DaShaunda Patterson

Using Choice to Increase Time On-Task, Task- Completion, and Accuracy for Students with Emotional/Behavior Disorders in a Residential Facility

Choice-making of task-sequence was implemented to determine the effect on the percentage of time on-task behavior, task-completion, and accuracy for five students with E/BD served in a residential setting. An ABAB design was used to examine a potential functional relation between choice-making and the dependent variables. All sessions were conducted by the classroom teacher during independent academic tasks in math and language arts classes. Results suggest that choice of task-sequence had an overall positive effect for time on-task and task-completion but little effect on accuracy. Limitations and future directions for choice-making are discussed.

Community and School Practices to Reduce Delinquent Behavior Intervening on the School-to-Prison Pipeline

Youth at risk for school failure need community and school supports to reduce the likelihood of developing delinquent behavior. This article provides an overview of community and school approaches aimed at intervening on the school-to-prison pipeline. Community and school efforts are emerging that take into account empirical evidence demonstrating cooperation and collaboration in preventive service provision. The authors provide links to professional development for community and school stakeholders.

School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in a Residential School for Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: First Years of Implementation and Maintenance Follow-Up Focus Groups

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) often receive educational services delivered in more restrictive settings. Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) is a framework that may address the complex needs of these students in these restrictive settings. This article describes the training and technical support provided to a residential school serving students with E/BD as they implemented school-wide PBIS (SWPBIS) over several years and when the external support was removed, follow-up focus groups of school staff were conducted. Results across three 6-month periods indicate a reduction in the number of discipline referrals and high levels of fidelity of implementation of SWPBIS when external support was provided. When the external supports were removed, the number of discipline referrals increased and the level of fidelity decreased. Several themes related to SWPBIS from the focus groups were identified. A brief discussion follows with how external support was reintroduced.

School Counselors Training Paraprofessionals: A Practical Model for Providing Technical Assistance in the Rural School Setting

The roles and responsibilities of school counselors who serve in rural settings have increased dramatically over the years. One new aspect of the school counselors role is to provide inservice/preservice training for teachers and school staff. With the increasing numbers of paraprofessionals now working in the schools, there is a need to provide them with training in critical teaching functions. In this paper, we propose a model for providing technical assistance on teaching and classroom management to paraprofessionals serving in rural settings. Our model for school counselors to train paraprofessionals has four features: (1) provide clear explanations of teaching assignments, (2) provide a clear rationale and purpose of the teaching or management strategy, (3) provide frequent positive feedback to the paraprofessional on his or her implementation of the teaching and management technique, and (4) provide specific corrective feedback in areas of improvement. We highlight the discussion of our model by presenting vignettes to illustrate the models effective implementation in rural school settings.

Improving Adolescent Reading Skills in Rural Areas Using Evidence-Based Practices.

Addressing the reading needs of adolescent learners living in rural areas may create challenges for teachers and administrators in the age of accountability. This study addressed this issue by implementing two explicit instructional approaches with struggling adolescent readers (n = 49) in a rural middle school in the southeastern United States. Both programs were commercially available Direct Instruction (DI) programs. The sixth, seventh, and eighth grade participants were 2 or more years behind in reading achievement as measured by an individualized test of achievement. Placement tests for commercially available DI programs were used as decision points for placing participants in 1 of 2 groups. A 2 × 4 multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) revealed significant differences between the two instructional groups in that those with more skills demonstrated more gains on reading measures used in this study. These results indicate that systematic, explicit reading instruction can be delivered successfully in general education settings for middle school students who are struggling readers; however, attention must be given to the initial capabilities of students when evaluating the effectiveness of educational programming.