Social-Emotional Learning in a Multi-Tiered System

Dyer-Kelly Elementary School San Juan Unified School District

Our Goals for Today: Overview of Dyer-Kelly and our SEL model Timeline of SEL Implementation Tier 1 School-wide SEL (video examples) Tier 2 Small Group SEL (video examples) Our lessons learned and Q&A

A bit about our school: Part of San Juan Unified School District 98% of students on free/reduced lunch; 12% of

students qualify for McKinney-Vento support services Approximately 50% of students are ELL; of those, 30%

are refugees and 57% have been in the country 1 year or less

Site has had a great degree of turn-over with admin, staff, and students 50% new teachers last school year Approximately 10 new students a month

Timeline for Social-Emotional Learning Year 1: Pilot with 2nd grade

Began with small group Added whole class lessons to strengthen the support

Year 2: Whole-school implementation in two phases Phase 1 (Sept-Dec): Counselor and behaviorist push in to

model school-wide lessons in all K-5 classrooms Phase 2 (Jan-May): Classroom-based lessons led by

each teacher, counselor and behaviorist available for support; Tier 2 groups run by counselor and behaviorist

Year 3: Full implementation Teachers lead classroom-based lessons (behaviorist and

counselor to support new teachers), beginning in September

Groups beginning by end of September to support Tier 2 students with more practice

Dyer-Kelly’s MTSS Model TIER 1: PBIS team has completed Tier 1 training

and workshops; all returning staff have at least one day of PBIS training; all staff has completed Responsive Classroom training for classroom management and community-building.

TIERS 2&3: Dyer-Kelly Intervention Team (DKIT) has received specialized Tier 2/3 training and support students with a variety of Tier 2 and 3 interventions and behavior plans

ALL TIERS: Staff is in beginning stages of Restorative Practices Training for supporting students and families across all 3 tiers

DK Tier 1 Expectations R= Respectful O= Own My Choices A= Always Safe R= Responsible

Expectations are taught at the start of the

year with our “teach-to” schedule Boosters are scheduled after breaks during

peak referral months

DK Tier 1 Acknowledgments Dragon Tickets and Golden Tickets-

individual acknowledgment ROAR Snack Tickets for Prep teachers and

substitutes Daily VIP lunch passes; weekly perfect

attendance lunches Class Compliment Cards earn social

rewards for whole class

DK Tier 1Community-building Daily Morning Meetings (Responsive

Classroom) Teacher guides students through

community-building activities, language activities, games/icebreakers

Similar to “Community-building Circles” as a part of Restorative Practices

Moving into Tier 2 In January of 2015 we were about 1 year

into our Tier 1 implementation Our staff was on board with and

participating in Tier 1 supports BUT, we were still struggling with a lot of

“high flyer” behavior students Teachers were asking for us to start Tier 2

supports

How it all began… Our SWIS data showed that 2nd grade was our

highest referred grade level. Simple drill down showed that 8 students held

over 60% of the referrals for the grade level. We began pulling this group of students for

social skills instruction twice a week

Referrals by Grade-Level

2nd Grade Drill Down

BUT… Despite our best efforts and intentions,

referrals for 2nd grade went down only slightly

In addition to the 8 “high flyers” for 2nd grade, this grade level had 36 students that had one or more referral

SO… We (our DKIT) decided to propose grade-

level wide social-emotional lessons for both 2nd grade classes

Behaviorist and Counselor pushed in to the 2nd grade classes (with teacher buy-in and support) on Tuesdays

Group of “high flyers” was pulled on Mondays to pre-teach and Thursdays to review and practice.

AND… This combination of support and

intervention impacted the referrals for 2nd grade more than pulling the small groups alone.

Whole class instruction began in mid-March (after spring break) March referrals: 19 referrals for 4 weeks April referrals: 9 referrals for 4 weeks May referrals: 8 referrals for 4 weeks

Taking it School-wide The DKIT proposed to staff that SEL

become a school-wide (Tier 1) support. Staff was surveyed to gather data and

input; this was a huge factor in staff buy in Lessons were based on Skillstreaming (with

teacher input) A school-wide scope and sequence for

year 2 was presented to staff at the end of year 1

Data from Staff Survey “I think it is important for ALL of our

students to receive Social Emotional skill-based lessons” 82% agree or strongly agree

“I think 15-20 minutes is the ideal length for SEL lessons for my students.” 82% agree or strongly agree

Data from Staff Survey

Year 2, Phase 1: Our “Gradual Release” Model First two weeks of school focused on

community building in each classroom Teachers ran “Morning Meetings” to build

classroom community and social connections with students.

