March 2018 - vol. 33 no. 2

WWelcome!

Dear CCBD Community,

Welcome to the newly formatted BEHAVIOR TODAY 33 (2), a newsletter for people interested in improving the lives and outcomes of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. This publication is a member benefit and something we encourage you to share with friends, students, and colleagues. Please like us on Facebook, tweet us, and re-post content as often as you wish! Be sure to add us to your safe senders list so we don’t end up in a junk file. The newsletter is published every other month on the 1st. Would you like to be involved? Do you have an idea for an ongoing column or do you have an opinion you would like to share? Reach out and let us know.

Sincerely,

Editorial Board  

Free Appropriate Public Education and Endrew F. v. Douglas County School System

Mitch Yell and Mickey Losinski

The primary requirement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is that a student’s individualized education program (IEP) confer a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to the student.  According to the IDEA, a FAPE consists of special education and related services that (a) is provided at public expense; (b) meets the standards of the state educational agency (SEA); (c) includes preschool, elementary, and secondary education; and (d) is provided in conformity with a student’s IEP.  As administrators and teachers of students with disabilities our charge is to ensure that all of our students with special education receive a FAPE. The definition in the law is not particularly clear, however, over the past 35 years courts have attempted to clarify the definition of a FAPE.​

In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in Board of Education v. Rowley.  The case, which was the first special education case heard by the High Court, addressed the definition of a FAPE in the special education program of a young girl named Amy Rowley.  Amy’s parents wanted a sign language interpreter included in their deaf daughter’s IEP.  School personnel declined to provide Amy with a sign language interpreter, asserted that because she was so bright, academically able and did so well in school, that Amy she did not need an interpreter to receive a FAPE. The parents requested a due process hearing and eventually ended up bringing a lawsuit in U.S. district court.  The district court issued a ruling in favor of Amy Rowley holding that the FAPE requirement of the IDEA required that the student receive an equal educational opportunity that allows students to achieve to the maximum potential.  On appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the district court’s decision was upheld.  The school district then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.  The High Court noted that the purpose of FAPE was to provide students with disabilities with a basic floor of opportunity consisting of special education and related services that are individually designed and provide educational benefit.  The Court also developed a two-part test that hearing officers and judges would use to determine whether a school district had provided a student with a FAPE.  In part one of the test, the hearing officer or judge would determine whether the school district had adhered to the procedural requirements of the IDEA.  In part two, the hearing officer or judge would determine whether the student’s IEP was reasonably calculated to enable the student to receive educational benefit.  If the answer was yes to both questions, the school district would have provided FAPE.  When the Supreme Court applied the first part of their own test to the case of Amy Rowley, the Court found that her school had followed all the procedures of the law.  When the Court turned to the second part of the test, they found that because Amy was passing from grade to grade and doing very well in school, the IEP must had been reasonably calculated to provide her with educational benefit.  Thus, the school district had passed both parts of the Rowley test so the Supreme Court overruled the lower courts and decided in favor of the Hendrick Hudson School District.​

For the past 35 years, the two-part test developed by the Rowley Court has been the standard that every hearing officer and judge has used to determine whether a school district had provided a student with a FAPE.  Although part one of the test, the procedural test, had not been particularly difficult for hearing officers or judges to apply, part two of the test, determining educational benefit, proved to be quite difficult.  This is because the Supreme Court did not have to wrestle with the question of educational benefit because Amy Rowley was a very bright and academically able child and clearly doing well in school.  In subsequent cases, however, in which students were more typical of special education students and were having a difficult time in their special education programs, the question of what constituted educational benefit and conferred a FAPE was a very difficult determination.  When applying the second part of the Rowley test in FAPE cases, some courts began using a lower standard to determine educational benefit, sometimes referred to as a de minimis, or slightly more than trivial standard, whereas other courts used a higher standard to determine educational benefit, sometimes referred to as the meaningful benefit standard.  The split in court rulings on the educational benefit standard, especially among the U.S. Circuit Courts, made it likely that the U.S. Supreme Court would eventually take a FAPE case to help settle the disputes in the courts.  The FAPE case that eventually was heard by the Supreme Court was Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, which was decided on March 22, 2017.

