2021 Annual VTPBIS Virtual Forum
Thursday, October 7, 2021
9:00am-3:00pm
Fee for virtual event is now $80
While we wanted to gather in person, with the uncertainty of COVID this fall, we have decided to hold this event virtually, on Zoom. We are still excited to be with exploring, new, and experienced VTPBIS schools for a day of learning, sharing, and celebrating.
Please save your confirmation email after you register. You will receive links to all sessions on October 1st.
Agenda:
8:45-9:00 – Log in and check your virtual set-up
9:00-10:15 – Opening Remarks and Acknowledgements – VTPBIS State Team
Keynote Presentation: PBIS: The Next Generation…Establishing Equitable Practices in a New Era – Kent McIntosh
10:30-12:00 – Workshop Session 1:
A. CANCELLED! – Introduction to PBIS: This session is for individuals and school teams exploring PBIS implementation in their schools. There will be a focus on the key features of PBIS, including how to infuse equity from the start. The networking session (12:45 – 1:15) will provide direction around the readiness steps for implementation. Intended Audience: Ideally, this workshop will be of benefit to school teams (including administrators) from schools who are not yet implementing PBIS but are interested in learning more. Other individuals who want to learn about PBIS are also welcome. Presenters: VTPBIS State Team Members
B. CANCELLED! – VTPBIS Coordinators Learning and Networking Session (offered in the morning and afternoon): This session for Vermont PBIS School and SU/SD Coordinators will allow for reflection and planning around VTPBIS work. Learn about how PBIS in Vermont has evolved over the past year and what’s new for schools and SUs/SDs. Hear about embedding equity, integrating SEL and SEL screening, and new tools and resources. Spend some time planning 1-2 takeaway measurable action steps. Intended Audience: VTPBIS School and SU/SD Coordinators. Administrators are also welcome. Presenters: Representatives from the VTPBIS State Team
C. Enhancing PBIS in a New Era: Is your school stuck in a PBIS implementation dip? Come to this session to learn about tools and strategies to help your team revitalize your PBIS Action Plan so you can walk away with a “tool-kit” of strategies and skills necessary to support staff in PBIS features. Teams will learn about what’s new in the evolution of the PBIS framework with a significant emphasis on systems, data, and practices that have equity at the center. Intended Audience: Teams of at least two people representing VTPBIS schools. Presenter: Rebecca Lallier, VTPBIS Coach/Trainer
D. Discussing Race, Racism, and Current Events with Students and Staff: The murders of George Floyd and many other Black individuals in 2020 brought into focus longstanding racial injustices and the importance of discussing race and racism in classrooms and among staff. However, many educators may feel discomfort in discussing race and not know how to facilitate constructive dialogues. This session will introduce a systematic process and tools to help make discussions productive, prevent challenges, and support all students and staff to feel safe and recognized. Intended Audience; All participants are welcome to attend this session. Presenter: Kent McIntosh, Co-Director, National PBIS Center
E. Circles of Support: A Restorative Approach to Staff Wellness: A restorative approach involves principle-based processes and practices that can be applied to help things go right as well as respond when things go wrong. Participants of this session will have an opportunity to participate in a circle of support for educators, identify key features/principles of restorative approaches, and develop action steps to bring a circle of support back to their school staff. Intended Audience: All school personnel. Presenter: Jon Kidde, VTPBIS Coach/Trainer
F. Enhancing your PBIS Implementation through an Interconnected Systems Framework. During our time together we will explore how an Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF) is really your current PBIS framework with enhanced features to ensure mental health integration. You will leave with an understanding of which features will be enhanced and what an ISF looks like at both the school and district levels. Intended audience: School/district personnel who have basic knowledge and experience with PBIS implementation. Presenter: Ami Flammini, LCSW, Technical Assistance & Training Director, Midwest PBIS Network
G. Engaging All Families in School-Wide PBIS: This workshop will apply a diversity, equity and inclusion lens to invite and welcome the engagement of all families in school-wide PBIS. Participants will learn how to use assessment tools to identify barriers to engagement and strategies to create a partnership with families. Topic-based discussion groups and activities will provide participants with the opportunity to collaborate with others and create tangible ideas to implement with their schools. Intended Audience: District and school administrators, all school staff members. Presenters: Lauralee Keach, VTPBIS Coach/Trainer; and Abby Hill-Armell, Behavior Facilitator at Orchard School
H. Universal Screening for Behavior and Implications for Interventions: This workshop will provide an overview of the benefits of Universal Screening in a PBIS school. We will explore how Universal Screening promotes early identification of children at risk and planning for proactive and preventative practices, the systems needed to implement Universal Screening, and the process of matching results with proactive and preventative practices. Participants will hear from representatives of the Mount Abe Union Supervisory District VTPBIS about their use of Universal Screening tools and implications for using these tools to support students in their schools and district-wide. Intended Audience: School and SU Leadership Team members, school counselors, social and behavioral support staff. Presenters: Kym Asam, VTPBIS Coach/Trainer; and Catrina DiNapoli, Assistant Superintendent, Mount Abe Union Supervisory District and members of the MAUSD Social Emotional Learning Team
12:00-12:45 – LUNCH ON YOUR OWN
12:45-1:15 – (Optional. No pre-registration necessary) VTPBIS Ignite Sessions or Team Time
Ignite Sessions: Getting to PBIS Readiness (for exploring schools) (CANCELLED!); Rule 4500, SWIS, Team-Initiated Problem Solving (TIPS), Restorative Approaches Networking
1:30-3:00 – Workshop Session 2:
