ADDRESSING SUSPENSIONS

California Department of EducationSafe & Healthy Kids Program OfficeSuspension Information for 2008-09

Rate Katella

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09

Suspensions 4.6 4.6 21.5

What Students Need From Schools to Succeed Academic, Psychological, and Social

Support Programs that address essential needs Access to reliable transportation Skilled professional teachers Reliable and consistent discipline

protocol and procedures Classroom time

What is taking away from classroom learning time?

Problem BehaviorsAccording to Healthline, “problem behaviors are

defined as troublesome, risk taking, or disruptive behavior that is more extreme than occasional errors in judgment and requires professional intervention to avoid legal difficulties”

Examples:○ Delinquency, drug use, academic failure, risky

sexual behavior, violence, property damage, vandalism and disregard of the rights of others

Suspension

Definition: A disciplinary action that requires the

student to be excluded from attending classes for a specified period of time

Intended purpose: Suspensions were meant for legitimately

serious offenses such as the possession of weapons, on-campus drug use and sales, and physical assaults on teachers, all of which are relatively rare in occurrence.

Current Methods of Suspension

Zero Tolerance Policy

Traditional Suspension

In-School Suspension

Zero Tolerance Policy and Traditional Suspension

Suspension is the primary zero tolerance method used within school settings.

Why It is an Ineffective Intervention:Not used for its intended purposeRacial and socioeconomic disproportionalityNot addressing the behavioral problemLoss of Average Daily Attendance monies

Average Daily Attendance

Anaheim Union High School DistrictEach school receives ~ $33.00 per day for each

student who attends school.

2008-09 Katella High School:591 SuspensionsCould have saved $19,503 - $97,515

○ This estimate is calculated with the assumption that each of the 591 suspensions with the length between one to five days.

Therefore, the total amount that was lost in 2008-09 due to suspensions is greater than $19,503.

In-School Suspension Definition:

In-school suspension programs involve “excluding the problem student from the regular classroom while continuing to provide some type of educational experience”…it should “incorporate a developmental or rehabilitative focus that assumes misbehavior is a symptom of an underlying problem that must be identified and resolved.”

Ineffective Model Punitive only

Effective Models Academic and Therapeutic

SO WHAT WORKS?

IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act

Enables practitioners to use RTI as an alternative method for identifying children with learning disabilities as opposed to the IQ-achievement discrepancy test- 2 major criticisms:- 1. represents a wait-to-fail model antithetical to early

intervention- 2. assumes that the low achievement of children is due to

a learning disability, when often times it is a consequence of inadequate instructional methods

Enables and also provides early intervention to all children at-risk for school failure – IDEA permits districts to use as much as 15% of their special education monies to fund early intervention activities, such as RTI.

IDEA, 2004

Response to Intervention (RTI)

“RTI is a tiered process of implementing evidence-based instructional strategies in the regular education setting and frequently measuring the student’s progress to determine whether the strategies are effective.”

Research indicates that in “schools with good discipline the emphasis was on positive behaviors and preventative measures, with punishment being used only as a last resort”

3 Stages of Implementation

Tier 1: “Universal strategies which include:

a high quality core curriculum, research-based teaching strategies, school-wide screening to identify students who

are at-risk for difficulty, and the design of supports for these students

within their regular education classrooms”

Tier 2: “Involves instructional modifications and

assessments that are developed for students who do not respond sufficiently to Tier I strategies.

This process includes assessing students’ skills and evaluating the instructional environment, curriculum, and delivery of instruction.”

“Specific interventions are designed and delivered as needed, often in small group context, and students’ progress is measured frequently.”

3 Stages of Implementation

Tier 3: “Addresses the needs of students who

continue to display an inadequate response to instruction despite the use of high quality strategies, evidence-based strategies at Tier 2.”

During this phase, “instruction and interventions are further individualized, and students may be referred for evaluation of eligibility for special education”

Data obtained using RTI procedures is considered a key component of eligibility determinations for specific learning disabilities

3 Stages of Implementation

Strategies are evidence-based and progress is monitored frequently

Interventions are consistently being monitored and evaluated, and are therefore shown to be more effective in addressing students’ problem behaviors and reducing the number of students who require special education

Cultural backgrounds and linguistic needs of the students and their families must be taken into consideration at all levels of intervention

Involves personnel who have expertise in instructional consultation and evaluation of individual progress and program effectiveness

Any student at any time may be supported through RTI procedures

RTI is flexible!- It can be built upon existing frameworks within a school and can

be implemented in stages that meet students’ needs and staff members’ capacities

Why Should RTI Be Implemented in Our Schools?

Commonalities among various RTI Programs:Administrative SupportSystematic Data CollectionStaff Support and TrainingParent Support and InvolvementUnderstanding of Legal Requirements (IDEA)Realistic Time LineStrong TeamsIntegration with Existing SchedulingCoordination of Existing Intervention Programs

RTI Programs

Components of a Strong RTI Team

Cross-disciplinary group Organized according to existing structures

within the school Core Team Parent Involvement Incorporation of RTI into the business and

routine of the team Have clear systems in place for evaluating

and adjusting RTI approaches and for providing staff development

In Addition to Effective Interventions…

A consistent and reliable discipline protocol is needed What are the procedures for suspending a

student?What behavior qualifies a suspension

(objective criteria)?Are these qualifications consistent

throughout the district? Or do they vary from school to school, teacher to teacher?

Continuous teacher education with regards to classroom management?

1. Collect, analyze, and disaggregate student discipline data on suspensions by offense, race or ethnicity, and sex to identify possible disparities

○ Safety in Numbers – data collection model available free of charge by the U.S. Department of Education

2. Develop objective criteria to use in suspension / expulsion decisions

3. Set and annually review qualitative and measurable objectives to reduce the number of suspensions and expulsions and prevent school violence

4. Work with students, parents, and community groups to articulate and explain school policy and practice.

GOAL:TO KEEP SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS SAFE

Benefits of Alternatives to Suspension

Increase in Average Daily Attendance (ADA) Decrease in discipline referrals Suggested alternatives do not require any

further funding from the schools Effectively treat the underlying issues thereby

decreasing the problem behaviors and re-offenses

Higher grades and achievement on standardized test scores due to the decrease in loss of instructional days for students

Alternatives to Suspension: Response to Intervention