Tier II Supports: Teaming Structures

Tim Lewis, Ph.D. University of Missouri

OSEP Center for Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports

<pbis.org>

Tier II Starting Points

• Universals firmly in place

• Data used consistently in team meetings

• Data decision rules to identify students who need secondary supports

• Equal attention to practices (student support) and systems (adult support)

Tier II Starting Points

• Match intervention to student need

• Staff implementing interventions have skills and support

• ALL staff aware of interventions and their part in promoting generalization

• Focus on the systems to support throughout

Small Group / Targeted Interventions

• Data– Systematic way to identify at-risk students (e.g., office referrals,

teacher nomination, rating scales)– Measure progress and fade support slowly

• Practices– Within class first option– Pull out programs must have generalization strategies– Link small group with school-wide rules and social skills– Academic & social strategies

• Systems– Training for ALL staff on procedures– Options for students who transfer in during school year

An Applied Tier II Process

Basic Steps

1. School-wide, including classroom, universals in place

2. Identify students who need additional supports

3. Identify what supports student needs– Environment– Intervention

4. Monitor & evaluate progress

Starting Point

• Work within current formal and informal systems• Develop missing steps of efficient process• Provide training and technical assistance to

facilitators– Grade Level/Team Problem Solving Teams

(partnership)– Tier II Team

• Guided process with templates for environmental modifications and interventions

Student

Continuum of Positive Behavior Supports

Tier II Support Process

• Step 1 – Insure Universals, including Classroom, in place• Step 2 – Student Identification Process

– Decision Rules– Referral– Screen

• Step 3 - Grade Level/Team Problem Solving– Classroom supports (function-based)– Progress monitor

• Step 4 - Tier II supports– Non-responders to within class supports– Match function of student behavior to intervention– Progress monitor

• Step 5 - Evaluate Process

Classroom Essential Features1. Classroom expectations & rules defined and taught (all use school-wide,

create classroom examples)2. Procedures & routines defined and taught3. Continuum of strategies to acknowledge appropriate behavior in place

and used with high frequency (4:1)4. Continuum of strategies to respond to inappropriate behavior in place

and used per established school-wide procedure5. Students are actively supervised (pre-corrects and positive feedback)6. Students are given multiple opportunities to respond (OTR) to promote

high rates of academic engagement7. Activity sequence promotes optimal instruction time and student engaged

time8. Instruction is differentiated based on student need

http://pbismissouri.org/minimod.html

Systems

• Teach– Brief in-service, single topic focus

• Practice (performance feedback)– Peer coaching– Principal “walk throughs”

2. Identifying students

• Current data– Confidence in numbers– Consistency across data points

• Teacher Referral

• Screening

Approximately 10% of total students

Data Decision Rules

• Office Discipline Referral (ODR)– Major– Minor

• Time out of Instruction– Buddy Room– “Discipline” Room

Other Strategies to Identify Students

• Teacher Referral– Questions to discuss:

• Who completes• When• What data must be used/cited• Focus on externalizing and internalizing

• Screening– What instrument– Schedule

3. Team Problem Solving

• Grade level / Teams

• Once a week focus of meeting = social behavior concerns when decision rule met

• Standard problem solving steps

Team Problem Solving

• Process leader– Classroom teachers, Specialist teachers

• Tier II Team partner– School Psychologist, Counselor, Administrator

• Process– Data-based decision making

• Guiding questions– Function-based intervention

• Teach replacement• Environmental alterations / supports

– Monitor progress

Team Problem Solving

• Student meets data decision rule• Classroom teacher completes preliminary forms

(documents student progress to date)• Team lead walks team through problem solving

process• Tier II Team partner attends if team is unable to

identify patterns leading to intervention or when significant concerns noted

• Plan put in place • Student progress monitored and reported at

weekly meetings

4. Tier II Supports

• Students who do not respond to classroom / informal supports (within class intervention 2-3 weeks)

• Student brought to Tier II Team– Grade level problem solving plan – Progress data

• Based on function of problem behavior and response to classroom supports, match student to Tier II intervention

Tier II Supports

• Centralized

• Each has a coordinator

• Placed in support by Tier II Team

• Classroom supports continued / modified

• ALL in building aware of their role in supporting students in Tier II Supports

Tier II Team

• Initially, primary role will be to:– Build process– Assist with Team Problem Solving Process

• Once Team Problem Solving in operation, “lead” role will be to:– Review referrals and place students in

appropriate tier II interventions– Serve as “coordinators” of tier II interventions– Monitor student progress– Monitor overall process

Tier II Supports

• Check in / Check Out

• Social Skill Groups

• Academic Supports

5. Monitor Student Progress and Evaluate Process

• Original data sources that lead to student identification– ODR– Attendance– Academics– “time out of class”– Teacher perception

• Key = frequent and regular– Celebrate success– Adjust if student doesn’t respond (or problems start

reappearing)• Cost –Benefit Analysis of overall process

Process for Accessing Support

Gentry Middle School

RRKS Team

STAT Team

School-Wide SystemsMatrixLesson PlansSchool-Wide DataAcknowledgementCommunication

Core Team RepresentativeDistrict PBS Support

Building Administrator and Counselors

*Meets Monthly

Core Team Representative

SAT PartnerCore Team Teachers

*Meets Weekly

Core Team/ClassroomsImplement AISMonitor ProgressRefer to SAT

SAT ProcessTeacher Training and SupportTargeted InterventionsIndividual Student Plans

