A Note from the Director:

As the saying goes, “Smooth seas do not make

skillful sailors.” In the classroom, well behaved students do not help a teacher develop strong behavior intervention skills. We may be far from the point of thanking our students for providing us with opportunities to develop our behavior intervention skills, but an appreciation of the fact can be helpful in getting through a rough day. It has been a busy spring at the ISRC, working with families and educational teams to develop positive behavior support strategies for students with a hearing loss. For students at the Universal Level, we have worked with John Powers Center to support a school-wide positive behavior support plan. At the Targeted Level we have worked with educators to collect data and aggregate it in meaningful ways. For students at the Intensive Level we have provided training to members of 23 HI Behavior Teams across the state to develop their skills with Functional Behavior Assessment and designing effective Behavior Intervention Plans. We appreciate the progress we have seen in the field in providing positive behavior support for all students, and especially, the HI population we serve.

Cheri Sinnott, LCSW

ISRC Director

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 The Behav i o r a l Needs O f S t ud en t s W i t h A Hea r i ng Lo s s 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

Spring 2008 Edition

Review

Inappropriate Behavior Provides Opportunity To Teach New Skills

When students consistently provide an incorrect academic response they are often provided with worksheets so they can practice the correct way to respond. When students consistently demonstrate an inappropriate behavior they are often provided with an unpleasant consequence.

Students who exhibit inappropriate behaviors may be in need of practice time with appropriate behaviors. Multiplication tables and soccer drills are examples of skill practice that develop mental and physical brain pathways which lead to correct responses. Students may need similar practice with behavioral skills.

In order to teach a behavioral skill, it is important to have a clear idea of what the behavior should look like. Students may engage in inappropriate behaviors because they haven’t quite figured out what to do instead. Alternative or replacement behaviors should be clearly described, and include an element of choice. For example, “Don’t tap your foot” does not explain what the student should do. An alternative may be, “When you are sitting at your desk keep both feet touching the floor, cross one leg while the other is on the floor, or sit on one foot while the other touches the floor.”

If the student continues to engage in the inappropriate behavior it may be helpful to have the student process through the experience. For example, the student could complete a worksheet which asks the student to describe the inappropriate behavior, describe how they felt when it happened, describe how they think others felt when it happened, and list three possible alternative responses. This would be modified for lower level students through the use of pictures or having them tell their answers to an adult.

In addition to teaching the appropriate behavior, teachers need to model and have the student practice the behavior, prompt the appropriate behavior with reminders or visual cues, and reinforce the appropriate behavior with praise or either a classroom-wide or individual behavior reinforcement program.

In This Issue Page 2. PBIS Implemented In HI Program Page 2. Data Helps Track Behavioral Improvement Page 3. ISRC Behavior Support Recognitions

John Powers Center Implements PBIS In HI Program John Powers Center in Vernon Hills is the ISRC demo site for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in a program for students with a hearing loss. The three school-wide expectations are Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Safe. Students are taught specific expectations for different locations in the school, such as in the hallways or on the playground, using lesson plans called Cool Tools. When teachers notice students demonstrating the appropriate behaviors, they pass out tickets of recognition. The students save the tickets, which can be used to purchase items in a school store. While some of the items are stickers, pencils, etc., students can save their tickets for special opportunities such as a popcorn party for the class, lunch with the school principal, or lunch with Fireman Tony. In addition, for each five tickets earned, students put their names on a handshape cutout, which is placed in a line on the hallway wall. When the line reaches around the school, all students will earn ice cream. The theme of the PBIS program is Hands Working Together.

Data A Useful Tool In Tracking Student Behavioral Improvement

Teachers often report that data collection can feel like a cumbersome and useless exercise. Upon closer examination, these teachers may be attempting to collect too much data, may be using a complicated data collection system, and may be compiling sheets of data in a binder with no useful result from their efforts. When collected correctly and aggregated into meaningful results, data can become a useful and motivating tool in monitoring student behavioral improvement. It can be a challenge to record each instance of inappropriate or off-task behavior. One method is to keep track each half hour of whether or not an incident occurred. Students can be asked to self-monitor as well, providing opportunities for discussion when comparing teacher and student data. Graphing of percentages of time spent appropriately can become opportunities for math and computer skill development. Percentage of time on task is determined by keeping

data each half hour on whether the student is on or

off task. Students can self-monitor and assist in graphing.

- ISRC Review Page 2 -

Two students from John Powers Center

earned lunch with Fireman Tony by saving

100 tickets from the school’s PBIS program.

