Past Reports

Special message from Alabama SIG/SPDG Co-Directors Abbie Felder and Julia Causey

"Improving the Performance and Success of Alabama's Students with Disabilities" is the goal of Alabama's State Improvement Grant (SIG).  We are excited about the many opportunities to partner with stakeholders in the four goal areas of our project's design:  reading, student engagement, student behavior and discipline, and recruitment, retention, and ongoing professional development.

Two of those areas we wanted to share information with you today are:  reading and positive behavior supports.

For more details visit our website http://www.alsig.org and next time you are close by come see us in Montgomery!

READING

In Alabama, the State Improvement Grant (SIG) has enjoyed collaboration with the Alabama Reading First Initiative and the Alabama Reading Initiative.  The blending of these efforts has created successes in the areas of Highly Qualified teachers, the Reauthorization of IDEA 2004 with its new eligibility clause, and NCLB and its call for Scientifically Based Reading Research (SBRR) programs and progress monitoring.  SIG funds have supported a full time specialist who has served as a liason to the Department's Reading Initiative and developed training for school system administrators on use of SBBR. Subsequently, special education coordinators have become strong leaders in local systems in bringing about systemic change that has resulted in more successful inclusive practices, access to the general curriculum, and a reduction in referrals to Special Education in the area of reading. SIG continues to reach schools by providing consultants to speak on reading best practices for statewide training sponsored by SIG stakeholder agencies such as the Alabama Education Association (AEA) and the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools (CLAS).

With a statewide focus on ensuring that all children learn to read, the focus on SBRR reading curriculum and ensuring that teachers become highly qualified through specific program training, has created a new level of special education/regular education collaboration.  Teachers are involved in identifying all readers who struggle and are becoming part of the intervention that is successfully closing reading gaps. To support their efforts the SIG sponsored a series of four statewide seminars this Fall and Winter featuring nationally known experts in reading including: The Code and the Challenge to Reading It, The Fluency to Comprehension Connection, Dr. Joe Torgeson, Elements of Effective Instruction for English Language Learners, Dr. Maria E. Arguelles, and Reading Failure: Guidance on IDEA, FAPE and NCLB, Melinda Baird, Esq.

The first SIG brought DIBELS to the state of Alabama as a part of its Beginning Reading Model training provided by Drs. Ed Kamenui, Deb Simmons and Roland Good. It was later adopted by SDE as its early learning assessment for grades K-2.   The SIG provided 18 regional workshops on use of the DIBELS to guide instruction for struggling readers.  Progress monitoring of DIBELS results statewide has led to the identification of school systems most at risk in reading and has precipitated successful outcomes.  The most exciting result has been the early identification of struggling readers that has allowed for more effective interventions and a prevention of inappropriate referrals to special education. The SIG supports consultants who work with school systems in reviewing the effectiveness of their reading programs and data. The Reading First schools of the state have proven that SBRR programs implemented to fidelity by highly qualified teachers are able to close reading gaps regardless of poverty, minority status, or disability status.

SIG has also shown the effectiveness of SBRR programs in varying settings by assisting in the development and implementation of a SBRR program in the Correctional system for special education students.

Inspiring story or stories

Several inspiring stories come to mind that had their beginnings with a system special education coordinator calling for help with the Reauthorizaton of IDEA 2004 requiring the assurance that prior to eligibility, students did, indeed, have access to SBRR curriculum.

Lanett City is a small school system in eastern Alabama.  The Special Education Coordinator, Cindy Spears, initiated a call to the State Department of Education's (SDE) Special Education Services Section asking for guidance in meeting new special education requirements.  After SDE assessment and recommendations, the system implemented a comprehensive SBRR reading program for grades K-5.  The interesting thing is that the call for help came in January and the programs began in March with only three months of school left.  The DIBELS results showed significant improvement in reading with a particularly phenomenal improvement in Kindergarten scores.  At mid-year, 32 percent of Lanett City's Kindergarten students scored at benchmark on DIBELS.  At the end of the year, after three months of "double dosing" with a SBRR reading effort, 93 percent of the Kindergartners scored at benchmark.  Overall, the system is committed to preventing reading failure in Kindergarten and grade one and identifying and rescuing the children "in the pipeline" who did not learn to read.

