PBIS June 2014 Coaches Front Page Newsletter

Expanded Availability of Federal Grant Resources 

The Department of Education School Climate Transformation Grants have the specific purpose of installing and enhancing PBIS implementation. You can access the federal announcement and resources on the Announcements page of the Illinois PBIS Network website. School Climate Transformation Grant proposals are due June 23, 2014.

The Illinois PBIS Network has a 15 year history of working with schools and districts to support PBIS implementation and reduce office referrals, suspensions, and impact educational environment data. As you refine your proposal, please email questions about the grant writing process as well as specific interventions at Tiers 1, 2, and 3 to jessica.swainbradway@pbisillinois.org. 

Evaluation

Thanks to all of you who worked so diligently to help 743 schools complete the Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI) and submitted recognition documents and applications by May 16th. Letters of recognition are scheduled to be mailed before July 1, 2014. The complete list of Recognized Schools and electronic images of the decal awards will be available on the School Recognition page at the end of June.

Classroom Management

Teaching rules and routines to students at the beginning of the year and enforcing them consistently across time increases student academic achievement and task engagement (Everton & Emer, 1982; Johnson, Stoner & Green, 1996). A basic critical feature of effective classroom management is to post, teach, review, monitor, and reinforce a small number of positively stated expectations. In preparing for the next school year, create a purposeful plan for teaching expectations. For a template to get you started, click here.

Coaching Focus 

As the school year comes to an end, it is important to consider sustainability. One important aspect of coaching is managing and supporting change within districts and schools. As you consider next year and potential changes, you will want to think about what you can do now to promote sustained implementation. The May Coaches Meeting highlighted Implementation Science, Stages of Implementation, and Coaching for Change.

Tier 2/Tier 3 Coaching 

Developing capacity among Tier 2 and Tier 3 facilitators increases the sustainability of implementation efforts. As you are forming action plans for next school year, consider reviewing the Coaching for Capacity Building tool from the ISBE Coaching Manual that was reviewed at the May Coaches Meeting for specific strategies that could be utilized.

School Family Community Partnerships (SFCP)  

Conference Registration Fees Waived for Family & Community Team Members!

Register your valuable family/community team members while waivers are still available for the 2014 MTSS Fall Leadership Conference on September 8-9, 2014, in Tinley Park. Registration fees for up to two family and/or community team partners from each district will be waived! Two additional family or community team members can also participate at a 50% reduced registration fee. To receive the waived registration fee, note the person's role as "Family/Community Partner" during registration, and then contact Patti Bardell at patti.bardell@istac.net

to request the waived fee. For further details, and to view the School, Family, Community, Mental Health Partnerships (SFCP) strand, visit the Fall Leadership Conference webpage.

Family/Community Network Meetings can help districts increase family and community membership on school and district teams. These meetings also provide an opportunity for neighboring coaches and administrators to learn how other districts are engaging family and community partners, and the valuable voice they bring to the table. Consider joining the next meeting scheduled in the Southern Region on June 12, 2014, in Belleville, Illinois. Visit the Network Meetings page on the Illinois PBIS Website Partnerships tab for details!

Students

Remember PBIS implementation is much more effective when student voice is a part of the planning and delivery process. Consider ways in which student voice can be more present at your team meeting tables!

High School Corner  

The High School Tier 2 training series has ended. All training webinars and monthly virtual chats were recorded and are available on our website under the High School section on the Webinar Recordings page. An additional opportunity for support and problem solving in PBIS implementation for high schools is participation in a national model demonstration. Consider joining a high school community of PBIS practitioners. Participating high schools will be part of a national community of practice for high school implementers, have access to a range of high school-specific training webinars with the National PBIS Center, and be asked to share school-level data. Contact jessica.swainbradway@pbisillinois.org.

Administrator Tip of the Month

Remember to take time to celebrate the hard work of PBIS teams, coaches, and all staff. The end of the year is a great time to reflect on how far you have come and plan for next year. Are you creating sustainable systems? Have you shared data with all stakeholders? If you answered "yes" to these two questions, then celebrate your own hard work!

Upcoming Events

We have a NEW date for the FALL Leadership Conference on Multi-Tiered System of Supports (including content from ISTAC, Academic RtI, and PBIS)! The conference will now be on September 8-9, 2014, at the Tinley Park Convention Center. Visit the Fall Leadership Conference webpage for more information.

Join Us as a Volunteer!

To show our appreciation for volunteers, conference fees will be waived. Volunteers have the opportunity to attend the conference while also experiencing a behind-the-scenes look at this compelling event. If you are interested, complete our Volunteer Application. For further information about volunteering for this conference, visit our volunteer program webpage or contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Sarah Kent, skent@leeogle.org.