Percentage of Time on Task

65

70

75

80

85

90

Dec

embe

r

Janu

ary

Feb

ruar

y

Mar

ch

Percentage ofTime on Task

76

78

80

82

84

86

88

90

92

August Sept Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. March April

Percentage Of Smiles Earned

Aug-07

Sep-07

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

The educational team was able to determine the

impact of behavioral interventions for this student

and share the results with the student and his family.

ISRC Awards Behavior Support Recognitions

The Illinois Service Resource Center presented Behavior Support Recognitions in three categories at the Illinois Teachers of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Individuals (ITHI) Conference. The categories for recognition were Individual Student, Classroom, and Larger than the Classroom. Submissions were scored in four categories: Description of the intervention, Data collection to determine the need for intervention, Staff participation in implementation, and Data used to measure improvement. The submissions which received the highest scores were: Individual Student – Bonnie Koss, LICA; Classroom – Karen Bogdan, NIA; and Larger than the Classroom – Andrea Simeone and Rhonda Downs, ISD. The Individual Student intervention included a comprehensive system of support which utilized LICA’s Problem Solving approach. A grid listed interventions to teach each necessary skills, along with where, when, how often, and who is responsible. Data collection was graphed to track student progress. The plan also included an integrity check and review for effectiveness. The Classroom intervention was a manual for substitute teachers on behavior support programs in place within the classroom. It included expectations for student behavior and sample lesson plans on positive behavior. Substitute teachers are given tickets to distribute for positive behavior, and an integrity check is made possible by tracking the number of tickets distributed. The Larger than the Classroom intervention emphasized consistency and predictability of expectations across settings. A computerized data collection program helped with identifying the most common inappropriate

- ISRC Review Page 3 -

behaviors, and lesson plans were developed to teach students positive approaches. Visual graphs of monthly progress are posted. The submitters of the top-scoring entries in each category received a $300 gift certificate to purchase educational materials and reimbursement for IHTI Conference registration. ISRC plans to present these recognitions again next year. Please keep this in mind as you develop positive behavior supports for students at the individual, classroom, and beyond the classroom levels.

ISRC Sponsors Annual Bus Trip To ISD The Illinois Service Resource Center sponsors an annual bus trip to the Illinois School for the Deaf in Jacksonville. This visit allows students and their families to take a tour of the school, meet with educational staff, spend time with ISD students, and learn about the various programs available.

Students from the bus trip to Illinois School for the Deaf

gather in front of the ISD cafeteria.

Trivia Question

Why did baseball umpires

begin using hand signals?

The first person to respond correctly via phone at 847-559-8195 or via e-mail at isrc@isrc.us will win a $25 gift certificate to Walmart for educational materials

ISRC Team Cheri Sinnott, LCSW Director Dr. Steve Vaupel HI Behavior Specialist Dr. Daniel Friedman HI Behavior Specialist Raven Emeritz HI Behavior Specialist Dr. Jim Vanderbosch Consulting Psychologist

Ellen Kaiser Librarian

Charles Snyder Data Specialist Josh Pryor Data Specialist Tracy Masri Admin. Assistant Barbara Sims ISBE Consultant

ISRC fiscal agent - Center on Deafness

Data Graphing ServiceNow

Available For Deaf Students The Illinois Service Resource Center, as part of the Data Collection Coaching service, is now able to create graphs of behavioral data collected on students with a hearing loss. Often, collected data is compiled in a folder or binder, and is not aggregated in a meaningful way. By creating graphs which depict behavioral changes, educators, students, and families can track student progress and make data based decisions on the appropriateness of interventions. For more information contact ISRC at 847-559-8195.

Learn more about services and resources available from the ISRC www.isrc.us

Data Tracks And Motivates Student Behavioral Improvement

• Sheets of daily data often pile up in a folder or binder

• Aggregate the data to create visual representations of student improvement

• Students can be involved in tracking data and creating graphs

• Proof of progress can be motivating for both students and teachers

• Review of data can help determine if interventions are successful

• Students can self-monitor and compare their results with those of the teacher

• To calculate percentage of time spent on task or with appropriate behavior, count the total number of positive behaviors and divide by the total number of opportunities to demonstrate appropriate behavior

• Look for patterns in the data such as time of day, day of week, or location of the behavior

• Data collection without aggregation and review can be a waste of time

• Keep data collection simple by collecting data on only one behavior

• Data collection is more meaningful when it becomes a useful tool

• Share results with others and document success

Behavior Review Form Describe the behavior (what happened, who was involved?): How did you feel before and after the behavior? How do you think others felt after the behavior? What are three things that could have prevented the behavior? 1) 2) 3) What are three things you could have done differently? 1) 2) 3)