PBIS August 2013 Coaches Front Page Newsletter

Curriculum/Innovation Updates 

Universal Screening is a critical feature of the RtI framework and provides a proactive approach for identifying students who may be at risk. The Illinois PBIS Network Universal Screening model will be covered at the September Coaches Networking Meetings. There will also be webinar opportunities available in the fall. To learn more now and keep current with new information, please visit the Universal Screening page on the Illinois PBIS Network website.

Evaluation Tools  SWIS

As a reminder, PBIS Assessments, PBIS Evaluation, and SWIS are now housed at www.pbisapps.org to allow for one-time login and easy navigation between all applications. There are a few housekeeping tasks which you will want to perform in August to ensure SWIS is ready for the school year. These tasks are:

• • Un-enroll students and staff who are no longer in your building. FromMain Menu, select Display Staff or Student Status and then uncheck boxes for any staff or student no longer in your building.

  • Update enrollment, enrollment by ethnicity, and school days per month. From Main Menu, select Enrollment & School Days per Month. 

  • Ensure your data is consistent by running a Data Integrity Report.Under the Tools section, select Data Integrity Report.

Many requests were taken into consideration to improve data collection, and SWIS 5 will be released this fall on August 23, 2013. Continue to watch Coaches Front Page News and the PBISapps website for opportunities to learn more about the updates!

Tier 2/Tier 3 Coaching

The Illinois PBIS Network is excited about the number of districts ready to proceed with implementing Tier 3 supports. Using multiple data sources to identify districts that indicate they are ready to proceed with Tier 3 implementation, district leaders were sent an email in June with details of training opportunities. To ensure districts are able to effectively implement Tier 3 supports, we are moving to more frequent ongoing coaching and support. Review the list of courses, dates, and locations for Tier 3 training by clicking here. Registration will be up soon, so please make sure to check back often!

Monthly Challenge Another successful Summer Leadership Conference has concluded. Many talented presenters shared their insights on implementation at various levels and stages. Hopefully you and your peers were able to attend and gather some ideas that may work for your school. Take a few moments to brainstorm with team members on ways to infuse some of what you learned into your plans for the upcoming school year!

Classroom Management 

We encourage External Coaches, Administrators, and Teacher Leaders to participate in the upcoming EX300: Coaching Classroom Management course being offered regionally this fall. This course is designed for Coaches, Administrators, and Teacher Leaders designated by their district to provide training and coaching for Classroom Management. Please check the Illinois PBIS Network website in late August for more details on registration.

School Family Community Partnerships (SFCP)  

Be sure to check out the latest additions to the Partnerships webpage! Recently added is the new "Survey and Results" section with data from the Family & Community Team Representative Survey completed by District External Coaches. We'd like to congratulate those schools listed on the page who reported having family and/or community representatives on their PBIS teams! This information is requested annually from each district for more accurate action planning and problem solving statewide. If you haven't already done so for FY13, please complete the survey today! The survey and list of schools can now be found here.

High School Corner  

Recent findings in neuroscience suggest that adolescents need extra support using their executive functioning skills (responsible decision-making, prioritizing, organization, etc). Fortunately, neuroscientists agree that positive learning experiences can help build complex, adaptive brains capable of mastering those skills. As the school year begins, consider a closer look at universal expectations and acknowledgements to see if they explicitly address executive functioning skills through specific lesson plans, learning activities, and schoolwide acknowledgements. A schoolwide focus on these skills may be the extra boost some students need to be successful across content areas. For more information on this topic, please see the High School Behavior Education Program Handbook, available here.

Administrator Tip of the Month 

Prepare to welcome everyone back to school on a positive note! Access your building administrator and request that a letter be sent out to stakeholders to highlight the proactive ways in which students are supported in your buildings. Possible topics may include upcoming open houses, ways to infuse a common positive language at home, and kick-off activities for the upcoming school year.

Need to Know 

External Coaches Network Meetings are currently being scheduled for the 2013-14 school year. Please click here for the dates, times, and locations in the North Region, and be sure to check back as additional dates/regions are added. For further information, please contact your Technical Assistance Coordinator.

2012-13 Recognized Schools List

Congratulations to the 670 Illinois schools that earned recognition for their outstanding efforts implementing PBIS during the 2012-13 school year.  All recognized schools will receive a congratulatory letter from the Illinois PBIS Network, as well as a window decal award. Click here for the complete list of schools, as well as electronic images of the decals for download.

Upcoming Events 

National Leadership Forum

Registration is now open! The two-day 2013 National PBIS Leadership Forum will be held on October 10-11, 2013, at a new venue - the 2nd level of the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. This forum is organized for state, district, or regional leadership teams adopting and implementing schoolwide PBIS. Participants may include leadership team members, implementing coaches and coordinators, district and school-based behavior specialists (e.g., school counselors, school psychologists, special educators, and coaches), schoolwide PBIS trainers, program evaluators, school and district administrators, or district and state policy makers and leaders. Participants should register as a team.This forum is not recommended for school/building-level implementers unless they are part of a district leadership team. Click here for more information.

SWIS Training for Facilitators 

SWIS Facilitators are the key to transforming and sustaining SWIS as a functional information system to support student behavior. If you desire to support schools with their SWIS implementation and have not yet completed SWIS Facilitator training, now may be a good time to plan on attending. Click here for further information and upcoming training dates.