Academic Seminar:
Teaching Academic SelfManagement to Middle and High
School Students
Christopher Pinkney, Ph.D.
[email protected]
Academic Seminar:
Teaching Academic SelfManagement to Middle and
High School Students
Christopher Pinkney, PhD
Portland State University
[email protected]
With thanks to:
Jessica Swain-Bradway, Midwest PBIS Network
[email protected]
Agenda
Brief overview of Secondary supports within
a Multi-Tiered System of Support
Overview of Academic Seminar
Q&A
Think, Pair, Share
How many of your school’s students would benefit
from increased organizational skills?
What supports are currently available in your school
for students at risk of academic and/or social
failure?
At risk of failing classes
Engaging in repeated, minor problem behavior
As an educator, what student behaviors do you find
most reinforcing (rewarding)?
What makes it all worth it?
Tier 2 Supports
Definition
Secondary supports are any range of interventions
that are:
a) delivered in small groups to students with similar skill
deficits,
b) increase the structure and predictability of the school
day,
c) link academic and social supports,
d) increase opportunities for students to receive positive
feedback from adults,
e) increase opportunities for students to learn, practice and
be acknowledged for a specific skill set that is directly
related to their area of need.
Secondary support practices are designed as an
additionally layer of support for students who are not
responding adequately to Tier 1 supports.
Purpose
Secondary support practices, systems, and data are
functionally the same as Tier 1 foundations: to teach,
practice and reinforce expected social behaviors to
maximize academic engagement.
Structurally, we focus secondary support on small
groups of students with similar skill deficits. This
“targeted” grouping allows us to be more efficient
and specific in addressing obstacles to learning.
Secondary supports ALWAYS builds on, and is much
more effective (and manageable) when the universal
system of support is being implemented to fidelity.
10 Critical Features for Tier 2
1. Intervention linked directly to school wide
expectations and/or academic goals.
2. Intervention continuously available for student
participation.
3. Intervention is implemented within 3 school days
of determining the student is in need of the
intervention
4. Intervention can be modified based on
assessment and/or outcome data
Critical Features continued
5. Intervention includes structured prompts for what
to do in relevant situations.
6. Intervention results in students receiving positive
and/or corrective feedback from staff.
7. Intervention includes a school-home
communication exchange system at least weekly.
Critical Features continued
8. Orientation process and introduction to materials is
provided for students as they begin the
intervention
9. Orientation to and materials provided for
staff/sub’s/volunteers who have students using the
intervention. Ongoing information shared with staff.
10.Opportunities to practice new skills are provided
daily.
What is Academic
Seminar?
What is Academic Seminar?
Tier 2 Support Class for students at risk of
academic and/or social failure
Daily class
45 minutes
5-7 minute daily entry task
10-15 minutes of explicit instruction & practice
25-30 minutes in work completion – applying skills
What is Academic Seminar?
Class functions as:
MORE intense Extension of & Intensified Universal Tier :
Expectations
Acknowledgements
Addition of Organization Skill Set
Explicit instruction
Frequent practice opportunities
Explicit, frequent acknowledgement for demonstration
of organization skills
Tiered System of Supports
Academic and Social
AcSem
4 SW-PBIS
Elements
Supporting Social
Competence &
Academic Achievement
OUTCOMES
Supporting
Staff
Behavior
Supporting
Decision
Making
PRACTICES
Supporting
Student Behavior
What is Academic Seminar?
Outcomes
Practices
Increase selfmanagement
sufficient to
document
increases in
assignment
completion, credit
accrual.
Explicit teaching,
reinforcement of
self-management
skills.
Work completion
supports
What is Academic Seminar?
Data
Screening data (grades,
attendance, teacher
referrals, discipline
referrals).
Progress data (grades,
attendance,
assignment
completion, CICO
points, etc.)
Outcome data (grades,
graduation rates, etc.)
Systems
Early Identification
Communication
Amongst teachers
From middle school
Academic Class
Check-In Check Out
Decision-making rules
Training, FTE
What Academic Seminar is
Not
It is not a solution for students in Crisis
Violence
Mental health
Substance abuse
Suicidal comments or suggestions
High truancy rates (more than 3 times per
week)
What Academic Seminar is
Not
It is not a replacement for all other academic
support classes
Supported work completion
It is not the solution for every student in
need of additional/secondary support
See eligibility slides later in presentation
Things to Consider
What is the smallest thing you can do the
have the biggest impact?
What is the ONE thing you need all middle
and high school students to do that would
make a WORLD of difference in school and
home?
Improve one specific skill set that cuts across
all content areas.
The Academic
Seminar Course
Course Goals
1.Academic self-management skills
2.Increase positive adult interactions
3.Supported work completion
4.Increase progress monitoring of
academic and social success
Academic Self-Management
Skills
Planner use and maintenance
Notebook organization
Creation of a graduation plan
Goal setting for academic and social
behaviors
Tracking progress
Test taking
Study skills
Academic Seminar Curriculum – Expanded by RHS
Increase Positive Adult
Interactions
Greeting
Asking for help
Acknowledging help
Asking “good” questions
Requesting feedback
Course Goals
Supported Work
Completion
Increase in Progress
Monitoring
Application of
academic selfmanagement
skills
Content specific
support
CICO points
Summary reports
twice per month
Self-monitoring and
evaluation
Think, Pair, Share
How would you describe Academic
Seminar to a peer? To a parent?