Endrew was a 5th grade boy with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  He had attended the Douglas County School System from preschool through fourth grade.  Toward the end of fourth grade, faced with Endrew’s increasing problem behaviors and his lack of academic and functional progress, Endrew’s parents withdrew him from the Douglas County Schools and placed him in the Firefly Autism House, a private school specializing in the education of children with autism.   Endrew did very well academically and functionally at the Firefly Autism House.  The parents, contending that the Douglas County Schools had failed to provide Endrew with a FAPE, sought tuition reimbursement for his attendance at the Firefly Autism House from the school district.  District officials declined to provide reimbursement, so Endrew’s parents requested a due process hearing.  Losing at the due process hearing, the parents appealed the decision to the U.S. District Court of Colorado, where they also lost.  The U.S District Court was within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Because the Tenth Circuit Court used a lower standard in determining educational benefit, the hearing officer and district court judge found that Endrew had made minimal educational progress, therefore meeting the FAPE requirements of the IDEA.  Endrew’s parents appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.  The Tenth Circuit Court ruled in favor of the school district, holding that to meet the FAPE standard a school district had to offer educational benefit that was “merely more than de minimis.”  The parents appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The question they asked the Supreme Court to answer was what was the level of educational benefit that school districts must confer on students with disabilities to provide them with a FAPE as guaranteed by the IDEA.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the opinion for the unanimous Supreme Court, vacating the appeal court’s decision and remanding the decision back to the tenth circuit court to conduct further proceedings in accordance with the new standard developed by the High Court. The new standard, which replaces the second part of the Rowley test is now as follows:  Is a student’s IEP reasonably calculated to enable him or her to make progress appropriate in light of the student’s circumstances?  According to Justice Robert’s opinion, this lower or de minimis standard could hardly be said to be an education at all, and that a standard not focused on a student’s academic and functional progress would do little to remedy the tragic academic stagnation that led Congress to pass the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, now the IDEA, in the first place. After all, according to the Court, the basic purpose of a student’s IEP is to set out a plan to enable him or her to progress academically and functionally.

In August, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals remanded the case to the U.S. District Court for Colorado.  On February 12, 2017, the district reversed its decision in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District and using the new higher standard found in favor of Endrew and his parents, ruling that the Douglas County School District had failed to provide Endrew with a FAPE.  The district court judge ordered the Douglas County School District to reimburse Endrew’s parents for tuition fees, related expenses, and to pay their attorneys’ fees.

Reflections on Managing Resistance 

John W. Maag, PhD

An often ignored ingredient for effectively managing resistance is the ability of adults to modify their behavior rather than only expecting students to change their behavior.  This paradigm shift is difficult for most teachers to adopt because it’s counterintuitive:  “The student is misbehaving, so she has to change her behavior, I’m the adult in charge and already behave accordingly.”  Unfortunately, this belief leads to power struggles, and you cannot have a power struggle with only one person—it takes two.  Once in a power struggle, adults ability to respond effectively is thwarted.  Children give clues through their verbal and nonverbal behavior on how to deal with them effectively, but it requires picking up on those cues.  The difficulty is that we think we are observing everything, but we really are not really watching because we have a routine conventional way of looking.  Consider the following example: A 7-year old girl tells her mother that all the girls in her class have short nails and she wants to be in style too, so she’s going to start biting her nails.  A typical adult response would be to explain how this would be a bad habit, but that ignores what the child is communicating: wanting to be in style.  A better response would be for the mother to say, “I think it’s important for little girls to be in style and I want you to be in style too, but you have a lot of catching up to do . . .”

The ability to respond effectively to what a child communicates is enhanced by understanding and practicing the following:

• Be personal with students but don’t personalize their behavior.
• Don't be afraid to try something different—trying and failing is not failing, it’s assessment.
• By giving up a little control in the classroom you will get something back much more important, credibility.
• Don’t be afraid of opposition, a kite rises against the wind, not with it
• If what you’re doing isn’t working, try something else.

For strategies that follow these maxims, check out my book Challenging Classroom Behaviors: Overcoming Resistance through Uniquely Audacious Interventions published through National Professional Resources.

Implementing Yoga in the Classroom  

Calli Lewis Chiu

Yoga involves postures (asanas), regulated breathing practices (pranayamas), hand poses (mudras), and meditation (Hagen & Nayar, 2014). Experienced yoga practitioners believe different poses positively impact different bodily functions. The benefits of yoga on the physical and mental health of adults have been supported with a large amount of empirical study (e.g., Gaskins, Jennings, Thind, Becker, & Bock, 2014; Riley et al., 2017). Recent scientific study of yoga provides evidence that many yoga practices may also benefit children and adolescents’ mental and physical health. For example, a study on the effects of a yoga intervention on at-risk adolescents resulted in positive effects in several areas (Fishbein et al., 2016). In comparison with control group participants, youth who received the yoga intervention were rated by their teachers as having improved social interactions and reported lower alcohol consumption. Another study of a yoga intervention among sixth-grade students found systematically incorporating yoga into the classroom resulted in increases in students’ long-term and global self-regulation (Bergen-Cico, Razza, & Timmins, 2015).    

