A Note from the Director:

For over 13 years the Illinois Service Resource

Center has been assisting families and educational

teams of students who have both a hearing loss

and an emotional/behavioral challenge. This

technical assistance has been provided on a

student by student basis.

This year, the ISRC has been requested by the

Illinois State Board of Education to initiate

development of program-wide behavior support

plans for programs serving students who are deaf

and hard of hearing.

Many D/HH programs have one or more

classrooms located in schools that already

participate in a school-wide behavior support plan

such as PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and

Supports). A few D/HH programs, such as LICA

(Low Incidence Cooperative Agreement), ISD

(Illinois School for the Deaf), and Marion School

for the Hearing Impaired, have implemented

behavior support plans on a program-wide basis.

When larger scale behavior supports are in place,

opportunities for student behavioral success are

increased. Consistency of expectations and

reinforcements, as well as consequences, provides

the boundaries and safety net to help students feel

secure and more available for learning.

Cheri Sinnott, LCSW

ISRC Director

Ad grandmother

Illinois Service Resource Center A T e c h n i c a l A s s i s t a n c e C e n t e r o f t h e I l l i n o i s S t a t e B o a r d o f E d u c a t i o n

S e r v i ng Ch i ld r en W i th A Hea r i ng Los s And Emotional/Behavioral Challenges

8 4 7 - 5 5 9 - 8 1 9 5 V o i c e 8 4 7 - 5 5 9 - 9 4 9 3 T TY 8 0 0 - 5 5 0 - 4 7 7 2 H e l p l i n e ( 2 4 H o u r ) Em a i l : i s r c@ i s r c . u s I n t e r n e t s i t e : www . i s r c . u s

Winter 2007 Edition

Review

Program-wide Behavior Support Plans Goal For HI Programs

Frustration with student behavior is one of the most

common complaints of teachers. Challenging behavior,

which is most often addressed on a case by case basis,

requires a significant amount of teacher time and

attention. This time spent on individual student

discipline is time taken away from teaching academics,

not only to the student in question, but to the entire

class. Less time spent on academics can impact student

achievement, while improvements in either behavior or

academics have a reciprocal impact.

Many schools are addressing this issue by implementing

school-wide behavior support plans such as Positive

Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). When

behavioral supports are established on a school-wide

basis, there is a reduction in the need for intensive level,

individualized behavioral intervention.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has

recommended a best practice for programs serving

students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (D/HH) to

develop program-wide behavior support plans.

The Illinois Service Resource Center (ISRC) is one of

nine Technical Assistance Projects of ISBE. ISRC

provides training, technical assistance and support for

educational teams and families of students who have a

hearing loss and behavioral challenges.

ISBE’s Illinois State Performance Plan, Part B for 2005-

2010 cites an improvement activity to “Utilize technical

assistance projects such as ISRC to provide training,

technical assistance and support….to increase effective

behavior support plans to increase ongoing access to

education.” Accordingly, ISRC will be providing

technical assistance to D/HH programs in developing

program-wide behavior support plans.

In This Issue

Page 2. HI Behavior Teams Receive Training

Page 3. Pilot Program-wide Assessment Tool

Page 4. Champions Together Course On-Line

Needs Assessment Conducted on Program-Wide Behavior Support Plans In September, 2006 a survey on program-wide behavior support plans was distributed to supervisors of Deaf and

Hard of Hearing programs in Illinois. The survey asked questions about the student handbook, tracking of

disciplinary incidents, social emotional learning curriculum, and participation in PBIS (Positive Behavior

Interventions and Supports). There were 21 surveys returned out of 38 distributed (55%).

The results of the survey indicated that 57% of the programs which responded have already implemented program-

wide behavior plans, 28% have implemented a social emotional learning curriculum, and 75% are located in a

school with an existing PBIS program.

HI Behavior Teams Receive Training On FBA/BIP The Illinois Service Resource Center has been providing quarterly trainings for 22 HI Behavior Teams across

the state. Team members serve students with a Hearing Impairment, and are comprised of teachers,

administrators, social workers, counselors and psychologists.

Training topics focus on the development of Functional Behavioral Assessments and Behavior Intervention

Plans. Participants have an opportunity to meet individuals serving similar students in other parts of the state.

Presenters have included Dr. Terry Scott from the

University of Oregon, Dr. Rick Van Acker from

The University of Illinois-Chicago, Dr. Dale Meyers

of Meyers & Associates Consulting, and Dr. Linda

Mathias Kaskel of the Center for Multimodal

Treatment.

