Feb. 05 csss flyer

The CSSS School
Personalized Classroom Climate .Differentiated Classroom Practices .Prevention .Early Intervention .Family Involvement
Supports for Transition . Community Outreach and Support .Specialized Assistance . Crisis and Emergency Support
Tsunamis, War, Unexpected Death, Loss of a Loved One, etc.
“These events often require a response from the schoolin order to address the children’s developmental needs Grief and Loss
during times of crisis and uncertainty. These crisisperiods can disrupt learning, at a minimum, and also Students experience many kinds of losses, some so have the potential to retard children’s emotional and significant as to lead to grief reactions — a kind of psychological adjustment to the event and impair their personal crisis. Grieving students need to feel school is asafe place to think about and express their loss.
subsequent development.” (Schonfeld, David, Kline, Marsha and Counselors and other school staff need to be prepared to: colleagues at Yale University, “School-Based Crisis Intervention: AnOrganizational Model”, Crisis Intervention, Vol. 1, pp155-166.) 1) Recognize the loss and encourage students to talk about that happened and how they are feeling. (“Tell “If no effort is made to intervene, emotional reactions me what happened.” “I’m so sorry.”) may interfere with a student’s school and home 2) Directly relate the facts and let students know how you performance, can be imminently life threatening, or may feel. (“It hurts to know your mother is dead.”) be the start of long-term psychosocial problems. And 3) Allow student(s) to express reactions and be prepared when a significant portion of the student body is to validate the variety of emotions that will emerge.
affected, major facets of a school functioning are likely When working with groups, validate the feelings to be jeopardised.” (Editor’s emphasis.) expressed even if they seem harsh. Students need tobe told it is O.K. to cry.
4) Be prepared to answer questions directly and sensitively. Relate only the facts of an event you know.
Specialized Assistance and
In discussing death, recognize its finality. (Don’t Crisis and Emergency Support
compare it with sleeping as that leads to sleep This critical element in a functioning Comprehensive Student Support System (CSSS) helps prepare staff to assist 5) When a student is returning to school after a loss, be students whose learning is disrupted by their attention to a sure that classmates have been prepared: what is crisis rather then the instruction being offered. An event may appropriate to say, how they should act. It is critical that not be seen as a crisis by everyone, but if more than one they welcome the student and acknowledge the loss.
person perceives it as such, it is a good idea to review the (This may need to be re-enforced throughout the year.) event and its aftermath against the established criteria. All 6) As a caregiver, don’t forget to take care of yourself — schools have plans in place to address a crisis or especially if you also experience the loss.
emergency while it is happening and immediately afterward;but, to facilitate students’ ability to focus on their learning,planning should also include what to do in the days and Sometimes, class assignments can be used to help Days and Weeks Following a Crisis
If the disruption continues, other steps may be necessary.
It is important to circulate as much ACCURATE information Small group discussion and awareness of individual as possible to minimize disruptions (rumors). It is probably responses provide an opportunity to identify those students best to work with groups of students (class size or smaller) who may need more intensive support.
to allow students to respond and to clarify their feelings.
Possible responses to similar future traumas can be We live in a time where crisis is common and shared world- discussed to help students develop some coping skills.
wide through such mediums as television. To continue toeducate our children means we must also address theirworld in ways to reduce fears so they can attend to our Special Education/Student Support Services Branch
Debra Farmer, Administrator, Special Education For more in-depth discussion and suggested activities to complete a Steve Shiraki, Acting Administrator, Student Support school plan and develop classroom responses, go to the Center for Lois Matsuda, Educational Specialist, CSSS Implementation Mental Health in Schools @ <http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu>. From the
Center’s Clearinghouse, look at A Resource Aid Packet on “Responding IDEA Partnership Grant—Partnerships in Stakeholder Learning, Professional Development
Carolyn Hamada, Educational Specialist, Program and Curriculum
With the urging and support of Irene Igawa from the Hawaii standards, and guidelines for quality training/learning State Teacher Association (HSTA), the Special Education Services Branch submitted a proposal “to build a quality The partnership’s planning group has decided that the initial professional development system that supports the shared activity should focus on “how parents/families and staff can implementation of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act better work together to help all children, including those with (IDEA) through a collaborative partnership.” Hawaii was one disabilities, learn to read.” Reading strategies that support of eleven states to receive a grant.
