Intervention

Classroom-BasedApproaches to Enable Learning

CrisisAssistance &Prevention

Supportfor

Transitions

Home Involvement /Engagement in Schooling

Student &Family

Assistance

Community Support

InfrastructureLeadershipresource-

oriented mechanisms

See Examples & Surveys

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Combined Continuum and Content Arenas

Levels of Intervention

Systems for Promoting Healthy Development & Preventing Problems

Systems for Early Intervention (Early after problem onset)

Systems of Care

ContentArenas

Classroom-FocusedEnabling

Crisis Assistance & Prevention

Support for TransitionsHomeEngagementin Schooling

CommunitySupport

Student & Family Assistance

Activity: Mapping & Analyzing Learning Supports

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Common Core Standards for a Learning Supports Component

The following standards are formulated around five areas of concern that confront schools developing a unified and comprehensive system of learning supports:

(1) Framing and Delineating Intervention Functions,

(2) Reworking Operational Infrastructure,

(3) Enhancing Resource Use,

(4) Continuous Capacity Building, and

(5) Continuous Evaluation and Appropriate Accountability.

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Area 1. Framing and Delineating Intervention Functions

Standard 1. Establishment of an overall unifying intervention framework for a comprehensive, multifaceted, and cohesive component for addressing barriers to learning and teaching and re-engaging disconnected students.

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Standard 1 addendum: Specific standards for the content arenas of a learning supports component

>Standard 1a. Continuous enhancement of regular CLASSROOM STRATEGIES to enable learning (e.g., personalizing learning for students with mild-moderate learning and behavior problems and to re-engage those who have become disengaged from learning at school; providing special individual learning accommodations and supports as necessary)

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>Standard 1b. Continuous enhancement of programs and systems for a full range of TRANSITION SUPPORTS (e.g., assisting students and families as they negotiate hurdles to enrollment, school and grade changes, daily transitions, program transitions, etc.)

>Standard 1c. Continuous enhancement of programs and systems to increase and strengthen HOME AND SCHOOL CONNECTIONS

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Common Core Standards for a Learning Supports ComponentArea 1. Framing and Delineating Intervention Functions


>Standard 1d. Continuous enhancement of programs and systems for responding to, and where feasible, preventing school and personal CRISES AND TRAUMA (including creating a caring and safe learning environment and countering the impact of out-of-school traumatic events) >Standard 1e. Continuous enhancement of programs and systems to increase and strengthen COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND SUPPORT (e.g., outreach to develop greater community involvement and support from a wide range of entities, including enhanced use of volunteers and agency collaborations)

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>Standard 1f. Continuous enhancement of programs and systems to facilitate student and family access to effective services and SPECIAL ASSISTANCE on campus and in the community as needed.

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Area 2.

Standard 2. Establishment of an integrated operational infrastructure for the ongoing planning and development of the learning supports component.

Reworking Operational Infrastructure

Area 3: Enhancing Resource Use

Standard 3. Appropriate resource use and allocation for developing, maintaining, and evolving the component.

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Area 4: Continuous Capacity Building

Standard 4. Capacity building for developing, maintaining, and evolving the component.

Area 5: Continuous Evaluation And Appropriate Accountability Standard 5. Formative and summative evaluation and accountability are fully integrated into all planning and

implementation of the component.

A document outlining the rationale and providing the complete set of updated standards and related quality indicators is online at:

http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/commcore.pdf

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“What the best and wisest parent wants

for his [or her] own child, that must the community

want for all of its children.

Any other ideal for our schools

is narrow and unlovely;

acted upon, it destroys our democracy.”

John Dewey

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UCLA Web site The Center at UCLA has extensive resources which

are free and readily accessible online. These include:

Resources to help meet daily needs related to student learning, behavior, and emotional concerns

Policy and practice analyses to help rethink current student and learning supports

A toolkit to help design and implement a unified & comprehensive learning supports system, and more . . .

http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/

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Online Technical Assistance

The Center at UCLA provides regular responses to all relevant technical assistance inquiries.

This powerpoint presentation is available to you on request.*

Contact: [email protected]

*More extensive powerpoint presentations are available athttp://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/materials/trainingpresentation.htm#slide

A one hour webinar is online at https://scholastic.webex.com/scholastic/

lsr.php?AT=pb&SP=TC&rID=48915112&rKey=09f14db0881f5159&act=pb

Documents

1 Moving School Improvement Policy and Practice Forward: Context for Common Core Standards for a Unified, Comprehensive, & Systemic Learning Supports Component