SAT Team

AdministratorCounselorBehavior Specialist

Process for Disseminating Practice

Skills-Based Training

• Training Model– SAT members with behavior specialist

• Behavior basics and management

• SAT process

• Function-linked strategies

– SAT members with STAT team representative– SAT and STAT with core team teachers

Tools

• Tools for Teachers– SAT flowchart– Pyramid to Success– RRKS TOC– AIS guide (Alternative Intervention Strategies)

Classroom Teacher IssuesOut of seat, Talking to classmates, Talking out, Off-task, Violation of class rules, Inappropriate language,

Lack of materials, Gum, Disrespect, Cheating, Tardies, Minor destruction of propertyMethod for handling student behaviors

Proactive: Positive call to parents, Use praise, Use Rewards, Daily/Weekly Goal sheets, Proximity to instructor, Provide choices, One-to-One assistance, Pre-correct for transitions/trouble situations, Regular

breaks for exercise, Give a job, RRKS Review, Reward lunch with teacher, etc.Corrective: One and only one REDIRECT, RRKS Review, Safe-seat, Buddy Room, Think Sheet, Parent Phone call, Lunch Detention, Recovery Study Hall, Removal of privilege in classroom, etc.

Team IssuesRepeated minor & major disruptions in multiple classrooms, Throwing things, Hallway/Lockers problems,

Attendance, Repeated disrespect to peers or adults, Cheating, Inappropriate to substitute, Insubordination, Chronic Disruptions

Method for handling student behaviorsProactive: Parent contact (mandatory), RRKS review, Team conference, Team conference with student, Team conference with Parents, Team conference with Administrator/Counselor, Triage in the AM with the

student, Triage at lunch with the student, Team Focus, etc.Corrective: Removal of privilege on team, Recovery Study Hall, Buddy Room, etc.

Office IssuesBus referrals, Truancy, Chronic offender, Threatening student or adult,

Fighting, Refusal to go to or Disruptive in Buddy Room, Sexual harassment, Weapons, Drug/cigarettes/ tobacco/alcohol, Assault – physical or verbal

Teacher Method for handling student behaviorsReferral Form – send student to office with completed form

Process with student before re-entry

Office Method for handling student behaviorsProactive: RRKS Review, Parent Contact

Corrective: Loss of Privilege, Saturday detention, Opportunity Center, Suspension, etc.

Pyramid to Success for All

RRKS TOC (front side)

RRKS – Time Out of Class Code: _____

Student: _________________________ Date:______________________

Incident Time: ____________________# of min. out of rm.: __________

Teacher: _______________________Subject: ____________________

What did you do/not do that got you sent out of class? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Circle the RRKS expectation that was not followed:Respect Responsible Kind Safe

What will you do differently next time?______________________________________

RRKS TOC (back side)

Processing Checklist:Processing data & time:

• Review with the student reason he/she was sent out.

• Teach & practice replacement behavior.

• Provide positive reinforcement for replacement behavior.

• Check the setting in which the behavior occurred.

Whole group instruction

Small group instruction

Individual work

Working with peers

Alone

1-on-1 instruction

Interacting with peers

Other: Please identify belowMinor List: Circle the appropriate code

(MDD) Defiance/Disrespect/Non-compliance

(MDS) Disruption

(MI) Inappropriate Verbal Language

( MO) Other (MPC) Phys. Contact

(MP) Property Misuse

Problem Behavior Function Replacement

Behavior Intervention Outcome for Replacement

Behavior Off-task, Non-disruptive

Peer Attention On-task, work completion

RRKS lesson – “on-task” Pre-correct @ start of class Self-monitor: on-task Periodic praise by teacher

for on-task Quick de-brief at end of

class on self-monitoring

Earn time with peers for meeting self-management goals

Off-task, Disruptive Peer Attention On-task, respectful responses, work completion

RRKS lesson – “on-task” RRKS lesson – “conflict

management/respect” Pre-correct @ start of class Self-monitor: on-task &

RRKS Periodic praise by teacher

for on-task Quick de-brief at end of

class on self-monitoring

Earn time with peers for meeting self-management goals

Off-task, Non-disruptive, work completion

Escape (avoids teacher and peers during instruction)

On-task, work completion

RRKS lesson – “on-task” Pre-correct @ start of class Self-monitor: on-task +

work completion Quick de-brief at end of

class on self-monitoring

Earn a ‘skip a homework’ pass Earn other preferred activity for meeting self-management and work completion goals

Off-task, Non-disruptive, work completion

Attention (responds to teacher directions, engages peers)

On-task, work completion

RRKS lesson – “on-task” Pre-correct @ start of class Self-monitor: on-task +

work completion Periodic praise by teacher

for on-task +work completion

Quick de-brief at end of class on self-monitoring

Earn “a work with peer” activity Earn other preferred activity for meeting self-management and work completion goals

Gentry FBA Matrix

Lewis, 2008

Ongoing Support

• Weekly, skills-based, with feedback

• Periodic, intensive, with follow-up

• Example Sessions• Classroom/team universals

• AIS process

• Follow-up AIS

• Peer observations

• Feedback and systems maintenance

Lessons Learned• Teachers need to consistently implement classroom

universals• Problem solving teams may need training on team process

and how to collect, analyze and make data decisions• Protect meeting time, use an agenda and keep minutes• Build in time for professional development• New teachers may have no background knowledge

regarding this process• It is hard to stick to Tier 2 data rules and not “jump” to Tier

3• Teachers often see “Support” as Outside Classroom• Communication, communication, communication!