Peer to Peer Support – LINK II
Zero/7th Hour High School Option
START Leadership Day
May 2, 2017
What is the Zero/7th Hour Peer
to Peer Option – LINK II?
• Peer to Peer Students Schedule for a Zero/7th Hour Class
• Peer to Peer (LINK II) Student Supports a Student with
ASD in a Content Class While Taking the Class for Credit
• LINK II Student Attends Case Conferences Scheduled for
the Student with ASD
• LINK II Student Completes On-Line Curriculum for Peer
to Peer Support Programs
• LINK II Student Completes Any Other Requirements
Mandated by Local School District
What is the Zero/7th Hour Peer
to Peer Option – LINK II?
• LINK II Student also Supports the Student with ASD Outside
of the School Day between 15 – 25 Hours a Semester
• LINK II Student Receives an Additional ½ or ¼ Credit for
Participation in Class
• Purple Determined by Local School District
Districts Currently Piloting the LINK II Option
• Eastern Upper Peninsula – 2014 – Present
• Okemos Public Schools – 2016
• Clarkston Community Schools – Since 1992
Zero/7th Hour Peer to Peer (LINK II) Requirements
• Peer to Peer Support (LINK I)Must Be Approved Through
the K-12 Curriculum Council
• Local District Control
• Are other Zero/7th Hour Options Available in the District
• Band
• Chorus
• Physical Education
• If yes, follow the procedure used with other Zero/7th Hour
Options
• If no, ask administration if they would be interested in a
Zero/7th Hour Peer to Peer (LINK II) Option
Zero/7th Hour Peer to Peer (LINK II) Requirements
• Teacher of Record Assigned
• Attendance
• Grading
• Organization of On-Line Peer to Peer Support Curriculum
• Case Conferences
• Support the Organization of Out of School Opportunities
Contact Your School District if Interested In
Developing a Zero/7th Hour Peer to Peer
(LINK II) Class
LINKS 2
OKEMOS HIGH SCHOOL
PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL DAY
WHY DO WE DO IT?
• Promote more authentic social interactions
• Provide opportunities to engage in community experiences
• Real-world use of independence and socialization skills
• Allow LINKS and peers on the spectrum to interact in varied settings
HOW DID WE GET IT STARTED?
• New course proposal – included the reminder that MDE eliminated “seat time”
as a requirement to earn credit
• School board approval
• Added to master schedule – listed as a 7th hour (doesn’t count towards
attendance/count day)
• School announcements, spoke at scheduling meeting, inform current LINKS
• Must have taken LINKS 1 or have teacher approval
WHAT ARE THE CLASS COMPONENTS?
• Parental permission slip
• Parent/student info sheet
• Pre and Post outing write-ups
• 10 hours of contact time over the semester
• Required readings – one per week
HOW’S IT GOING SO FAR?
• Had 5 LINKS 2 students enrolled this year.
• 4/5 completed all of their outing hours with their peer
• 4/5 completed the required reading log
• Next year we have LINKS 2 students enrolled
• Parent Feedback: Other than LINKS, child rarely spends time with other peers
outside of the school day. All are happy with how outing plans have been
communicated, Student reports are neutral or positive, social behaviors appear
to be improved.
• Student Feedback: I rarely spend time with other peers outside of the school
day, overall my outings have been positive, how outing plans have been
communicated have been positive. I go on outings to socialize with peers, work
on independence, try things I otherwise wouldn’t try and sometimes because I
was told I had to. 