What is the goal of Academic
Seminar?
Eligibility and
Monitoring
Eligibility
At risk for failing 1 or more content area class
Want to provide this support before students fail a
class
Not earning credits due to lack of work
completion:
Have appropriate supports / skill level for content
area classes
Incomplete homework, class work
Eligibility
Could use additional supports organizing
Black hole back pack
Missing work
Don’t know due dates, class requirements
Find at least one adult reinforcing
Are not in “crisis”
Have organizational / self-management goals
in IEP
Eligibility
Grades
And WHY they are failing
Credits
Attendance
Minor office referrals
No BIG red flags
Set them up for success- bigger hills are
harder to climb.
Monitoring
Daily participation in class
Mid-term and semester grades, all classes
Attendance
Discipline
CICO (if participating)
How do we do this?
Secondary Team Members Roles
Member
Role
Administrator
•
•
Allocate resources, approve system level changes.
Has working knowledge of school-wide, secondary, and tertiary
systems already in place within the school.
Behavior support
personnel
•
Facilitates identification of students who are not responding to
universal supports.
Provides suggestions for modifications: intensifying,
individualizing, combining supports, fading, etc.
•
Academic Seminar
teacher(s)
•
•
•
•
School
counselor/Psychologist
•
•
•
Content area teacher
•
Teaches the Academic Seminar class.
Enters progress monitoring data every 24-48 hours.
Provides twice monthly summaries of: students responding to the
intervention, students not responding and requiring additional
supports.
Facilitates communication between content area teachers and the
Academic Seminar team.
Facilitates identification of students who are not responding to
universal supports.
Facilitates communication between content area teachers and
Academic Seminar team.
Facilitates communication across all three tiers of supports.
Provide information about current instructional practices within
content area classrooms.
How do we implement?
Hold onto the core features:
Intense teaching of academic self-management
Logically link self-management with the REAL
work they have to do every day
Aligned with SW expectations and
acknowledgements
Match intensity of intervention with intensity of
need
Use data to get kids in, monitor and get kids out
Add a layer (CICO, mentoring, Check-NConnect) as needed
NOT the kitchen sink
How are Schools Implementing?
1. Identify the students
Who can you grab?
Quick math: what is 10% of your student
population?
2. Create the schedule for offering the class
How many sections do you need?
How do fit within the master schedule?
3. “Taking over” a class that is not working well
Study hall
Advisory
4. Identifying a qualified teacher(s)
How are Schools Implementing?
1. Downloading and looking over the curriculum:
Does it fit your population?
What do you need to add?
2. AVOID adding more: smallest thing to make the
biggest difference
3. Kids who need math help, still need math help.
1. Can you layer?
2. Can you prioritize and transition?
3. Can you add someone with math expertise to a
section of AcSem to provide help during homework
time.
4. NOT re-teaching alone, but using the organizational
skills to help kids get organized to be successful in
math THEN providing extra content support.
Academic Engagement Data, Participants
Academic Engagement Data, Composites
Request for Support
Aaron
Total (% of observations)
Bobby
Total (% of observations)
Carl
Total (% of observations)
David
Total (% of observations)
Elvin
Total (% of observations)
Phase
Baseline
Post-Instruction
N=6
N = 16
0 (0%)
6 (19%)
N=7
N = 17
0 (0%)
2 (6%)
N = 10
N = 10
4 (30%)
2 (20%)
N = 13
N=8
7 (38%)
8 (50%)
N = 22
N=5
21 (32%)
5 (40%)
Request for Feedback
Aaron
Total (% of observations)
Bobby
Total (% of observations)
Carl
Total (% of observations)
David
Total (% of observations)
Elvin
Total (% of observations)
Phase
Baseline
Post-Instruction
N=3
N = 11
0 (0%)
6 (55%)
N=6
N = 13
0 (0%)
7 (54%)
N=3
N=8
0 (0%)
7 (88%)
N=7
N=6
0 (0%)
3 (50%)
N = 10
N=4
0 (0%)
4 (100%)
Teacher Feedback
Aaron
Conditional probability
Bobby
Conditional probability
Carl
Conditional probability
David
Conditional probability
Elvin
Conditional probability
Phase
Baseline
Post-Instruction
N=3
N = 11
NO
100%
N=6
N = 13
NO
100%
N=3
N=8
NO
100%
N=7
N=6
NO
100%
N = 10
N=4
NO
100%
Student Testimonials
(Baraboo School in Wisconsin)
"I'm really glad I got to be in this class because it
has helped me so much with my work and
getting help on the subjects that I don't really
understand."
"I'm very thankful I'm able to have this class and
I’d love to have it every year to help me
graduate."
"It helped me be organized and remember my
things I need to get done and helped me bring
my grades up to passing."
Thank you and Q & A
Christopher Pinkney
[email protected]
With thanks to:
Jessica Swain-Bradway, Midwest PBIS Network
[email protected]
You may find the Academic Seminar
curriculum at www.pbis.org
Search “Academic Seminar”