HI Behavior Team members are learning to identify

functions of behavior, such as obtaining something

(attention, an item), or escaping something (a task).

They are also learning to develop intervention

strategies to help students meet the function of the

behavior in an appropriate way. The importance of

data collection is emphasized as a way to gather

information on student behavior, and also as a means

to demonstrate student progress.

- ISRC Review Page 2 -

HI Behavior Team members from LICA ( Low Incidence

Cooperative Agreement), role play the development of a

Behavior Intervention Plan for a student. Pictured left to right

are presenter Dr. Linda Mathias Kaskel, Bonnie Koss, Terri

Bernstein, Laura Litterst, Sheryl Goldman, and the interpreter.

Is your program currently using a Social Emotional Learning

social skills curriculum such as Promoting Alternative Thinking

Strategies (PATHS), Skillstreaming, Stop & Think, etc. ?

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Yes No

Yes

No

Total number

of responses: 18

Is your program located in a school with a school

wide behavior support plan such as Positive Behavior Intervention

Supports (PBIS)?

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Yes No

Yes

No

Total number

of responses: 20

ISRC Library Includes Valuable Resources

The Illinois Service Resource Center library offers over 500 items, including books, games, video tapes, audio

tapes and psychological testing kits. The materials are available at no charge to individuals who work with

students who have a hearing loss and face behavioral and emotional challenges. In addition, there is a wide

variety of resources for parents and children.

Items are mailed, with return postage included. Materials may be checked out for a period of three weeks.

Some categories of resources include: AD/HD, Administration, Autism, Behavior Intervention, Counseling, Deaf

Culture, Medication, Parents, Sensory Integration, Sign Language and Social Skills. Several of the materials are

available in Spanish.

To view the entire library bibliography visit: http://library.isrc.us/surpass

Pilot Program-Wide Assessment Tool Available From ISRC

The Illinois Service Resource Center has developed a tool for programs to assess the current status of behavior

support plans that are in place for programs serving students with a hearing loss. The Pilot Program-wide Assessment

Tool (PPAT) was designed to assess and review the critical features of program-wide effective behavior support for

students who are deaf and hard of hearing across each academic school year. The PPAT was developed following

the format of the School-wide Evaluation Tool (Version 2.0, November 2001) from Educational and Community

Supports at the University of Oregon. The PPAT results are used to:

• assess features that are in place,

• determine annual goals for program-wide effective behavior support,

• review on-going efforts toward program-wide effective behavior support from year to year,

• design and revise procedures as needed, and

• compare efforts toward program-wide effective behavior support from year to year.

Information used for this assessment tool is gathered through multiple sources including review of permanent

products, observations, and staff (minimum of 5) and student (minimum of 8) interviews or surveys. There are

several steps for gathering information. The first step is to identify a contact person at the program. The contact

person will be asked to collect several items such as the Discipline Handbook, Summary of the Behavior Support

System used by the Program, Social skills instructional materials/implementation time line, Behavioral incident

summaries or reports (office referrals, suspensions, expulsions), and Office discipline referral form(s) (handwritten,

computerized).

Next, a time is set for the PPAT data collector to review the products and conduct observations and teacher/ student

interviews or surveys. Questions on the teacher and student interviews relate to the establishment of three to five

behavioral expectations, the teaching of the behavioral expectations, and reinforcement systems for appropriate

behavior (see ISRC Pin-Up in this issue).

The results of PPAT will provide programs with a measure of the proportion of features that are 1) not targeted or

started, 2) in the planning phase, and 3) in the implementation/maintenance phase of development toward a systems

approach to program-wide effective behavior support. The PPAT is designed to provide trend lines of improvement

and sustainability over time.

Programs which achieve a score of 80% or higher in the implementation phase will be designated as having

Exemplary Program-Wide Behavior Support Programs by the ISRC.

- ISRC Review Page 3 -

ISRC Staff

Cheri Sinnott, LCSW

Director

Dr. Steve Vaupel Behavior

Specialist

Ezell Smith Behavior

Specialist

Chris Mayworm, LCPC Consultant

Marilyn Medow, LCSW Social Worker

Dr. Jim Vanderbosch Clinical

Psychologist

Alison Mansfield Data Specialist

Charles Snyder Data Specialist

Melissa Perez Admin. Assist.

Josh Pryor Admin. Assist.

Champions Together® Course

To Be Available On-Line

Illinois Service Resource Center, in partnership with the

Academic Development Institute, has created the Champions

Together® parent training curriculum for parents of children

receiving special education services. This program was created

in response to the Illinois State Board of Education’s goal to

increase the effective and meaningful involvement of families in

the planning for their child’s special education program.