Practicing Yoga in the Classroom

To begin practicing yoga in the classroom, select times in the day you think your students will benefit the most from yoga, and incorporate yoga into your daily routine consistently (Ebert, 2012). For example, some times during a typical day when students might benefit from a yoga sequence include:

• Before or after transition times
• After recess
• After lunch
• Before beginning/after completing independent seatwork
• When students are demonstrating restlessness
• While waiting in line
• When students appear tired

There are no constraints about the length or frequency of yoga, therefore, teachers can also incorporate yoga poses anytime they feel a sequence of yoga poses, postures, or movements may be beneficial for students.

To teach students how to do a pose, yoga pose cards are used (Ebert, 2012). Yoga pose cards are pieces of poster board, card stock, etc. that display images of an individual engaged in yoga poses. Some yoga pose cards also include the name of the pose and information about the pose. An Internet search will reveal a wide array of choices ranging in price. Many sets are available for less than 20 dollars. When selecting cards to use, consider the needs and preferences of your students. For example, images on some cards may appeal more to young students than to teenagers.

Before beginning the yoga session, think about your students’ preferences and the layout of your classroom (Ebert, 2012). Would it be best to have the students stand next to their desks to complete the yoga sequence? Or, perhaps there is enough open space somewhere in your classroom where students could gather to do the poses. If the students will gather together, consider using pre-determined placement of students to facilitate a smooth transition to the yoga sequence. Once you have determined where the students engage in the yoga poses, next think about the poses you would like the students to engage in. When initially introducing yoga, begin with poses that will be easy for your students to complete. Begin by placing the yoga pose cards where all students can easily see them. Demonstrate each pose for the students and ask them to copy your movements. Lead the students in three or four simple poses, holding each pose for three to four breaths. As the students become familiar with the routine of the yoga sessions, consider adding additional poses, incorporating poses that are more challenging to maintain, and holding the poses for only one or two breaths. Also, consider adding other relaxing tools such as music, chimes, meditation activities, or mindfulness practices.

Many teachers find the beginning of the day can be a useful time for connecting with students and getting them focused for the day ahead (Ebert, 2012). The following yoga sequence can be used to help calm and center your students. The sequence can be completed in approximately ten minutes.

References

Bergen-Cico, D., Razza, R., & Timmins, A. (2015). Fostering self-regulation through curriculum infusion of mindful yoga: A pilot study of efficacy and feasibility. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 24(11), 3448-3461. Ebert, M. (2012). Yoga in the classroom. The Green Teacher, 97, 4-8. Fishbein, D., Miller, S., Herman-Stahl, M., Williams, J., Lavery, B., Markovitz, L., & ... Johnson, M. (2016). Behavioral and psychophysiological effects of a yoga intervention on high-risk adolescents: A randomized control trial. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 25(2), 518-529. Gaskins, R., Jennings, E., Thind, H., Becker, B. & Bock, B. (2014) Acute and cumulative effects of vinyasa yoga on affect and stress among college students participating in an eight-week yoga program: A pilot study. International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 24(1), 63-70. Hagan, I., & Nayar, U. S. (2014). Yoga for children and young people’s mental health and well-being: Research review and reflections on the mental health potentials of yoga. Frontiers Psychiatry, 5(35), 1-6. Riley, K. E., Park, C. L., Wilson, A., Sabo A. N., Antoni M. H., Braun T. D., … Cope, S. (2017). Improving physical and mental health in frontline mental health care providers: Yoga-      based stress management versus cognitive behavioral stress management Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 32(1), 28-48. Savage, J. (2015). Why we practice warriors poses. Retrieved from https://www.ekhartyoga.com/articles/why-we-practice-the-warrior-poses

Dear Miss Kitty

Dear Miss Kitty: I have a student, Jenson, who refuses to do any work in math.  He is a fifth grader and I know he can do it, but when I give an independent math sheet for him to complete, he shuts down and puts his head on his desk and refuses to do the assignment.  He has been diagnosed as having ADHD. His work refusal is catching. When five of my other students see that he isn't doing his work, they complain about why they have to do it.  I don't know what to do because the work would not take him that long to do if he would just settle down and do it. Frustrated Teacher in Cincinnati

