Changing School Diversity Creates a Need for Change
At Orchard Park Elementary School in Carmel, Indiana, we are seeing increasing diversity in our school population. As the population changes, we are seeing more need for student services that help with academics, behavioral issues, social skills, and other areas related to issues of poverty, English as a New Language and other matters that impact the learning of our students. The plan that was implemented is embedded in the Response To Intervention Program that is required by the state but we feel that our program is leading to student success in many areas. The following is a description of the process that we use when we notice a student who needs assistance:
- The first stage of the Responsive Education Plan is the CIP (Collaborative Inquiry Process). In this stage of the plan, a grade level team looks at school data to see which children are not progressing as they should be, which children might need assistance, and which children are in need of assistance in areas that the school, or community services can assist with. Teachers then brainstorm ways to intervene with the children who are not making progress. All teachers on the team record the suggested interventions and use them for students with similar needs in their classroom.
- The second stage of the process is the BBT Committee (Broad Based Team). This team is made of a collaborative group of faculty members who looks at the needs of a specific child already brought to the CIP to help with achievement issues. While this team most frequently addresses academic needs, it can also address areas of concern such as behavior – especially if this is impacting the academic area for the child. (i .e. misbehaviors that prevent a student from learning or attendance issues that puts the child behind in his/her learning). During that meeting, teachers record needs and strengths of a child, develop a goal and action plan for achieving the goal and assign roles to staff members in assisting the plan to be implemented.
- The student in need of assistance is then identified by a teacher or other staff member and is referred to the CPS Committee (Collaborative Problem Solving Committee). Students brought to the CPS team are typically students with extreme behavior needs. The committee determines lagging skills, nonnegotiable behaviors such as behaviors that may impact student safety, behaviors to begin shaping and changing and behaviors we are not going to address at the time. A plan is developed in helping teach the lagging skills in order to increase the wanted behaviors. Eventually even behaviors not addressed in the beginning will be addressed as the child develops lagging skills.
Issues this Best Practice Addresses
Issues of academic achievement, school success, proper school behavior, increased attendance, and overall success of students are the keys to best practice that are implemented in this plan. By having entire support teams to help address a child’s needs, the school works together to provide assistance and support. At Orchard Park, we believe in the idea that, “It takes a village to raise a child” and the Responsive Instruction Approach shows this in practice.
Major Challenges to Implementation
Two major challenges to this program have been noted at Orchard Park. The first involves time for planning and collaboration. Obviously, making time for the three teams to meet is a challenge, but has been addressed through release time (with classes covered by substitute teachers) and a common planning time during the week for the various teams to meet. A second challenge has been attaining support from parents and guardians. Parents are busy people with children to raise, jobs to attend, and other commitments in their lives. Getting the parents on board with the program, arranging around their work schedules to meet with the team, and encouraging their support is not always easy. Also, there is a certain amount of sensitivity involved when the school calls about a “problem or issue” with their child. Establishing trust with parents and helping them realize that we are here to help and not judge is a vital component of this plan.
Benefits Derived from Implementing this Best Practice
Benefits of the Responsive Instruction Plan are that teachers no longer feel alone in trying to help children. Since several committees work together to ensure student success, teachers no longer have to figure it out on their own. They have others to offer assistance in creating a plan to help each child. Another benefit, is that children are achieving at higher levels, have increased student attendance, more support from home, and a decrease in referrals for student behaviors (see item #5, below).
Evidence Illustrating Success
Areas that have been successful in this best practice have been shown in student achievement, better attendance, increased parental support, decreased need for remediation, and a decrease in referrals for behavior issues. By showing children and families that we want children at Orchard Park to be successful, the student success rate continues to improve in all of these areas.
Submitted by: Rhonda Turner and Kate Fagan, Orchard Park Elementary School