The program is divided into six modules: three that address

issues at school and three that address issues/challenges at home.

Training for professionals and para-professionals who facilitate

parent groups is available, and includes certification as a

Champions Together® parent group facilitator. An online

training course for facilitators is in development and will be

available in the near future.

If you would like more information on how the Champions Together® parent training curriculum would benefit your

district or school, please contact ISRC at 847-559-8195 or isrc@isrc.us to arrange a training opportunity.

Learn more about services and resources available from the ISRC

www.isrc.us

Getting Started: Development and Implementation Of a Program-Wide Behavior Support Plan For HI Programs

1. Commitment to administrative support The first step in the development of a Program-Wide Behavior Support Plan is a commitment from administration. This includes a commitment to allow members of the leadership team to have time to meet, to attend training, and for educators to incorporate the teaching of the core values/expectations during class.

2. Identify Leadership Team A multidisciplinary team is identified and should include a teacher from the HI program and a social worker/counselor/psychologist. Additional team members may include the HI supervisor, an aide, a school nurse, a parent, a general education teacher, an administrator from the host school and any other pertinent staff. Team members make a commitment to develop the three core values/expectations, attend training, review data collection procedures, develop curriculum for teaching expected behaviors, coordinate kickoff and continue to meet quarterly for monitoring purposes.

3. Complete Self Assessment Checklist Members of the Leadership Team review current behavioral practices and complete the Self Assessment Checklist (available from ISRC) to establish priorities.

4. Data collection/procedures for discipline referrals Clear guidelines are established for which behaviors will be handled in the classroom and which will require a discipline referral. Decisions are made regarding whether discipline referrals will be handled by the HI program or the host school. A process is established for collecting data on discipline referrals.

5. Core values/ behavioral expectations The Leadership Team identifies three core values/ behavioral expectations which will guide the Program Wide Behavior Support Plan. Sample core values/ behavioral expectations are: Respect yourself, Respect others, Respect property, Be responsible, Be safe, Be kind, Be Peaceful, Be cooperative, Be respectful, Be ready to learn, Make good choices. Next, the team develops a matrix of the behavioral expectations and what they will look like in classroom and non-classroom (hallway, playground, cafeteria, bus, etc.) settings. Additional information on completing the matrix is provided through training and technical assistance.

6. Curriculum/procedures for teaching expected behavior The Leadership Team develops a plan for teaching the expected behaviors to students. Usually the plan includes a lesson of the week, which is reinforced by teachers and other staff, along with visual reminders such as posters. Reading and writing assignments for the week could reflect the lesson as well.

7. Reinforcement/procedures for encouraging expected behavior The leadership team develops a system for reinforcement of appropriate behavior. This usually includes a token system for acknowledging student demonstration of the expected behaviors, a “catch them being good” system. Sometimes the token reflects the school mascot, such as Dolphin Dollars or Tiger Paws. The tokens can be exchanged for various reinforcements which are predetermined by the team. Sometimes when students are caught being good, their names go into a drawing, and a name is picked each week for a special recognition.

8. Procedures for discouraging problem behavior A clear set of guidelines is developed for inappropriate behaviors. This includes a list of the inappropriate behaviors and the sequence of consequences for each. Consequences may include contact with parent/guardian, apology, time out, loss of privileges, detention and suspension. The sequence of consequences is taught to the students so they will know what to expect when they demonstrate inappropriate behavior.

9. Family/Community Involvement Information on the Program-wide Behavior Support Plan is shared with families. Ongoing communication with families, including information on how they can incorporate the plan at home, is provided on a regular basis. Some families may be willing to make contributions for the reinforcements that are used. Community members can be approached for this as well. For example, local businesses may be willing to contribute passes for bowling, pizza, etc.

10. Kickoff A kickoff is scheduled to introduce the plan to the students. This usually involves an assembly and has a festive atmosphere.

11. Monitoring Following the kickoff and implementation of the program, the Leadership Team continues to meet at least quarterly to monitor progress. Collected data is reviewed to see if problem behaviors are occurring more frequently in certain parts of the building, to see if problem behaviors are decreasing overall and to review curriculum for effectiveness. The team may wish to review the Self Assessment Checklist.

12. Assessment for Exemplary Status When the team and/or program supervisor feel that the Behavior Support Plan has been implemented, a request may be made for assessment for Exemplary Status. The ISRC provides a copy of the assessment tool for review prior to the visit. Feedback will be provided on the results of the assessment, and programs which score above 80% will receive Exemplary Status Recognition.