Dear Frustrated Teacher: I am sure it is frustrating when Jenson won't do his math work.  At times, students, even if they are working at grade level, may be overwhelmed with a task before they ever begin.   They believe there are too many problems on the page or small print is used or directions are unclear or are changed multiple times on one sheet of paper. There might not be enough examples for Jenson.   Before you give an independent math assignment, look at the worksheet to see if it is crowded or there is too small print.  Ensure that the directions are clear.  Perhaps you might want to go over the directions with the entire class and if there are multiple directions on one sheet, have the students only do one section at a time. When they finish one section, then review the next set of directions. If there are not enough examples given, you may want to use the "I do, We Do, You Do Together, and then You Do" technique.   This process has an extra step that might help Jenson and some of the other students in the class.  You do a problem, then you do a problem together with the class, then two students do a problem together and you might pair Jenson with a strong math student so they can work together, and then the last step is for Jenson to do the problems alone.  When approaching students who engage in work refusal and you are utilizing proximity control, it is important to use a non-confrontational and non-begging approach.  It is also important to avoid telling the student to get all the assignment done.  Students are overwhelmed at the thought of getting everything done.  A preferred word is "start" the assignment.    My favorite behavior management tool is "Be Positive, Be Brief, and Be Gone" and it works well for students who exhibit behavior like Jenson does.  In this strategy, you would approach Jenson and quietly state:  "Jenson, I need you to start your math."  It is positive and it is brief and it uses the word start.  Then the last critical component is to move away from Jenson. This gives him the opportunity to both save face and to process what you have asked him to do.  You can then continue to move around the room and when you see Jenson doing his assignment, you should go over and make a positive and supportive comment to him.  "Jenson, I sure like the way you are working hard at your math. Raise your hand if you need me to help." The last strategy you may want to consider is to build in choice for Jenson with his math assignments.  You might say to him "Jenson, you can do the odd number or even number problems." Another option is to say "You can pick any five problems to do."  This gives Jenson some power and control and is not overwhelming to him.  Now you might argue that isn't fair to the other students, if that is the case utilize the strategy with the other students or consider that it is okay to individualize for Jenson because he isn't completing any of the assignments so doing some is better than none.  Another strategy you could utilize with the entire class is to give them a choice of the writing instrument they utilize-a red pen or a blue pen. I hope you will consider a few of these strategies and Jenson, with your assistance, will acquire an improved view of math.

Sincerely, Miss Kitty

Conversations with Leaders in the Field: JoAnne Mallory Talks about Renewal and Growth

Jim Teagarden, Robert Zabel, & Marilyn Kaff

Kansas State University

The Janus Oral History Project collects and disseminates the reflections of leaders in education of children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) regarding the past, present, and future of the profession. Participants reflect on the events that have influenced their career, the current state and future of the field, and share their advice to those entering the field. The Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders (MSLBD) has provided ongoing support for the Janus Project. To date nearly 70 conversations have been recorded in video form and are available at the following URL: http://mslbd.org/what-we-do/janus-project/      This article features excerpts from a conversation with Dr. JoAnne Malloy.  In 1991 Dr. Malloy joined the staff at Institute on Disability (New Hampshire University Center for Excellence in Disability), where she has directed state and federally-funded youth transition, employment, and dropout prevention projects with a focus on youth with EBD.  Dr. Malloy developed RENEW, a research-based intervention for transition-age youth that is being implemented in New Hampshire, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New York, Iowa, and Missouri. She also oversees a team who provides training and coaching to schools in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Behavior (MTSS-B) and School Mental Health. Dr. Malloy also facilitates a statewide Children’s Behavioral Health Network that provides training and workforce support for implementing New Hampshire’s family- and youth-driven wraparound model. She has published articles and book chapters on the needs of and supports for transition-age youth with emotional and behavioral challenges, employment for individuals with mental health concerns, and youth empowerment. What follows are edited excerpts of a Janus Project conversation with Dr. Malloy recorded in 2017.

* * * * *

JANUS:       How would you describe your career in the field?

Malloy:        Well, I haven't reflected a lot about that. Persistence, I guess. I'm not the brightest person on earth. I'm not the most assertive. People have told me that I'm not ambitious or egotistical enough, but I just keep at it.

I remember when we went to graduate school - I earned an MSW in 1982 - they talked about evolving as a professional. In the beginning you're kind of a recipient of information and will be practicing kind of what you're told to practice. Then when you become really proficient, you begin to innovate.

 I really feel that I've done that. I have been able to create an intervention that is now nationally practiced. It could've died a million deaths, but I just kept telling people, "No, let's get a grant, let's do this, let's do that." You know, what they say about the research-to-practice gap is true. We're now at 20 years and it's still not practiced as normal, but I would say that's how my career evolved. From being the practitioner to someone who is now creating things, which I really like.

JANUS:       Can you briefly describe your program?

Malloy:        When we present RENEW to people, they’ll sometimes say, "Oh, we already do that." But it's the quality of the interaction. What happens is a person is trained to be a facilitator by us or someone that we've trained. That person is trained first to use graphic facilitation, which is a process of documenting information to take a youth through nine questions.

The first question is What is your story or your history? The second question is Who are you today? The third is What are your strengths and accomplishments? The fourth is What works for you, what doesn't work for you? The fifth is Who are the people in your life? The sixth is What are your dreams? The seventh is What are your fears or barriers? The eighth and ninth questions are What are your goals and What are your next steps?