Beginning in September, counselor and behaviorist pushed in to each K-5 classroom for a 20 minute SEL lesson

Monthly themes with weekly lessons, consistent school-wide but tailored to grade-level needs

School-wide Lesson Structure Review monthly theme or last lesson Introduce new skill and steps Role play/guided practice Activity, independent practice Closing

Sample Lesson Plan Month/Week: September, Week 4

Theme/Topic: Classroom Skills, Ignoring Distractions

ROAR Behavior(s): Respectful, Responsible

Materials Needed: Ignoring Distractions Poster Word search or simple activity (reading, coloring, etc)

Warm Up/Intro:

-Ask for student volunteers to share what skill we learned last week, review poster, reward for effort and participation -Introduce “Ignoring Distractions” as topic for today, ask students what “distractions” are, and what “ignoring” means. -Clarify we do not mean to ignore a teacher or other adult who is helping or teaching you!

Activity:

-Introduce poster for Ignoring Distractions • Look Away • Close Your Ears • Be Quiet, Keep Working -Ask for 2-3 students to volunteer to show the steps of the skill; rest of the class observes and gives feedback -Present students with a challenge: If all (most) of the students in the class can work on a task while ignoring distractions, then the class can earn ______ (class points, a quick game, etc) -Give students a simple task (word search, coloring page, silent reading). Adults in the room will provide various distractions, and students will earn a tally mark for every time they are able to ignore the distraction and keep working. -Once students earn 10 tally marks, they have earned their reward

Wrap Up/Closing:

-Ask students why it’s important to ignore distractions at school -Ask students what makes it difficult to ignore distractions. -Ask students what helps them to ignore distractions.

SEL Bulletin Boards

Turn and Talk What are some possible benefits of doing

school-wide social-emotional learning at your school site (or district)?

What are some potential challenges or barriers you might face in implementing school-wide social-emotional learning?

Year 2, Phase 2: Adding the Tier 2 Support School-wide SEL continued in each

classroom, led by teachers Support offered for teacher who ask Lessons provided for teachers School-wide agreement that SEL

lessons would occur on Mondays, with options for extension activities throughout the week

SEL Lesson Examples

Month/Theme Weekly Lesson Topics January: Calming Skills

“We know how to be calm” Week 1 (1/11): Relaxation Skills

Week 2 (1/19): Knowing Your Triggers Week 3 (1/25): Using Self-Control

February: Problem-Solving Skills “We can solve our problems safely and

respectfully”

Week 1 (2/1): Asking Permission Week 2 (2/8): Avoiding Trouble Week 3 (2/22): Problem-solving

March: Friendship Skills “We are friendly and include others”

Week 1 (2/29): Conversation Skills Week 2 (3/7): Being a Good Sport

Week 3 (3/14): Offering and Accepting Help Week 4 (3/28): Giving and Receiving

Compliments

April: Emotional Skills “We know our feelings and how to handle

them”

Week 1 (4/4): Expressing your Feelings Week 2 (4/11): Dealing with Change Week 3 (4/18): Dealing with Anger

Week 4 (4/25): Asking to Talk

May: Respecting Diversity “We honor and accept ourselves and others”

Week 1 (5/2): Who Am I? Week 2 (5/9): Sharing Who I Am

Week 3 (5/16): Getting to Know Someone Else Week 4 (5/23): Sharing My New Friend

Tier 2 Groups Goals of group: behavior training, social skills

instruction, and social skills practice Mondays ALL students have classroom-based

lesson from teacher Tuesdays/Thursdays small groups met for

additional practice Daily Group Structure

Warm-up prompt/routine Skill review, discussion, practice Activity OR circle Snack and social time

How We Used DATA Tier 1 Data

SWIS referrals for school-wide data Teacher surveys for lesson topics, length, and

other feedback Tier 2 Data

Universal Screening to identify students for groups

Teacher Rating Scales for pre- and post-group measure

SWIS

Teacher Surveys

Universal Screening

Teacher Rating Scale Based on Skillstreaming teacher rating

scales Given as a pre- and post-group measure

Teacher Rating Scale

Year 2 Data… The Bad News School-wide, our average referrals

went up in year 2 Possibly attributed to 50% new staff

and new, more specific referral process that all staff were trained in

Year 2 Data… The Good News School-wide data: Suspension rate went down 36% Of the top 10 “top referring”

teachers, only 2 were returning staff, 5 were new staff, 2 were “substitutes” and one was cafeteria

Top Ten Staff Referrals

Year 2 Data… The Good News SEL Group Referral Data

1st grade: Went down 11% 2nd grade: Went down 48% 3rd grade: Went up 12% 4th grade: Went down 33% 5th Grade: Went down 39%

SEL Group Data for Rating Scales On teacher rating scales, students in small groups

improved by 0.7 points on a 5 point scale

Year 3… The Good News! For the month of August 2016, our referrals

were down 40% from last August And… More good data to come

Lessons Learned for Year 3 Staff input is crucial for buy-in Keep it simple and easy

Lesson plans written Copies made/materials available Short, straightforward lesson plans

Offer help; be visible during lesson time Allow for staff to share ideas and take

ownership

Questions & Comments