|
Inside this issue
Important Upcoming Events/Meetings
March 1 CTIC March 3 New Year, New U: College Fair March 5-9 GCED Spring Break March 6 MASE Day at the Capitol March 12 Instructional Coaches PLC March 12 - 18 2018 Brain Awareness Week March 15 CTE Advisory Committee ECSE Cohort SLD Cohort March 15, 22, 29 BehaviorTools™ March 19 Sped Leadership March 21 Social Worker Cohort March 22 District Data & Implementation Team Meeting March 23 ADSIS Teachers/Instructional Coaches PLC School Psychologist Cohort March 28 All County School Board Meeting March 30 EBD Cohort |
The Progress, March 2018: Volume 3, Issue 7
The Progress archive
Click here to view past issues from the current school year. Comments? Suggestions for new articles?
Contact Jillynne Raymond, jraymond@gced.k12.mn.us 
GCED is on spring break from March 5 to 9, 2018.
|
Behaviors: What is PBIS?
|
By Makenna Holt, GCED School Psychologist
Some of you may be wondering, just what in the world is PBIS? Here in the education world, we have so many acronyms; it’s hard to keep them all straight! So let me start by spelling out exactly what PBIS stands for:
This language comes directly from the 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). School-Wide PBIS is a systems approach to establishing the social culture and behavioral supports needed for all children in a school to achieve both social and academic success. PBIS is not a packaged curriculum, but an approach that defines core elements that can be achieved through a variety of strategies. It is a framework in which we are able to create a system/plan that is appropriate for our schools. Our schools have the freedom to decide what PBIS looks like with the system support for behaviors, decision-making/problem solving, using data, and common practice by staff. The PBIS framework emphasizes that schools should have methods for acknowledging students’ positive behaviors, but does not favor one type of acknowledgement over another as long as the student clearly understands what specific behavior is being acknowledged. The framework states that naming the specific behavior is “extremely important in increasing the re-occurrence of appropriate behavior.” The framework also supports token economies for such behaviors (which may or may not be traded in for tangible objects or special privileges). PBIS is used for addressing behavior through the prevention-oriented structuring of research-based interventions and supports through multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS). See the right column for Core Elements of PBIS from PBIS.org. Currently there are 26,000 PBIS schools Nationwide, and over 500 in Minnesota. Although some schools in the Goodhue County Education District are currently considered PBIS schools, many have not had the opportunity to go through training to become official “PBIS schools”. Or some school teams were trained and have had staff turnover in the meantime. The adult collective efficacy with PBIS is essential, so districts are encouraged to review their PBIS teams and plans. Like any tiered model, the first goal is to ensure a solid Tier 1, as 80% of students typically respond to this universal intervention. And like any tiered model, school-wide interventions and implementation fidelity also take time. One of the most telling indicators for whether or not a PBIS framework will be effective in a school is staff buy-in. In fact, PBIS training will often not be recommended or completed if a school’s buy-in rate is less than 80%. This is crucial. If you are unsure of where you fall on PBIS spectrum, from 'no thank you' to 'yes please', consider visiting the resources in the right column for more information. |
Primary (TIER 1)
Secondary (TIER 2)
Tertiary (TIER 3)
RESOURCES 
|
PAES - Practical Assessment Exploration System
It is a typical Thursday morning when students from GCED's member districts enter the PAES Lab at River Bluff Education Center. Students punch in when they arrive, set their time card back in its appropriate spot, then check the job board and their individual folders for their assigned work for the 1 ½ hour block of learning designed for students to assess their skills and interests, explore occupational areas, and practice necessary employment skills.
The PAES Lab is a Practical Assessment Exploration System developed by Talent Assessment. In a work simulation/experiential learning situation students learn about their own interest in and aptitude for 264 careers in these areas:
|
|
PAES Lab Supervisor and Transitions Teacher Stacey Anderson enjoys the lab through an educator's lens. Her favorite part is "seeing the ah ha moment" in her students. For some, they are seeing for the first time that "they are good at something, that they have a natural ability." Her passion for her students shines as she describes their genuine learning. For example, one student had no idea what he wanted to do until an assessment pointed him toward electrical work. He moved from the aptitude test to exploring job tasks to taking classes to getting set up in an apprenticeship. She is confident he'll have a lifelong career. It all started with him feeling good about something; "he felt good about himself; without this [PAES Lab] he wouldn't have had that experience."
All of the career categories share the need to develop soft skills. Stacey see this as a benefit for students as well as for the IEP team. The PAES Lab results in data that can help an IEP team with goals for future work:
All of the career categories share the need to develop soft skills. Stacey see this as a benefit for students as well as for the IEP team. The PAES Lab results in data that can help an IEP team with goals for future work:
- is the student able to take direction from a supervisor?
- is the student able to problem solve? End of term surveys reveal that problem solving is the toughest skill for our students.
- how much assistance does the student need to be complete the task?
- what was the quality of the student's work the first time around?
- how many trials did it take for the student to learn the skill?
- is the student's skill set competitive?
- what are the student's interests for the future?
March is Developmental Disabilities Month - From Awareness to the Olmstead Plan
Depending upon your age you may or may not remember when people with disabilities were treated with much less respect and served in more seclusion than today. For example, when I was in third grade (1970) I helped out in the "special" classroom at our elementary school. Which leads to another great story - Eddy learned how to tie his shoes that year and I helped! Until I had been invited to help in this classroom I had not seen students with special needs in our building. Social change was rampant in the 1970s and 1980s, which influenced President Ronald Reagan in 1987 to declare March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. He asked Americans to encourage and support those with disabilities. For any change, awareness of the issue is needed. Fast forward to 2018 and the awareness has grown tremendously. So much so that we now have Minnesota's Olmstead Plan going through public review. The Olmstead Plan promotes a fully integrated life for people with disabilities, including the opportunity to live where they choose, near family and friends; to live as independently as they can; to be competitively and productively employed; and to participate in community life. "In short, it will offer Minnesotans with disabilities opportunities just like everyone else." (www.dhs.state.mn.us)
Get Ready - Do - Done: Executive Functioning Strategy
|
GCED was recently a host site for a state training on Executive Functioning with an emphasis on the Get Ready - Do - Done strategy with Sarah Ward. This strategy helps our students visualize the future. She referred to having students put on their "future glasses." Some questions a student may need to ask include:
RESOURCE IDEA: The 360 Thinking Time Tracker (™Pending) is an instructional app designed to support students' executive function skill development (photo right).
|
|
|
|
Brian Cashman, GCED Coordinator of Alternative Programs.
|
In the spotlight this month is GCED’s Coordinator of Alternative Programs, Brian Cashman. Brian’s undergraduate degree is in Life Science Education, with teaching licensure in grades 5-12. He also earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and holds a K-12 principal license. His personal interest in education was due to the great teachers and role models he had while going through school; “it seemed natural to give back in a field that had been so supportive of me.”
Of the various roles Brian has had in public education, “my current role with GCED is one that I probably enjoy the most. I have the opportunity to work in multiple areas of education - Alternative Learning, Career and Technical Education, English Learner Programming, and State Testing. In particular, I have enjoyed the regional collaboration that is emphasized in Alternative Learning, Career and Technical Education (CTE), and English Learner Programming.” His passion for all are strong. As the Perkins Coordinator for SE Minnesota, he admits that CTE is a major focus of his work. Learn more about CTE from Brian below.
This is Brian's third full year working with Perkins. It has been particular interesting for him to have this continuity because CTE is a tight knit community. He has enjoyed getting to know and work with the CTE folks at various levels from the high school coordinators to post secondary folks to MDE's CTE leadership team. Brian's visibility now extends beyond SE Minnesota as an ACTE LEAD member.
The Association for Career and Technical Education® (ACTE) is "the largest national education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for careers. It's our mission to provide educational leadership in developing a competitive workforce." The ACTE recognizes the need for organizations to invest in leadership. To help it offers a Leadership Exploration and Development (LEAD) program, designed to build the leadership capacity in new professionals with 2 to 5 years of CTE experience. Brian was one of 100+ applicants that applied for the program; he was one of the 20 accepted into the inaugural year of the program. As a part of the program Brian recently joined colleagues from around the nation in Washington D.C. for leadership in policy training.
Not only dedicated to his career, Brian is equally as involved in his personal life. He and his wife Nicole are busy raising three young children: Jack (11), Sawyer (9), and Ella (4). Together they enjoy skating on their backyard ice skating rink, swimming and Uno. Brian coaches soccer for his sons' soccer team. Professional and personal accomplishments are plenty. Admittedly though, his most notable and recent accomplishment was to pull off a surprise 40th birthday party for his wife. Well done, Brian; well done.
Of the various roles Brian has had in public education, “my current role with GCED is one that I probably enjoy the most. I have the opportunity to work in multiple areas of education - Alternative Learning, Career and Technical Education, English Learner Programming, and State Testing. In particular, I have enjoyed the regional collaboration that is emphasized in Alternative Learning, Career and Technical Education (CTE), and English Learner Programming.” His passion for all are strong. As the Perkins Coordinator for SE Minnesota, he admits that CTE is a major focus of his work. Learn more about CTE from Brian below.
This is Brian's third full year working with Perkins. It has been particular interesting for him to have this continuity because CTE is a tight knit community. He has enjoyed getting to know and work with the CTE folks at various levels from the high school coordinators to post secondary folks to MDE's CTE leadership team. Brian's visibility now extends beyond SE Minnesota as an ACTE LEAD member.
The Association for Career and Technical Education® (ACTE) is "the largest national education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for careers. It's our mission to provide educational leadership in developing a competitive workforce." The ACTE recognizes the need for organizations to invest in leadership. To help it offers a Leadership Exploration and Development (LEAD) program, designed to build the leadership capacity in new professionals with 2 to 5 years of CTE experience. Brian was one of 100+ applicants that applied for the program; he was one of the 20 accepted into the inaugural year of the program. As a part of the program Brian recently joined colleagues from around the nation in Washington D.C. for leadership in policy training.
Not only dedicated to his career, Brian is equally as involved in his personal life. He and his wife Nicole are busy raising three young children: Jack (11), Sawyer (9), and Ella (4). Together they enjoy skating on their backyard ice skating rink, swimming and Uno. Brian coaches soccer for his sons' soccer team. Professional and personal accomplishments are plenty. Admittedly though, his most notable and recent accomplishment was to pull off a surprise 40th birthday party for his wife. Well done, Brian; well done.
CTE 101 from Brian's Perspective
|
What is Career and Technical Education (CTE)?
CTE refers to learning pathways at the high school and post-secondary levels that allow students to learn academic and technical skills and knowledge and training in six different career fields: (1) Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, (2) Arts, Communication, and Information Systems, (3) Engineering, Manufacturing, and Technology, (4) Health Science Technology, (5) Human Services, and (6) Business, Management, and Administration. These learning pathways typically start in high school and aim to give students options to pursue post-secondary training (at both 2- and 4- year institutions) and/or employment in high-demand and high-wage careers. Are CTE courses only for students who are planning to work after high school or can a student who is planning on attending college take courses too? Great question! The answer is “yes”…CTE is definitely an area that can be beneficial to every learner – the learner that is ready to enter the workforce right after high school, the learner ready to jump into a two-year institution, and the learner wanting to go to a four-year institution. There are also nuances within each of these options. For example, a student may enter the workforce right after high school and be part of an apprenticeship program where he or she gains the skills necessary to make a livable working wage. Or the student may work and concurrently attend a post-secondary school. Likewise, a student might complete their associate degree at a two-year institution and then transfer to a four-year school to finish their undergraduate degree. This is the advantage of CTE programming – when done correctly, it leads to short-term and long-term options for students. Do CTE instructors work with employers and/or colleges to offer work-based opportunities for students? Yes, CTE instructors work with employers and/or colleges to offer work-based opportunities for students. Some of these opportunities are formal Work-Based Learning programs while other opportunities address different aspects of Experiential Learning – like business and industry site tours. An example of some exciting work going on right now is the collaboration among the Houston County Community and Economic Development, Workforce Development Inc., the Southeast Perkins Consortium, and the schools and business and industry folks in Houston County. Put briefly, the goal of this collaboration is to produce a menu of Work-Based Learning/Experiential Learning options between the Houston County schools and Houston County businesses. As a means of jump starting this process, there is a Houston County “Economic Summit” scheduled for February 27th in Caledonia. This is just one example of what collaborative work looks like in Southeastern Minnesota – there are other really exciting partnerships occurring elsewhere in the region. |
How can CTE help students be college and career ready?
There are multiple ways…here are a few of the more prominent ones:
What are some of the career pathways or CTE areas you offer students? I work in a supporting role for CTE programs in 22 school districts in Southeastern Minnesota. Among all of these school districts, there are numerous career pathways being offered. A couple highlights include:
|