 We document their answers on flip chart paper. We train facilitators not to editorialize during the process, but to write down what the youth is saying. Then, based on their goals and next steps, the facilitator learns how to help them figure out who they need to bring to the table to help them. So if it's “I don't know how many credits I need to graduate and I don't know where I'm at,” we would bring a guidance counselor to the table to go through their transcript - not to tell the youth, "Oh this stinks, you only have 7 credits and you need 24," but to actually develop a plan to get from 7 to 24 credits. The messages are always that getting somewhere is better than nowhere and you'll make progress over time. The whole idea is to teach the youth to be self-determined, to problem solve, to self-advocate. 

We often have the youth present their flip charts to other people as they come in the room and we invite people to be on their team, so they are more engaged in leading the process. You know, people told us, you can't do that with this population. I remember a therapist saying to me, "You're going to tell them to dream. You can't tell them to dream." That made me want to do it even more. I was like, "Really? Who are you to say that?”

I found kids to be very engaging. We cry when they tell their history. I never had a really bad thing happen. There was a girl who took off - she literally disappeared for a week or so - but when she came back, she said, "I want to start doing those flip chart papers again." I mean, kids are pretty resilient and they need to know, they need people to be honest with them. So, I think that's how I would describe the RENEW program. 

That process lasts maybe a year or two and has been implemented in schools by school staff as facilitators and by community health providers. We even did the program with some kids who were in the state hospital. It was short-term, because they're getting discharged all the time. It's been helpful for them. One girl even put the flip chart papers up on her hospital room wall so she could look at what she was going to be doing when she left the hospital.

* * * * *

The Janus Project thanks Dr. Malloy for sharing her experiences and reflections with the field. Her persistence demonstrates that evolving and changing goals is not only for the children with whom we spend our professional lives but for ourselves as well.      

The complete conversation with JoAnne Malloy may be found at the following URL:

https://archive.org/details/JoAnneMalloyitem4542

Excerpts from conversations with other contemporary leaders in the field will appear in future issue of Behavior Today.

Regional Services and Membership

Lonna Moline

So....this is my last RSM article. I’m kind of sad.  I have truly enjoyed being the RSM for the last 6 years. I have had so much fun and been truly honored to work with such dedicated professionals. I have learned so much from my involvement. I am always telling people to get involved! Until you are actively engaged, I don’t think you realize how much CCBD has to offer. CCBD is my professional anchor. I have made lifetime friends and always know where to go for support when needed.  I’m not leaving CCBD.  I will continue to be involved at the state level and look for ways to stay actively connected. On to the next adventure!  CCBD for life!!

Julia Linscott will be taking over as RSM. She is from Kentucky and is actively involved with membership within her state. I had the pleasure of meeting her at the CEC Convention in Tampa. We will be working together through the transition. I have no doubt that she will do a fantastic job.  We appreciate her stepping up to the position.

Here is the news from around the Regions

Region 1:          RC – Phyllis Vermilyea         

Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming

Lots of great news for Region 1 – There are new contacts for all but Montana. 

Alaska –2018 Alaska Statewide Special Education Conference:  Why Fit In When You Were Born to Standout?  Feb. 3-9th Anchorage with Linda Chamberlain, Eric Hartwig  Keynotes

Idaho – Held CEC conference on October 5th-6th 2017.  Climbing to New Heights was the theme.  Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray from I’ll Push You and Deborah Lynch were Keynotes

Montana – 2018 Montana CEC Conference on Diverse Abilities:  Reach for the Stars – Reaching and Teaching All Students  Feb. 28-March 2 Missoula   Behavior Strand, Dr. Laurie Barron and Marilyn Friend – Keynotes

Oregon –There are no conferences specifically for Oregon Council of Exceptional Children.  Northwest Positive Behavior Interventions and Support Conference is being held on Feb. 21-23, 2018 in Tacoma.  Central Oregon PBIS Conference is being held April 23, 2018 in Bend, with Dr. Anita Archer as the Keynote Speaker

Washington – Conference was held on Oct. 21, 2017 – Moving Forward:  Current Issues and Climate in Special Education (hosted by CEC, CCBD, CASE and Puget Sound ESD)  Glenna Gallo – Keynote, developed a brochure for recruiting purposes and Amy Okeze, president of WACCBD attended TECBD in Tempe.

Wyoming - Just getting involved with CEC and CCBD

Region 2:          RC – Calli Lewis Chiu    

Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah

Arizona

Arizona held the TECBD conference, October 26th-28th, 2018.

California

California held its annual state conference October 20th-21st, 2018. There were several sessions related to behavior management including sessions on implementing mindfulness in the classroom and positive behavior interventions.

Hawaii

Hawaii does not currently have an active state chapter. If you are interested in activating a state chapter, please contact Calli Lewis Chiu. calliglewis@gmail.com

Nevada

We are happy to announce a new board in Nevada.

Utah

If you are interested in getting involved please contact Calli Lewis Chiu. calliglewis@gmail.com

Region 3:          RC – Soo Ahn

Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota

Iowa - We are still raising efforts to start a state chapter.  Jeanne is heading this with my support.  We are seeing interests so I believe we can start something small end of this year or next school year.

