OSSI September Newsletter: School Climate

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 09/06/2019 01:00 PM PDT

OSSI’s monthly newsletter provides accessible resources and connects readers to best practices at the state, regional, and local level that are improving student outcomes. Do you have a story to share? Let us know about it!

FOCUS: School Climate

September 2019

Setting the Stage: When we talk about school climate
Reaching Students with Difficult Behaviors: Tier 3 PBIS Behavior Supports
Capturing Student Voice Through Listening Circles: a K-12 strategy
Healthy Youth Survey
What to Watch: Check out 4 of our favorite videos
What We're Listening to: Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers podcast espisode 142 on trauma-informed teaching
Mark Your Calendars!
Call for Continuous Improvement Partners!
Tips & Tools
Behavior Menu of Best Practices and Strategies 2019
WA Council's Fall Workshops- it's not too late to sign up!
Inclusionary Practices Professional Development Project!
Suicide Research Study – School Counselor Input Needed
Sept. is Attendance Awareness Month: We Belong in School

Setting the Stage: When we talk about school climate

School climate refers to the quality and character of school life. School climate is based on patterns of students', parents', and school personnel's experience of school life and reflects norms, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, teaching and learning practices, and organizational structures.

National School Climate Center: https://www.schoolclimate.org/

Reaching Students with Difficult Behaviors: Tier 3 PBIS Behavior Supports

by Lee Collyer, MSW, Program Supervisor, Special Education Services, OSPI

Nationally, between 1989 and 2013, the percentage of students with disabilities who were in a general education class for 80 percent or more of the school day increased from about 32 percent to nearly 62 percent. Special-education advocates have been pushing for the change — especially for students who have mild to moderate disabilities. Some research shows as many as CLICK HERE to continue reading

Capturing Student Voice Through Listening Circles: a K-12 strategy

The following article and research study take a look at capturing student voice when improving school climate.

Student Engagement and Voice in SEL and School Climate Systems

Short-term Impacts of Student Listening Circles on Student Perceptions of School Climate and of Their Own Competencies

Healthy Youth Survey

What to Watch: Check out 4 of our favorite videos

WATCH NOW: De-Escalation Spaces: Helping Students Manage Emotions

Including your SRO on the PBIS team!

WATCH NOW: Feel good video of high school students and their SRO

What We're Listening to: Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers podcast espisode 142 on trauma-informed teaching

Mark Your Calendars!

GATE Webinars Sept. 11th
101: Behavior Basics 10:00
201: Using the Tiered Fidelity Instrument 3:00

Wa Council Fall School Counselor Workshops: September 9-19

World Suicide Prevention Day Conference September 10

“Policy and Proactive Approaches to Support Positive Behavior” Training Sept 30 ESD 113

Teaching Tolerance's Social Justice Teaching 101 workshop October 30th- $60 includes lunch and clock hours

GATE Advisory October 8th
GATE Webinar October 9th
GATE Webinar November 13th

Call for Continuous Improvement Partners!

Continuous Improvement Partners (CIPs) are contractors that provide coaching and assistance to districts that have been identified for additional support. Partners are educational specialists in key content areas who provide technical assistance, professional learning, and coaching support as members of a district's Coordinated Support Team. OSPI has offered a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for CIPs for 2019-2021, the final two years of the first implementation cycle.

OSPI is looking for CIPs with expertise in the following areas:

English Learners (EL)
Special Education/Students with Disabilities (SPED/SWD)
English Language Arts (ELA)
Mathematics
Science
Alternative/Reengagement Schools
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)
Data Support

To learn more and submit a proposal, visit the Competitive Procurements page on the OSPI website.

Tips & Tools

Looking for a curriculum to help students cope with stress, communicate effectively, and learn the skills to refuse drugs and alcohol? The Botvin LifeSkills Curriculum can help. A pply for a grant by Oct 3!

Download Mental Health America's 2019 Back to School Toolkit for tools to help to increase understanding of stress & loneliness in children and teens.

The 13 Dimensions of School Climate Measured by the CSCI

Develop a Schoolwide Behavior Support System

US Department of Education School Climate Surveys
PBIS School Climate Survey

Check out Re-imagining Migration’s Learning Arc to help frame your approach to the school year with your new knowledge and understanding.

Behavior Menu of Best Practices and Strategies 2019

WA Council's Fall Workshops- it's not too late to sign up!

Workshops provide school counselors and college access providers with important updates on college admissions and career/college readiness. CLICK for Information and Registration. We hope to see you there!

Inclusionary Practices Professional Development Project!

During the 2019 Washington Legislative session, Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1109 (ESHB 1109) passed, which provided $25,000,000 to OSPI over fiscal years 2020 ($10M) and 2021 ($15M) to implement professional development in support of inclusionary practices for students with disabilities. To support the Inclusionary Practices Professional Development Project goals of increased access to core instruction in general education settings, OSPI has initiated a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit proposals from consultants interested in collaborating on a two-year project to plan, implement, and evaluate comprehensive statewide professional development as part of a larger state inclusion implementation. Supports may include activities such as coaching/mentoring, professional learning communities (PLCs), stipends for participating in professional development, substitute costs, travel costs, and per diems. Target audiences include district and school leaders, general and special educators and instructional support staff, and families and students eligible for special education services.

Suicide Research Study – School Counselor Input Needed

A research team from the University of Central Florida is exploring school counselors’ experience with suicide assessments, intervention and death of a student by suicide. CLICK HERE for more information and survey until September 30, 2019. Information from this study will be used to increase understanding of the school counselors’ experiences and perceived needs related to student suicide. Direct questions to coordinator Jaimie Stickl Haugen

Sept. is Attendance Awareness Month: We Belong in School

Attendance Works Improving Conditions for Learning Webinar Ad

Our focus this year is on creating schools where children & families feel they belong.

Creating a positive school climate is essential for supporting students to attend. Visit the redesigned OSPI website for resources and tools to support your attendance efforts at www.k12.wa.us/attendance and register for the Attendance Works webinar on Improving Conditions for Learning here.

ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to transform K-12 education to a system that is centered on closing opportunity gaps and is characterized by high expectations for all students and educators. We achieve this by developing equity-based policies and supports that empower educators, families, and communities.

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