classroom instruction and are easily supported by parents at The IDEA Partnership Grant is supported by 52 professional home will be taught and modeled in the training. The organizations at the national level. Locally, partners from primary audience will be parents and professionals working HSTA, the Department of Education (DOE), Special with students in grades K-2, while acknowledging that Education Section (SES), Learning Disabilities Association strategies can be adapted for other students. Read Aloud of Hawaii (LDAH), Special Parent Information Network activities and how they build upon students’ knowledge of (SPIN), Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA), the “Big 5” reading components (knowledge of phonemes, University of Hawaii Center on Disability Studies (CDS), phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and Hawaii Families As Allies (HFAA), and teachers have been comprehension) are the venue for presenting the reading meeting since September to develop working agreements, (continued on page 3)
Differentiation is a way of thinking about teaching and learning that
seeks to recognize, learn about, and address the learning needs of allstudents.
When differentiating, teachers use a variety of approaches for curriculum, instruction, and assessment that promote learning opportunities and outcomes across learning environments.
“All young Americans must learn to think mathematically, and they must think mathematically to learn.”
Our students are diverse learners and have various foundation and domain specific vocabulary, and with learning styles and needs. About 5% to 8% of school-age children are considered mathematically disabled. (Geary, Strategy, Knowledge, and Use Difficulties 2004) Many problems students exhibit seem to stem .remembering steps in a strategy, developing self from inadequate teaching, poorly designed curricula, and questioning skills, selecting an appropriate strategy to solve low test scores (National Research Council [NCR], 2001).
David Chard, Ph.D, Director of Special EducationGraduate Studies and Middle/Secondary Education at the Research tell us that these techniques work:
University of Oregon, has been helping district and state • Teacher modeling and student verbal rehearsal tends support staff look at ways to improve math instruction for struggling learners. Dr. Chard’s research and teaching • Providing feedback to students on their effort interests are in the areas of early literacy and positively effects their performance and is mathematics skills for students at-risk of school failure.
The following are some basic ideas on effective • Cross-age tutoring holds promise especially when instructional strategies for mathematics shared by Dr.
• Teaching students how to use visuals and multiple Diverse learners often experience difficulty in four
representations to solve problems is beneficial.
areas:
Instruction should be planned and designed to:
• Develop student understanding from the concrete to .remembering key principles, understanding critical features of a concept, and attending • Present examples that move from simple to complex.
to irrelevant features of a concept or problem.
• Teach concepts/skills from single to multiple facets.
Background Knowledge Deficits.a lack of early number sense, inadequate instruction in • Move from structured to more open-ended problems.
key concepts, skills, and strategies, and a lack of fluency • Scaffold support from teacher to peer to independent For more information regarding differentiation of mathematics,
.problems in distinguishing important symbols, with contact your District/Complex Mathematics Resource Teacher and/or
Carolyn Hamada at 733-4832, or email via lotus notes.
Comprehensive School Alienation Program
“A Model to Better Serve the Alienated or At-Risk Student in the Context of School Redesign”
Russell Yamauchi, Educational Specialist
As secondary schools work to redesign themselves, two counselor to provide counseling services. Such an approach questions surface: how to better serve at-risk students and Rigorous, relevant curriculum and instruction from The purpose of CSAP is to serve those students at-risk of teachers trained in the content areas utilizing varied school failure, dropping out of school, not meeting the instructional strategies: i.e., individual, group, cooperative required performance standards or high school graduation learning, and/or project-based. The concept of teaming requirements. While CSAP has been successful for many impacts curriculum and instruction through the integration students, many more are in need of these services. With of the curriculum, and teaching and learning strategies.
that concern in mind, a program model is being offered to Teaming enhances instruction since teachers and help schools in their planning for at-risk students.
students work together toward common goals. Core-content area teachers meet the “highly qualified” teacher CSAP is an integral component of the Comprehensive Student Support System (CSSS), Array of Services. It A personalized, caring and safe environment where provides appropriate counseling and instructional support relationships are developed. Teams can enhance services to assist identified at-risk students. Successful relationship building between students and teachers, programs for at-risk students incorporate: address the development of social skills, and foster a • Committed leadership with a shared vision and shared sense of belonging to the school to minimize school alienation. They have the flexibility to create a “system of • Various stakeholders and partnerships (families, support” through advisor-advisee and adult advocacy programs, and through counseling services.