Dekalb County school system is in Northeast Alabama in an area known as "Sand Mountain".  It boasts a history of strong community, persons with much independence and courage.  The system found itself in the lower 20 percent of performing schools in the state as measured by DIBELS in January of 2005.  The special education coordinator, Pam Gann, again was the initiator of systemic change.  She requested help from the SDE and what began was a system-wide K-6 reading initiative.  The superintendent and school board spent close to a half million dollars to purchase SBRR core reading programs, provide teacher training, and supply reading coaches at each elementary school.  The first semester results of the effort which began in fall of 2005 have proven phenomenal in that most schools in the system have neared the 80 percent mark of benchmark on DIBELS testing.

Fort Payne City system is a separate school system within Dekalb County.  The superintendent of the city system and the Special Education Coordinator, Paula Muskett, joined the county superintendent in implementing a system-wide reading initiative.  This system implemented a strong K-2 SBRR program and reading interventions for all struggling readers through grade 12.  This system aspired to identify every single struggling reader and teach them to read.

Piedmont City is a small school system in north central Alabama.  In the fall of 2005, Karen Kisor, special education coordinator, initiated support for a system-wide K-8 reading initiative.  Again, the system chose to implement a K-2 SBRR and interventions through 8^th Grade.  This system's first year of implementation resulted in being the system in the state with the highest percent gain as measured by DIBELS.

Learn about best practices/Statewide initiatives http://www.alsig.org/reading.cfm

POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORTS

Alabama, like other states across our nation, is in pursuit of research based programs that enable quality teachers to deliver quality instruction to our students.  More than ever, and at a faster rate, our students are learning to read earlier and are performing better on standardized tests.

What we know about our schools is that academics and behavior go hand in hand.  If you can not get a student to behave, you definitely can not teach.  Alabama began research into what works and through cooperation with the National Positive Behavior and Intervention Supports Center (PBIS), we began to train schools to make decisions about school wide rules and expectations based on the behavioral data within their schools and school districts.

Alabama's Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) uses the same methodology used to teach academics to teach behavior.  Now, in addition to teaching what is termed as the traditional "Three R's of Instruction, reading, writing, and arithmetic;" Alabama schools are being specifically trained to teach the "Three R's of Behavior: being respectful, responsible, and resourceful."

The training process begins with an initial stakeholder meeting that includes the superintendent, principals, parents, board members and other local education agency personnel.  Pre-PBS baseline data is gathered, discipline data is reviewed; readiness surveys are given, and training date set.  Each school in a district assigns a leadership team that engages in training for PBS implementation on the very first day of the school year.

The first year of PBS implementation is designed to target 85 percent of students in the 'green zone' with years two and three targeting the 5 to 15 percent of students with more challenging behaviors.

From the graph below you can see that there are more than 200 schools implementing PBS in Alabama.  Twenty school districts are implementing PBS in every school.

Some schools implementing Alabama PBS are experiencing reduction of Office Discipline Referrals by as much as 62 percent and most importantly are regaining a significant number of hours that can be devoted to academics and evaluations.  Using the example formula and graph below one can easily see how this Alabama PBS school was able to reduce over a three year period the 31 days devoted solely to dealing with inappropriate behavior down to 2 days for the entire year.

The success of Alabama Positive Behavior Supports is due to its practical implementation and the continued efforts of dedicated teachers across this state. With funding sources and solid research based practices Alabama Positive Behavior Supports will continue to gain momentum as we travel together into the future.

Testimonials

James Shoots, Principal-Foley Middle School

I've been involved in the educational setting for more than 27 years and for the first time in all those years, we are all on the same page everyday...all day long. We are a TEAM!

Kathy Hutchens, Counselor- Boaz Intermediate School

Positive Behavior Supports is a program that Boaz Intermediate School has been involved in for 5 years...the program just continues to improve how we promote good behavior. Not only has it been a great experience for our students, but also for our faculty to come together.

Amanda Nash, Behavior Specialist-Baldwin County Schools

PBS takes the guess work out of what to do with a student when there is a problem. The expectations of all of the personnel for student behavior are the same. When behavior looks the same, given the same consequences, and is rewarded the same way, by each staff member, the students respond in a positive way. This creates a safe and productive learning environment in our schools.

To learn more about Alabama Positive Behavior Supports go to: http://www.alsig.org/pbs.cfm