West Georgia RESA

The West Georgia RESA team is

Committed to promoting student

Achievement through collaboration, innovation, service and leadership.

Designing Instructional Environments for In-School

Suspensionor Strategies for Keeping SWD on

Target

• Terry Flanders

All information provided today is based on:

• Numerous research studies

• Professional articles

• Interviews with ISS staff

• Interviews with handicapped and non-handicapped students serving time in ISS

Let’s begin with the premise that all students are capable of

choosing appropriate behavior…but we cannot assume they know

what appropriate behavior is.

So what do we do?

To this day, researchers have validated the findings of J.S. Kounin in regard to identifying strategies for effectively managed classrooms.

• Teach behavioral rules and procedures as one teaches instructional content.

• Through personal warmth and encouragement communicate high expectations for student learning and behavior.

• Specify consequences and explain the connection between rule violations and imposed sanctions.

• Enforce classroom rules promptly, consistently and equitably.

• Students share in classroom management rather than viewing discipline as something imposed from the outside. (empowerment)

• Maintain a brisk pace for instruction

• Observe and comment on student behavior, reinforce through verbal, symbolic and tangible rewards.

• Use humor

• Intervene quickly

• Improve communication with parents.

What Practices Contribute to Student Misbehavior?

• Vague or unenforceable rules

• Teachers ignoring misconduct

• Ambiguous or inconsistent teacher responses to misbehavior

• Punishment which is excessive or which is delivered without support or encouragement for improving behavior

Now we need to look at discipline vs. punishment

• Discipline is proactive-training that produces specified patterns of behavior

• Punishment is reactive-the imposition of sometimes arbitrary consequences by adults

Discipline, Punishment or Reward

• What does ISS look like in our area?

2006-2007

SYSTEM_NAME

Carroll County

Coweta County

Harris County

Heard County

Meriwether County

Troup County

Carrollton City

System Name

6-8 Student Count 6-8 ISS Students 6-8 ISS Rate

3744 557 14.88%

5367 37 0.69%

1218 393 32.27%

539 162 30.06%

863 207 23.99%

3079 950 30.85%

975 220 22.56%

2006-2007System Name 9-12 Student Count 9-12 ISS Students 9-12 ISS Rate

Carroll County

4651 751 16.15%

Coweta County

6393 1150 17.99%

Harris County

1599 397 24.83%

Heard County

662 295 44.56%

Meriwether County

1173 223 19.01%

Troup County

3691 1300 35.22%

Carrollton City

1171 284 24.25%

Frequently non-certified personnel supervise.

• They are not always aware of SWD or have the skills to work with them

• FAPE could become an issue

• They may have the power to add days

Frequently ISS was housed in a mobile unit away from the main

building• Most individual cubicles stained gray• ISS teachers had phones, walkie-talkies

and a computer• Students ate lunch in cubicles or in the

cafeteria before others arrived• In some situations regular restroom breaks

were scheduled, sometimes students went alone

Several Schools use coaches to man ISS

• Typically the atmosphere was very positive

• Students returned just to “visit”

• Frequently too reinforcing

10 Reasons Student’s Gave for Being in ISS

• 10. Talking in Class

• 9. Fighting, but not my fault

• 8. Repeated tardies

• 7. Accumulated demerits

• 6. Possession of cell phone, text msg. in class

• 5. Dress code violation, teacher said crack was showing

• 4. Would do anything to avoid going to Ms. Pruneburger’s 7th period class

• 3.Put pom-poms in my BMW without a pass

• 2. Superglued a girl’s rear-end to her chair

• 1. The illusive Georgia beast…

“hellifIknow”

ISS students seem to fall into three categories:

• Yes• Maybe• No

Research Report: In-School SuspensionIs It Working?

• “Yes” students are rarely in trouble, horrified when caught and their parents will follow up at home. ISS has an immediate emotional impact.

• “Maybe” students are altogether different. They are rule testers and constantly challenge the system. Maybe they will follow the rules, maybe not. ISS helps them if emphasis is put on values clarification.

• “No” students say no to school, no to rules, no to extra-curricular activities. Typically they struggle in school, have low grades, neither parent contact nor intermittent counseling concurrent with suspensions help.

What Does Help the “No” Student?

In addition to a consistent, fair and predictable environment add:

• An emotional connection with at least one adult in the school setting

• One to one attention• True discipline with a focus on rehabilitation• Providing a feeling of academic support

• Convincing them they need help and it is O.K. to take it

• Reflection sheets and dialogue by themselves do not elicit change but do provide an avenue for making the connection required for genuine discipline

ISS Staff Concerns

• Teachers do not always send assignments• Do not know who is a SWD• Not sure how to treat SWD• Most report approximately 30% to 50% as

SWD• Not equipped with books or computers• Feel strongly that some teachers work

hard to write up students just to get them out of their class.

• Tardies

• For those who do know who is a SWD, most are concerned with the high rate of recidivism

• Special Ed. Teachers do not have the time to consistently work with students in ISS

Factors That Contribute to Success in ISS:

• Several computers for student use• Computer programs-contact

barbara.bishop@west.gaettc.org• Support for parents who really do not have

control over their children• Counselors work with repeat offenders 1

on 1• Anger management counseling• Work with graduation coach

• In some situations allowing a student to attend 1 period per week as a reinforcing time out procedure

• Teach study skills

• Teachers using some of their planning time to work with ISS students

• Allow appropriate 12th graders to mentor 9th and 10th graders

• Coach regular ed. teachers to improve classroom mgt. and student/teacher relations

• Increased parent contacts

• Participation in the negotiation of contracts

“What are you going to do to make it right?”

• Training in problem solving, self instruction and situation awareness

• Social and extrinsic reinforcement of acceptable behaviors

• Funding for after hours transportation

• Increased contacts with probation officers

• Redeveloping the FBA and BIP of students with disabilities

Generic Continuum of Strategies

ExpulsionOSSISS

Parent ConferenceLunch Detention

Other Consequence

Accumulated DemeritsTeacher Redirects

Student handbook distributed

Alternate Continuum

Expulsion

OSS

Office Referral/ISSAdministrative generated contract

Office referral/ISS

Parent ContractsTeacher generated contracts

Rules postedReinforcers discussed

Consequence hierarchyTeacher gives verbal reinforcers frequently

The impact of the ISS discipline program appears highly dependent on the individual student. Since the possibility of one strategy being successful for every student personality is highly unlikely considering the multitude of variables per setting, let’s rethink how much importance and what placement ISS should receive.

The Bottom Line

• Think of every positive reinforcer and every negative consequence that could possibly be implemented in the building of a positive school environment as equal. They have equal effectiveness just as each brick in the school building has an equal effect.

Remember, ISS isn’t a cure all.

“All in all it’s just another brick in the wall!”