Smaller learning communities such as academies or • A focus on the overall well-being of the student school-within-a-school arrangements. Suggested Academies: Computer and Technology, Urban • Participation as a choice to students and parents Architecture, Civic Affairs, Environmental Studies, Travel • High expectations of student in academics and and Tourism Industry, Performing Arts and Culture, Ocean Studies and Marine Science; themes are limited only by • Rigorous, relevant, and authentic curriculum and • Caring and highly qualified staff members In addition, the model allows more students to be serviced by CSAP. (Nearly 70%-80% of identified students can be • Out-of-classroom experiences and authentic learning serviced in Special Motivation Class (SMC) programs; the • Smaller learning communities with safe, caring remainder can be serviced in Alternative Learning Center (ALC) programs with additional intensive support services to • Counseling for self-development and for specific needs To ensure success of the core-team model, it is important • Supportive relationships and youth advocates • Restructure the personnel resources to address the needs of more at-risk students as indicated by each school’s • Continuous student and program evaluation CSAP data and to align with school’s SID. (Two teachersare the basic personnel requirements for a team).
The model for CSAP is a core-team approach based on
• Provide continuous professional development activities to the framework developed in “Breaking Ranks, Changing An
improve the skills and knowledge of the CSAP personnel American Institution” and “Turning Points”. A core-team so they are able to meet the ever-changing needs of at- includes content teachers (language arts, math, social studies, and science), a reading specialist, and an outreach • Continuously evaluate the program and assess student data as an integral part of the system of accountability.
IDEA Partnership Grant
CSAP continues to seek viable options to provide for our at- (continued from page 2)
risk youth and to ensure that they meet the requirements ofthe standards and high school graduation, and to provide Design work on the training sessions is about to begin, with them with a sense of hope for their future.
completion of modules and pilot sessions expected by June2005. It is the intent of this grant to involve teachers,parents, and partner agencies in providing parents and For further information on the the model, refer to DOE caregivers with skills and strategies to support children’s Memos and Notices, August 31, 2004, Redesigning CSAP reading skills and achievement in school. To learn more about this initiative, contact Carolyn Hamada at 733-4832.
TBI Consulting Team…
Developing Capacity with an
Exceptional Group of People
Bess Tanabe, Neurotraining Therapist
The Neurotraining Therapy Program hasbeen building capacity and expertise withindistricts through the development of TBIConsultants. Members come from alldisciplines: regular education teachers,SPED teachers, resource teachers,occupational therapists (OT’s), physicaltherapists (PT’s), speech-languagetherapists, student services coordinators(SSC’s), counselors, psychologists, as wellas from outside agencies and departments,such as Brain Injury Association of Hawaii,and Department of Health, Early Interventionand Developmental Disabilities Services.
1st row L-R: BobbieJo Tadeo-Moniz, Emi Isaki, Bess Tanabe, Jeaneen Tang, Kathy Maemori2nd row: Susan Rocco, Patty Leahey, Ellen Osbourn, Ann Glang; LiAnn (Berman) Shigemi, Sharon Souza, Katrina Niwa, Kelly Knudsen, Valerie Kamemoto commitment. They have the approval of their 3rd row: Merrill Uno, Margaret Wada, Morris Kaneshiro, Lee Cramer, John Williams supervisor to be a part of this team, but workas part of the TBI Consulting Team is beyond their normalduties. The Consultants feel the information gained through Team Members
Supervisior/Cooperating Agency
this training will enhance their ability to work with all students, not just those with a traumatic brain injury.
Training is conducted on Saturdays and after school hours so as not to interfere with regular duties. The development Jill Yoshimoto, Mokihana Project, Director of the TBI Consultants includes three phases: • Phase I (Initial Training): Team members attend a series of workshops on working with students with TBI.
• Phase II (Mentorship): Team members pair with State Neurotraining Therapist and provide consultation with in- service training to educators in their districts (if the TBI Consultant Team Member is available).
• Phase III (Ongoing Support): Team members work independently, accessing technical assistance as needed from State Neurotraining Therapist.
Currently team members are working together with the State Neurotraining Therapist assisting schools with students with Piilani Koonce, Ph.D., Wailuku El., Principal A big “Mahalo” goes to Duwayne Abe, Salt Lake El., Principal,
who has allowed the Saturday training at his school. Mr. Abe
Sue Brown, DOH, Earyl InterventionSection, Supervisor has personally opened the school library and helped set up the
room at 6:00am on Saturday. It is truly wonderful to see
parents, school personnel, districts, state resources, and outside
agencies joining together.