Minnesota-They have a new board and are trying to find the best way to serve members. The last couple networking events had low attendance.

South Dakota - I was in communication with someone is SD about starting something there.  I gave her all the information to start as well as an offer of my support.  She was excited to get started but I have not yet heard back.

Region 4:          RC –Glenna Billingsley 

Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas                                                             

Region 5:          RC – Bev Johns

Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Wisconsin

Regional report for Wisconsin CCBD

Planning is underway for the Wisconsin CCBD Annual Conference which will be held on August 3, 2018! Endless Possibilities: Supports for At Risk Youth conference will be held at the UWW campus August 3rd. We are excited to host Hasan Davis as our keynote speaker. The theme for this year centers on social justice based supports for youth who are at risk and who have been adjudicated. CEUs and graduate credit opportunities will again be available. Cost is only 35.00 and conference participants receive a free copy of Hasanıs latest book and lunch. Their goal is to collaborate with other agencies to deliver the best educator training possible at the lowest cost possible to educators. They also have scholarships available for parents. Election of new officers will occur in March.

News from Indiana CCBD

Indiana has created a comprehensive Strategic Plan and is working to implement it.

Illinois CCBD

Illinois CCBD held their annual Drive In Conference at the Hyatt Lisle on February 2-3, 2018.  Guest speakers were Sheldon Braaten, Rick Van Acker, Gerry Moreno, Ed Cancio, Carla Tantillo-Philibert, and many more.  185 individuals were in attendance.  15 exhibits were present and nine scholarships to attend were awarded to students who were willing to work 3 hours at the conference.  They were a great group. 

At the conference three memberships to CEC and CCBD were awarded. Anyone who joined at the conference received a free CCBD membership.  Three mini-grants for teachers of students were awarded as well.   After the conference, the ILCCBD board met on Saturday evening and Sunday to engage in strategic planning. Their conference for Feb. 2019 is scheduled for Feb.8-9, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency Lisle and a summer conference in downstate Illinois is also being planned.

Ohio CCBD

Ohio CCBD is busy preparing for their annual summer institute which will be held on June 14 and 15, 2018 at Bowling Green State University.  Brookes Vastal is the new President.

Kentucky CCBD

Kentucky held their very successful conference last summer and will have their next conference in 2019.

Michigan CCBD

We have some additional individuals who want to get involved in Michigan CCBD but the President, Matthew Hoge, has not responded to multiple inquiries.

Region 6:          RC – Sonya Harris        

New York, Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey, New England(CT, MA, ME, NH, RI)

Region 7:          RC – Anne Cramer                                                       

Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, DC, West Virginia      

There are currently no active state level organizations across District 7.  My first regional effort was to e-mail all current members seeking people interested in getting involved in an effort to reinvigorate our region.  I have had enthusiastic replies from eight individuals. I am concerned about the very low membership in West Virginia.  We surely have teachers there who need our support, so I hope to connect with someone from West Virginia. The entire group will be meeting via ZOOM later in February.

Region 8:          RC – Clinton Smith

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee

Georgia

The board met last week to iron out the constitution and by-laws. Moving forward, the board and other members who contacted the president, Robert Marsh, felt the best use of the subdivision is to provide professional development for teachers who work with students with EBD (e.g., GNET schools, self-contained programs, juvenile justice). They need to better understand the needs of the teachers/schools/districts who work with these students. So, if you work/consult/collaborate with any programs that serve students with EBD please take some time and find out if  they're interested in collaborating with the Georgia CCBD chapter. If interested,  what are the needs for teacher professional development (e.g., PBIS, characteristics of students with EBD/ Mental health, FBA/BIPs, classroom set up and organization). Please send the results of your informal needs assessment to marsh_rj@mercer.edu

so Robert can aggregate the information and begin to develop and organize professional development opportunities. Hopefully this will help to build a solid relationship between Georgia CCBD and those who we serve.

Region 9:          RC – Kimberly Maich

New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario         

CCBD had a strand of the CEC conference in November. 

Region 10:        RC – Peter Hamilton                

Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory, Quebec -

RSM

Before I sign off, I wanted to encourage people to check and see if there are getting the newsletters and journals from CCBD. There have been numerous errors with the membership lists. Please double check your lists. If you hear from people about problems with membership contact Bryan Reynolds bryanr@cec.sped.org at CEC. He is super helpful and will check the data and make corrections as needed. We don’t want to be missing any of our members!

I leave you with these final notes of wisdom....and hopefully humor. What are you doing in your state to make connections with other CCBD members? YOU NEED THEM! Join the conversation, join the action, join the fun...and make sure to laugh every day.

ANCHORS AWAY!  

We have all experienced it.  A student returns to school following an absence and asks, “Did I miss anything?” As tempted as you might be to reply, “No, we all just sat and talked about how much we missed you.” The reality is that we must set aside time to cover the missed content.  Mobile learning technologies offer solutions that may reduce the time needed to get a student up to speed, and provide students who require more repetition the ability to access materials independently. 

Jingrong, Basham, Marino, and Rice (2018) report positive outcomes for mobile learning among students with disabilities based on their review of 47 studies of mobile learning.  They describe mobile technology in today’s culture as a “dynamic, lightweight, portable, virtual toolbox”, thus supporting social validity relative to using mobile devices, as well as providing the support that students with disabilities often require.  Jingrong et al. further reported that development of multiple literacies through mobile devices could fill an important function in rural, small town and urban settings where maintaining school enrollment can be challenging.  Let’s take a look at a mobile meeting application that can expand the walls of your classroom.  If the mere thought of implementing new technology makes you twitch and itch, hang in there, this really is very simple. 

ZOOM is one of the fastest growing video conferencing apps on the market, with features that make it especially helpful in the classroom setting.  My first experience with ZOOM was in the college classroom when I was asked to connect students from the other side of the state to my live classroom in real time.  Zoom was recommended and supported by my campus so was an easy place to start.  I upgraded the onboard webcam in my laptop by purchasing a mid-grade, external webcam with adjustable field of view up to 1800, HD clarity, and 5x zoom.  To assure clear audio, I purchased a freestanding microphone (Blue Snowball) that could pick up sound from anywhere in a large room.  Don’t let this scare you, both devices plug into USB ports in your computer and away you go.   For smaller groups, your onboard webcam and mic will be just fine.  Within a few minutes, we had the two remote students in our classroom.  They could see and hear us, and we could see and hear them.  During whole class lessons, we only needed my computer in the live classroom, and the remote students connected by smartphone or laptop.  Several weeks in during class, I heard a car horn very close by, and looked around puzzled.  My resident students pointed to the screen and there was one of the remote students driving down the street while listening to the lecture through her car stereo!  While I certainly do not support distracted driving, it was evidence of the portability and stability of ZOOM.  When classroom activities required group discussion, ZOOM quickly sorted students into private breakout rooms with the option of a random assignment, or teacher selected groups.  The students in the resident classroom would then connect to ZOOM through their laptops or smartphones, and discussions or workshops commenced.  I was able to pop in and out of groups to consult and monitor progress.  When I used PowerPoint or streaming video, ZOOM allowed me to share my desktop so participants were able to see and hear everything.  I was pleasantly surprised with how smoothly things were going, especially given how concerned I was in the beginning.  

A month into the semester, we discovered an unexpected, and very valuable benefit to using ZOOM.  One of the resident students texted saying she was sick, but she would like to join class via ZOOM.  A very stuffy-nosed, red-eyed student joined class virtually and was able to participate in all discussion and activities, with the added bonus that she stayed home and kept her virus to herself.  With this year’s dangerous flu season still in full swing, that alone is worth the effort to ZOOM with ill students.  That day launched a new trend that I implemented across all classes.  If a student was not able to come to class, I asked them to ZOOM in.  Absences fell to nearly zero.  Occasionally, someone had an appointment during class time, so I used ZOOM’s built in recording feature, and the student was able to watch the class later.  Recording also provided an opportunity to reflect on my teaching as I could watch a lesson and see things that I didn’t notice in the moment.  I also have a collection of lessons ready to go for future semesters, if I have to miss a class.  Based on this very positive experience, I began to consider other applications for ZOOM in and out of the classroom. 

Classroom Applications:

We are all too familiar with the challenges of attendance when working with students struggling with behavioral and emotional challenges.  ZOOM might be a viable solution for students who miss the bus, oversleep, stay home with the flu, or those who are serving a dreaded out of school suspension.  To start a meeting, simply click “Start with video”, or “Start without video”. To add participants, the meeting originator simply e-mails or texts a link that connects participants to the meeting.  If this is likely to be a regular event, you can save that link as a recurring meeting, name it something appropriate (i.e., Ms. Smith’s Math Class), and participants can use the same code over and over.  It is so simple, even young students can participate in class without being in the classroom.  If they are not able or not willing to ZOOM in, you can record lessons for uploading to your website or viewing when the student returns. 

Consider the options for guest speakers and virtual field-trips.  It is unlikely that the veterinarian at the aquarium 300 miles away will make a personal visit to your classroom, but you could ask for a short ZOOM visit.  When you are studying another part of the world, reach out to a school there and ask if their class would like to do virtual visits with your class.  Invite a favorite author to virtually visit your class.  The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.   

Consultations & Meetings Outside of the Classroom:

ZOOM is a very effective way to pull busy people together for a meeting.  As budgets tighten, specialized practitioners are spread across more schools, making it difficult to schedule team meetings, IEP meetings, and conferences.  While face-to-face is preferable, ZOOM provides a platform for full participation, a far better alternative to not participating at all. 

For some families, taking time off work to attend meetings creates a financial strain that ZOOM can eliminate, while continuing to build trust and relationships with families.  Young families with toddlers and babies at home can participate on ZOOM without having to arrange for childcare and transportation.  ZOOM creates a much more personal interaction than e-mail or phone calls. 

Whether you are consulting with research teams across universities, holding a CCBD committee meetings, or providing professional development webinars for 100 participants, ZOOM will seamlessly connect you.  In large groups, you can mute microphones to eliminate unwanted background noise, and participants can use the chat feature to post questions to the speaker.  When someone misses a meeting, record it and share the video along with the minutes.  Of course, always be sure that all parties are aware that they are being recorded.

When we ZOOM, not only can we share ideas, but we are able to see who is talking at the moment, connect names with faces, and view documents by sharing desktops.  ZOOM is free for basic meetings of less than an hour.   For longer meeting, subscribe to ZOOM Pro for a low monthly fee.  Of course, ZOOM is only one of many video conferencing options.  Do a search, check the reviews, look at the special features and select an option appropriate for your needs.  Conference calls have had their time but give ZOOM a try to check in with an old friend, or have a video visit with your grandchildren.  You’ll see what a difference it makes in a conversation, how simple it is to start, and before you know it, you will be a ZOOM expert.  Share your unique experiences with using ZOOM to expand the walls of your classroom. 

Jingrong, X., Basham, J., Marino, M., & Rice, M. (2018).  Reviewing research on mobile learning in K-12   education settings:  Implications for students with disabilities.  Journal of Special Education Technology, 33, 27-39.

Commentary

He is Our Child, Too

Anne Mong Cramer, Penn State Altoona

February 14, 2018, seventeen young lives cut down by yet another school shooter.  Fourteen additional students were injured.  Terror without end was instilled into the hearts of 3,000 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. America watches, weeps, and prays.  Our hearts break when photos of young, hopeful faces are matched to the seventeen names.  How is this happening AGAIN?  Colliding rhetoric litters social media and the halls of congress as we debate gun control, immigration, and who is to blame.  Many denounce the shooter declaring that they will not utter his name lest it add power and fame to his horrific acts.   As I share the nations grief, I am reminded that he does have a name.  Nikolas Cruz has teachers, psychologists, mental health technicians, case managers, behavior specialists who not only know his name, but they know the backstory of his tangled, shattered life.  They know that he is a victim of failed systems short on resources, education, and time.  They know that behind the dazed eyes, there is another boy. In the days since the shooting, they are wracking their brains wondering what more they could have done?  What sign did they miss on February 13?  What should they have done?  I know this to be true because I too stood helpless and questioning everything as one of my students was taken away to court in shackles, charged with murdering a child.  There was no one for me to talk to about it.  I was alone with my grief for both children and the guilt that I should have seen the signs. 

It is time that we work together to build strong networks so that no teacher of children with emotional and behavioral challenges ever has to sit alone at the end of the day wishing that there was someone to talk with who understands what they do.  No teacher should ever have to say, “There is nothing left to do. I have tried everything.”  No teacher should ever grieve alone the loss of a student to prison or suicide. Teachers and researchers need to find more ways to work together to identify the needs and develop the solutions. 

We know him, this Lakeland boy.  He is one of ours.  He is the face of a thousand children that we commit our life work to, in the hope that we can change their course.  We keep working, researching, studying across a dozen domains in search of answers that would help us say, “It’s okay, we’ve got you,” as we set them gently on a different course.  

Within CCBD, we have the membership to build the support system we all need.  It is time to reach out and connect on local and state levels, not just once a year at the conference, but throughout the year, creating a soft place to land for those in need.  The return on investment of time will benefit us all. 

If you don’t know your regional coordinator, check this link and reach out.  REGIONAL COORDINATORS  We don’t know if we can fix this violent, deadly trend, but we do know that if we continue to do what we’ve been doing, we’ll continue to get exactly what we’ve been getting.  Let’s be part of the solution by addressing the crisis at its source.

We will continue to grieve for the beautiful souls lost at the hand of a shooter on February 14th.   When we hear their names in the days and weeks to come, it will remind us that there is much work to be done, and it cannot wait.  Alyssa Alhadeff, Martin Duque Anguiano, Nicholas Dworet, Jaime Guttenberg, Luke Hoyer, Cara Loughran, Gina Montalto, Joaquin Oliver, Alaina Petty, Meadow Pollack, Helena Ramsay, Alex Schachter, Carmen Schentrup, Peter Wang, Scott Beigel, Aaron Feis, Chris Hixon.  WE WILL REMEMBER!