West Potomac High School

1. PBS and Character Education West Potomac High School

2. Presented by: • Aaron Engley, Assistant Principal • Carrie Jones, School Social Worker and PBS Coach • Garrett Hubbard, PBS Team Co-Leader

3. West Potomac High School

4. Northern Virginia, just south of Alexandria in Fairfax County. • Located between Route 1 and the Potomac River. • South of the beltway that circles Washington, D.C. • Our neighboring school is T.C.Williams, made famous by the movie Remember the Titans. Where Are We?

5. Approximately 3,000 students and 250 staff members come to West Potomac daily. • We have two magnet programs in our school - the Academy (600 students) and Pulley (90 students). • More than 300 courses are offered, including 23 AP courses. • Our graduation rate is 90%, and 92% of those students pursue postsecondary education. Who Are We?

6. We are Diverse in every way. Culture Religion Language Ability Special Needs Socio-economic status Urban/suburban

7. 2,057 students attend West Potomac. • 56% of students come from minority backgrounds. • 35% qualify for the free/reduced meals program. • Students represent more than 66 different countries and speak more than 40 languages. • 8% of students are full-time participants in the program for English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

8. Why PBS and Character Education? Disrespectful school climate Discipline problems 2003: 2386 Office Referrals 541 Suspensions/Expulsions Apathy/Tardiness/Truancy Low test scores Staff/administration turnover Lack of community involvement

9. What did we want our School to be like? • Responsible, respectful, caring community • High academic achievement • Appreciative of differences • Few discipline problems • Cohesive, supportive learning community • Community involvement • Attractive facilities

10. PBS At West Potomac • 2004-2005: Achieved Buy-In and Partial Implementation • 2005-2006: Full Implementation • August 2006: Staff Presentation to maintain buy-in • 2006-Present: Full Implementation

11. BUY-IN • The following slides are some of the information that was provided to staff in order to achieve buy-in. • Administrative Support was critical during this process.

12. Gallop Poll: Positive WorkEnvironments Create working environments where employees… (Buckingham & Coffman 2002, Gallup) 1. Know what is expected 2. Have materials and equipment to do job correctly 3. Receive recognition each week for good work 4. Have supervisor who cares & pays attention 5. Receives encouragement to contribute and improve 6. Can identify person at work who is “best friend” 7. Feel mission of organization makes them feel like their jobs are important 8. See people around them committed to doing a good job 9. Feel like they are learning new things (getting better) 10. Have the opportunity to do their job well.

13. The goal of PBS is to. . . Reduce challenging student behavior through a proactive, positive, and consistent manner across all school settings and Improve academic achievement and social competence

14. Tertiary Prevention: Specialized Individualized Systems for Students with High-Risk Behavior CONTINUUM OF SCHOOL-WIDE INSTRUCTIONAL & POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT ~5% Secondary Prevention: Specialized Group Systems for Students with At-Risk Behavior ~15% Primary Prevention: School-/Classroom- Wide Systems for All Students, Staff, & Settings ~80% of Students

15. What does School-Wide PBS Look Like? • >80% of students can tell you what is expected of them & give behavioral examples • Positive adult-to-student interactions exceed negative • Function based behavior support is foundation for addressing problem behavior • Data- & team-based action planning & implementation are operating • Administratorsare active participants • Full continuum of behavior support is available to all students

16. How could we change the school climate? • Establish ROAR Committee: Responsibility, On-Time, Achievement and Respect. • Build meaningful relationships between students and faculty. • Implement Professional Ethical Learning Communities • Develop school service learning program.

18. ROAR Committee • Comprised of administrators, teachers and staff that represent numerous departments and areas, including counselors, parent liaisons, bus drivers, security, specialists, and students. • Meets monthly after school, averaging about 10 attendees each meeting.

19. ROAR Initiatives • ROAR Cards • Lesson Plans • School-Wide Activities • New Discipline Referral Form • Level 1 and Level 2 Referrals • Check-In Check-Out System • Media and Student Involvement

20. Responsibility On-Time Achievement Respect West Potomac High School We have a responsibility to be on time and prepared, to achieve at a high level and to be respectful of all.

21. ROAR Cards • Positive Reinforcement System • Teachers provides student with a card when they exemplify one of our core values. • Cards are drawn every week and students/teachers receive recognition • Quarterly ROAR Assemblies are held to recognize all students that have received cards.

22. ROAR Assembly

23. Lesson Plans • Topics have included: ROAR values, Citizenship, Tolerance, Generosity, Perseverance • Lessons are taught through the use of video, activities, class discussion, and writing prompts.

24. School-Wide Activities • Club and Activities Fair • Passport to Success • Mix It Up • Career Fair • Lesson Plans • ROAR Assemblies • Staff Tailgates and Focus Groups • Service Learning

25. Discipline Initiatives • Amended Referral Form • Created Level 1 and Level 2 Referrals • Track referral and attendance data monthly • Currently creating a check-in check-out system

26. Student Involvement and Media • ROAR slides are posted on Channel 6 • ROAR reps share info with PTSA • Student newspaper and tv show cover ROAR initiatives • ROAR included in Student Planner • SGA/Club representatives on ROAR committee and support initiatives as well as create their own.

27. Data • Referral and attendance data is reviewed monthly • Data kept on ROAR Card recipients and teachers who provided them • Staff and Student surveys will be completed in November • Staff focus groups will take place on Nov.3 • SET, TIC and BoQ

28. Barriers • Maintaining staff buy-in • Funding for activities • Working lessons and initiatives into the school schedule • Getting students more involved

29. SET and BoQ • SET: May 0f 2007 Implementation Average – 92% • TIC: May of 2008 73.68% Completed 26.32% In Progress • BoQ: May of 2008 Total Score – 69%

30. PBS Data: 2003-200852% decrease in office referrals 74% decrease in suspensions/expulsions

31. Paradigm Shifts we’re seeing… We’ve noticed a gradual change in focus from: • Aggressive disrespect to an appreciation of manners, respect and excellence. • “Us against them” to shared, thoughtful collaborative relationships between students and staff. • Emphasis on teaching to an emphasis on learning. • “Do what I say” to “understand why it is important for you to do this.” • “It’s someone else’s fault” to assumption of responsibility.

32. Plan for 2008-2009 • Continue current initiatives • Increase student and staff involvement • Collaborate with new Dean of Students on attendance concerns and establish check-in check-out system.