These are the student outcomes in the areas of social-emotional and behavioral skills, and the practices and systems that supported students in achieving them.

Who are we?

  • Green Chimneys, Therapeutic Day School and Residential Treatment Center
  • Ives School, Lincoln Hall, Approved Private School, Grades 7 – 12, boys’ school
  • John A. Coleman School , Approved Private School, 18 months to 7 years of age
  • School for Adaptive and Integrative Learning (S.A.I.L) at Ferncliff Manor, Approved Private School, students with Intellectual Disabilities, Autism, and Behavior Challenges, ages of 5-21
  • The Garrison School, Garrison UFSD, K to 8 district
  • Walden Learning Center, Putnam / Northern Westchester BOCES, students with a variety of social, emotional, behavioral and learning needs, ages 5 to 21
  • Wampus Elementary School, Byram Hills CSD, 8:1:1 Special Class

What are the long-term outcomes for our students with disabilities that we are striving to achieve so that every student is independent and successful in school, career, and community?

  • Students connect with peers, adults and the community in socially effective ways
  • All students understand and demonstrate positive behavior expectations
  • Students connect with peers, adults and the community in socially effective ways
  • Students become upstanding, contributing & productive members of society
  • Students are independent across all areas: academics, vocational skills, community integration, social/emotional skills, and activities for daily living
  • Students thrive socially and emotionally
  • Every student engages in a pathways to success in independence, communication, self-advocacy and skills
  • Students connected with peers, adults and the community in socially effective ways though improved social skills and interactions with peers

What outcomes have our students with disabilities already achieved?

  • Surveys show a positive self-perception of performance and strong understanding of the schools’ behavioral expectations
  • More than 30% of students in each dorm unit in the residence are reaching the top tier of the behavioral expectations challenge each month
  • Students have demonstrated improved social and behavioral outcomes, with all students demonstrating growth in ‘Achieving School Wide Expectations’
  • 80% of students achieved 150 points or better on the school-wide acknowledgement system
  • Students decreased behavior challenges across the school with a concomitant decrease in students with Behavior Intervention Plans
  • Students increased participation in school events and activities
  • Students decreased disruptive behavior resulting in a decrease in calls to pupil personnel and administration
  • Students decreased physically aggressive behavior toward self, others, and environment
  • Students significantly decreased behaviors that required physical interventions
  • Students with autism improved social skills, tolerance of activities with peers and verbal interactions with peers

 What systems and practices that were implemented to achieve our student outcomes?

  • Began implementation of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS)
  • Rolled PBIS language and our expectations acronym into existing practices
  • Surveyed staff and students regarding their understanding of our expectations
  • Focused on teaching one expectation each month
  • Regularly reviewed incident report data with staff
  • Developed both a student and staff matrix of expected behaviors
  • Developed and implemented a classroom observation tool to assess implementation of Tier 1 Universal practices.
  • On-going implementation of the PBIS framework through a beginning of year PBIS Kick-Off, a campus-wide acknowledgement system and school store, a PBIS Orientation for new students and staff and completion of a systems evaluation using the Benchmarks of Quality
  • On-going implementation of the PBIS framework through staff inclusion in all decision making for PBIS implementation, completion and the Benchmarks of Quality, staff workshops based on scores on BOQ, monthly after school meetings of a Tier 2 PBIS team, a PBIS Kick-Off and on-going Spirit Team Events, on-going reviews of data on achievement of expectations, and parent nights to inform them of the PBIS implementation
  • Behavior lesson plans on expectations that use explicit instruction framework- I Do, We Do, You Do
  • School Wide Activities and Competitions
  • Summer Intensive Program on behavioral expectations
  • Instruction in emotional self-regulation
  • On-going conversation about social-emotional values
  • Data-based decision making
  • Teaching, acknowledging, and reinforcing appropriate behavior
  • Community building
  • Trauma-sensitive approach to behavioral supports
  • Implementation of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Systems and PBIS
  • Building wide expectations that are taught in each classroom,
  • Proactively teaching and shaping expectations and rules to create a positive school environment,
  • Use of the Individual Crisis Management Plan (ICMP)
  • Staff surveys to identify the most concerning expectations and problem behaviors
  • Collection and on-going examination of student behavior
  • Social skills training with a typical peers twice a week for 30 minutes.
  • Instruction and student coaching focused on increasing mands to a peer for preferred objects

 What structures allowed us to support staff in implementing these systems and practices?

  • RSE-TASC trainings for PBIS Team including the Forum for directors and supervisors, the boosters on Data Tools, Data Based Decision Making and Classroom Management
  • RSE TASC Workshops: Team Implementation Guidance, PBIS Coaches Forum and Kickoff, FBA/BIP, Behavior Lesson Plans, Tier 2 Strategies, Data Based Decision, Social Skills, School Based Enterprises
  • PBIS 3 Day Team Training by RSE-TASC
  • Multi-day RSE-TASC training: Evidence-Based Practices for Students with Severe Disabilities
  • Functional Communication Training
  • Follow-up on-site training for school and agency staff by RSE-TASC staff
  • Staff Surveys
  • Breakout Committees
  • Active Supervision
  • Weekly staff bulletins
  • Staff PBIS Videos
  • A PBIS Leadership Team, comprised of teachers, teacher assistants, teacher aides, occupational therapists, speech therapists, physical therapists, a school psychologist, and an administrator
  • Simplification & scheduling of concepts and trainings: make it efficient, make it easy, show people that it works
  • Training for new staff and frequent trainings and updates throughout the year
  • Staff Surveys
  • Strong administrative support for implementation
  • Professional Development after school by colleagues on PBIS, Responsive Classroom, Mindfulness
  • Classroom inter-visitations
  • Written reminders throughout the building

 What are we doing next to continue working toward achieving our long-term student outcomes?

  • Development of a staff/student video series to increase understanding of PBIS and of expectations
  • Implementation of a more cohesive and frequent acknowledgment system that will operate in both school and residence
  • Identification of an electronic acknowledgment tracking system to increase accuracy of reporting
  • Implementation of classroom observation checklists
  • Continue to survey students and to review incident report data
  • Examine time spent out of class and sharing this data with staff in a meaningful way
  • Make staff announcements and send information and reminders on a regular basis
  • Onboarding program for new staff
  • Create student binders for students to self-monitor their own progress
  • Build a PBIS Team across the whole program, school and residential programs
  • Conduct PBIS walkthroughs with EDI components
  • Continue to build effective acknowledgement systems to continue to motivate students and staff
  • Build on staff excitement
  • Create better data collection & data-based decision making system to determine needed interventions & supports
  • Trainings with focus on integration of practices across multi-tiered system of supports
  • Generalize to less structured activities like recess and play time
  • Generalize to home and other settings in school besides the classroom

If you want to learn about the specific outcomes, practices and systems implemented in each of these schools, visit the google folder at Student Outcomes Conference .

There is a folder for each school with a summary description of their work and the handouts they provided at our 2018 Student Outcome Conference.

If you would like to read similar summaries of student outcomes in other areas of performance, follow the links here: