Stopping behavior problems

An initiative targeting behavior by elementary and middle school students in the Westside Community Schools focuses on heading off problems before they occur and training students and staff to handle such behaviors consistently.

Teachers for years have raised concerns about student behavior, said Bert Jackson, an associate superintendent. In particular, they have noticed an increase in the severity and frequency of problems in younger children.

Behavior, at the same time, affects student achievement.

So teams from the Westside district this year underwent six days of training with national experts in a program called All Children Experiencing Success, or ACES. They'll go back for additional training next year.

In the meantime, the team members are passing on what they're learning to fellow teachers and staff members.

The training is being paid for with federal stimulus funds. The Westside district, Jackson said, has used most of its stimulus funds for training rather than hiring, which it couldn't sustain after the stimulus money runs out in two years.

The behavior program starts with developing buildingwide standards of behavior and consistent expectations for all students. Some can be as simple as laying out how students can pass safely through hallways — forward, not backward — or as complex as establishing acceptable ways to express feelings.

Nationally, data indicate that such instruction will meet the needs of more than 75 percent of students, said Jolene Johnson, a program coordinator and Westside school psychologist.

Ten percent to 20 percent of students will need more help, either in the classroom or in small group sessions. And 3 percent to 5 percent will need individualized plans to address behavior problems, Johnson said.

Westside students fared well on initial screenings, she said.

Next year's training will focus more on intervention for students who aren't responding to such instruction. That can range from an adult checking in with a student twice a day to providing additional services to families or even alternative placements.

Linda Comfort, special education supervisor, said the program is more systematic and more structured than those the district has used in the past.

Said Johnson, “Instead of reacting to behavior, we're trying to prevent it from occurring in the first place.”

Contact the writer:

444-1223, julie.anderson@owh.com

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