Cancer Workshop
The unique educational needs of childhood
Learning difficulties may arise immediately after brain surgery
cancer are often not understood or
or as late as 2-3 years after radiation. Problems may be noted
anticipated. Treatments such as brain
in mathematics, spatial relationships, memory, problem
radiation, high doses of systemic
solving, attention span and concentration skills. It is important
methotrexate and brain surgery used to save lives sometimes
that parents and educators remain alert to potential for
affect school performance. In addition to these treatments,
learning problems to allow for quick intervention.
learning potential can be impacted by tumor growth, numerous
To help educators understand the unique needs of childhood
or lengthy hospitalizations, persistent fatigue, hearing or vision
cancer, a workshop is being planned with Kapiolani . For more
loss, fine or gross motor impairments, and social-emotional
information please call the Neurotraining Therapy Program at
difficulties.
735-8250 X-238.
Special Education Literacy
Pattie Nichols, Educational Specialist,
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the schools for working so diligently on improving their Felix Benchmark Data.
Mahalo Nui Loa!
Training and Presentations
Pilot Projects
The special education literacy resource teachers (RTs) have We currently are involved in two pilot projects. The spent the first semester training the new special education Research Action Pilot Project, in conjunction with the teachers in the use of the Stanford Diagnostic Reading University of Hawaii’s Special Education Department, is a Assessment, the Hawaii Content Performance Standards year long project at Kalihi-waena Elementary. The project and various reading strategies. The RTs have also been establishes an after-school reading lab for struggling readers conducting mini-workshops at individual schools addressing in first through third grade. During the twice weekly reading school level reading needs. They have focused on the lab, comprehension strategies are taught and modeled to UH interpretation of SDRT scores, suggestions and sample students, who in turn teach the strategies to the Kalihi- databases for improving the Felix Benchmarks.
waena students. In addition, UH students are trained to usea scientifically research based, multisensory, structured In October, 300 special and regular education teachers, reading program to remediate students’ specific deficits in speech pathologists, District and State level personnel, phonics. After the tutoring sessions, UH students meet with educational assistants, and parents attended a Multisensory the mentor RTs to debrief and plan for the following session.
Workshop conducted by Arlene Sonday. Ms. Sonday This is a win-win situation for the Kalihi-waena students as provided the workshop participants with a method to assess well as for the DOE. While improving individual student a student’s knowledge of phonics and how to teach phonics reading skills, the DOE is also mentoring UH students who are soon to be teaching in our schools.
Literacy Resource Teachers will also be presenting at the In the second pilot, beginning in February, volunteer teachers Private School Preschool to Grade 2 and Middle School who attended the multisensory workshops will be provided Conferences in February, and at the SPIN Conference in with additional training and strategies for working with their struggling readers. Data will be collected to comparestudent achievement with students in Reading First Website Coming
We are in the process of building a website for publicaccess that will contain reading strategies to be used priorto, during or after reading. The website is a work in progress Schools interested in assistance from their Literacy Resource Teachers can contact Pattie Nichols or which will eventually have vignettes of teachers modeling the use of the various reading strategies. Upon completion,the website will be found at spedlit.k12.hi.us.
“Start-Up”
Social Workers’ Conference
PSAP Transitional Support for Students and Families
March 11, 2005
“Kindergarten is the place in which children make important conclusions Japanese Cultural Center
about school as a place where they want to be and about themselves aslearners. If no other objectives are accomplished it is essential that the transition to school occur in such a way that children and families have apositive view of the school and that children have a feeling of perceived Included in the agenda:
competences as learners.” (Bailey in Pianta, 1999, p.xv) • Dr. Paul Ban, Director, Student
Support Services Branch:
Hawaii District Primary School Adjustment Project (PSAP) provides the A discussion on Act 51
community with information, activities and personal assistance when • Mr. Harvey Lee and others from
transitioning preschoolers to kindergarten.
Pacific Resources for Education and
Before the start of school, PSAP networks with local preschool providers.
Learning (PREL):
They provide brochures and presentations about transition. Staff members participate and assist parents or children in an orientation to the school with a brief presentation about PSAP services.
Initiated by PSAP is a “Welcome to School” bag given to the family of each incoming kindergartener. The bag contains information about preparing the child for kindergarten, the importance of play, a list of key school personnel, a pad, pencil and sticker for the child.
The Primary School Adjustment Project (PSAP) provides encouragement and support services to young children with social, emotional, or behavioral difficulties, to help each child function more effectively to learn in the classroom, school, and community. It is a kindergarten through grade 3, school-based prevention and early intervention programin every elementary school throughout the state. CiviConnections Presents: Wai’anae Intermediate School’s Service-Learning Project
Litia C. Ho, Waianae Intermediate School CiviConnections Coordinator
“POI to the World”
“Obesity rates have doubled in children and tripled in adolescents over the last two decades, with one in
seven young people now obese and one in three now overweight.”
The Honolulu Advertiser, Newspaper in Education: September 2004 For the past five months a total of 120 seventh and eighth graders On the Leeward coast, a large population of Native Hawaiians is have been actively involved in “Poi to the World”, a civic education dealing with numerous health-related problems stemming from project in their social studies classes. The unit of study revolved poor dietary choices - the typical American diet such as double around the past, present, and future dietary issues of Wai’anae’s cheeseburgers, large French fries, and extra large milkshakes rather than the traditional staple foods such as taro (poi), sweetpotatoes, breadfruit, and yams. Students researched the cause A health census was taken last year ranking Hawaii as the fourth and effect of these dietary choices and the factors contributing to healthiest state in the nation. Hawaii is even known as the Health the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other nutrition-related State. Yet, Native Hawaiians are not included in the category of healthiest residents. More recent immigrants (Asians andCaucasians) are the ones most long-lived, having the lower rates These W.I.S. students volunteered their personal time before of many chronic diseases. Sadly, the Native Hawaiian people school, during school, after-school, and on weekends, to have the worst health in the nation with one of the highest obesity accomplish their mission. Their awareness led to examining eating trends and finding pro-active solutions to their community’s Menus from local health food diners and fastfood drive-thrus were examined. A number ofselected dietary texts assisted students with theircollection of facts and figures for the communitysurvey and for their final research report.
Additional hours were spent preparing service-learning activities that included an Open Houseinformational booth, a Veteran’s Day communitybooth, a Thanksgiving Canned Goods Drive, aFall Fest informational booth, and The Institutefor Human Services donation food drive.
CiviConnections
.is a program funded by The Corporation for National and Of course, the project would not have fared as well without the Community Service Learn and Serve America that promotes generous support of our community partners: service-learning (an educational method which engages young • Vince Dodge, ‘Ai Pohaku Workshop Coordinator people in service to their communities as a means of enriching • Poki’i Magallenes, Ke Ola Mamo educator their academic learning, promoting personal growth, and helping • Cynthia Rezentes, Wai’anae Coast Neighborhood Board them to develop the skills needed for productive citizenship).
• Jennifer Dang, Honolulu Advertiser’s Newspaper in CiviConnections has given four teachers and 120 students an opportunity to truly make a difference in the lives of others as well • Gerald Shintaku, Kraft Foods distributor as in their own lives. Reaching out to the Wai’anae community by sharing with their families what they learned about historical eating • Suzy Okino, State of Hawaii Nutrition Branch habits and the issue of eating a healthy and balanced diet increases • Margot Schrire, Institute for Human Services coordinator awareness in making the right food choices.
• Mark and Ronda Teruya, Senior Resources of Hawaii This project demonstrates implementation of the ComprehensiveStudent Support System (CSSS) critical element of Community A Very Special Mahalo.
Outreach and Support. It provides evidence of W.I.S. addressing A few days before our winter break, Mark and Ronda Teruya,
one of Act 51' s three primary goals for students: academic Senior Resources of Hawaii, generously donated $6,000 to
achievement, safety and well being, and civic responsibility.
cover the entire cost to send four students and two teachers
Using both the National Social Studies Standards and the Hawaii’s to the 16th Annual National Service-Learning Conference:
Content and Performance Standards in Social Studies, numerous Educating for Change, in Long Beach, California. It is the
hours were spent planning. These standards served as guidelines largest gathering of youth from the service-learning field,
for multifaceted lessons based on the project’s focus and creatively drawing nearly 2,500 attendees from across the nation and
woven into the Pacific Island and the American History units of 18 other countries. They both believe Wai’anae Intermediate
students are demonstrating what it is to be a pro-active
citizen today and will eventually lead them to a healthy
Each activity was fully supported by our “behind the scenes” lifestyle as a senior citizen of their community.
administrators and staff to whom we owe our gratitude.

Source: http://sssb.k12.hi.us/csss/feb.%2005.pdf