I. Facilitating Impactful Staff Meetings That Create Community and Build Resilience: As one of the few times that school faculties come together, staff meetings set the tone for school climate. Effective school leaders must seize this opportunity to build a positive school culture that moves the school’s mission forward while promoting a cohesive school community. This workshop will focus on how to use discussion protocols and restorative practices to strengthen staff relationships, provide equity of voice, and build resilience, while still moving school initiatives forward. Participants will leave this workshop with concrete strategies and tools for reinvigorating their school’s staff meetings. Intended Audience: Anyone who facilitates meetings. Presenter: Rick Dustin-Eichler, Principal, Dothan Brook School
J. VTPBIS Coordinators Learning and Networking Session (offered in the morning and afternoon): This session for Vermont PBIS School and SU/SD Coordinators will allow for reflection and planning around VTPBIS work. Learn about how PBIS in Vermont has evolved over the past year and what’s new for schools and SUs/SDs. Hear about embedding equity, integrating SEL and SEL screening, and new tools and resources. Spend some time planning 1-2 takeaway measurable action steps. Intended Audience: VTPBIS School and SU/SD Coordinators. Administrators are also welcome. Presenters: Representatives from the VTPBIS State Team
K. CANCELLED! – Exploring an Effective PBIS Leadership Team Process for Examining Equity Data: The JFK Elementary Leadership team has developed a format for their Leadership meetings based on the TIPS protocol (Team-Initiated Problem Solving). Within these meetings, they look at specific structures of their system and the related data. During the 2020-21 school year, an important piece of their School-Wide Information System (SWIS) data they have begun to review is their Equity data. In this workshop, the JFK Leadership Team will share their meeting format and model a meeting looking at their equity data. Intended audience: School PBIS coordinators, School leadership team members, any grade level. Presenters: Amanda Babcock, VTPBIS State Team; and the JFK PBIS Leadership Team
L. CANCELLED! – VT Classroom Behavior Practice Coach (CBPC) “Back to Basics” Booster: During this session we will (a) share national resources related to classroom PBIS practices, (b) discuss coaching functions that support classroom implementation, (c) celebrate current coaching efforts, (d) problem solve common barriers, and (e) discuss next steps for CBPC in VT. Intended Audience: Individuals who have been trained in the CBPC model from 2016-2020. Presenters: Brandi Simonsen, Co-Director, National PBIS Center; and Lauralee Keach, VTPBIS Coach/Trainer
M. CANCELLED! – Conducting FBAs/BSPs with a Restorative Lens: PBIS can be seen as an “umbrella” to hold effective practices. The VTPBIS State Team has long supported both FBA and restorative practices. During various trainings (Universal, Targeted, and Intensive) Jon and Jeremy began to have transparent conversations about the overlap and integration of restorative practices and the FBA process. The potential for each practice to inform and enhance the other became clear as they learned from each other. This workshop is offered to share their learning with you but also to create a shared learning environment for practitioners of either or both practices to share their learning and experience with each other. Intended Audience: Individuals who conduct FBAs/BSPs to support students with behavior concerns. Presenters: Jon Kidde & Jeremy Tretiak, VTPBIS Trainers/Coaches
N. Beyond Collaboration: Integrating Mental Health into PBIS Schools. This session will examine how the traditional model of mental health supports in schools has shifted from a reactionary mode to a prevention focus as a result of extensive and ongoing collaboration between the Community Mental Health agency and local schools. Participants will learn about the role of an onsite School-Based PBIS Behavior Consultant to support schools in developing high quality systems that enhance the capacity of staff to support students across all three tiers of support. Intended Audience: School personnel looking for innovative ways to embed mental health work into their current PBIS efforts. Presenter: Amy Irish, MA, BCBA, LBA-VT School-Based Behavior Consultation Team, Team Leader, Northwestern Counseling & Support Services
O. Engaging Elementary School Students in Data-Driven Action to Create Positive School Climate. During the 2020-2021 school year, UP for Learning worked with seven elementary schools to bring student insight and voice to bear on improving school climate. Through an adapted Getting to ‘Y’ process, students in grades 4 through 6 reviewed their own school climate survey data to identify strengths to celebrate and areas to improve. They also worked on building relationships through Community Connections, an initiative which explores personal, classroom, school and community values in the context of youth-adult partnership. This workshop will introduce you to the importance of engaging the most important stakeholders – students – with school improvement using authentic data and dialogue. Come prepared to participate in interactive and reflective activities and to hear from adult and school-aged participants and facilitators. Intended Audience: Any school faculty or staff who work with youth. Presenters: Ana Lindert-Boyes, UP for Learning Youth Program Specialist , Christie Howell, UP for Learning Program Associate, Sharon Koller, UP for Learning Getting to ‘Y’ Coordinator, Bailey Hier, Middletown Springs Elementary School Youth Facilitator, Chayse Newell, Hardwick Elementary School Youth Facilitator, and Logan Cane, Hardwick Elementary School Youth Facilitator.
P. Expanding your Inventory of Tier II Supports: In this workshop, we will explore how to: identify appropriate targeted interventions and resources with equity at the center; expand our thinking about student needs and how to meet them; collect and use data to monitor progress and make decisions about duration, modification, and fading; support your teaching and support staff in implementing with fidelity; and add new dimensions to your CICO intervention. Intended Audience: Individuals who are members of Educational Support Teams or PBIS Targeted Level Teams; individuals providing targeted supports. Presenters: Kristin Beswick and Cassandra Townshend, VTPBIS Trainers/Coaches
Q. How Best to Use Your Expertise and Relationship to Engage in an Education Support Team (EST): Knowing that every school has an EST, we will explore what teachers and support staff can do to improve the equity and effectiveness of an EST. This hands-on session will include opportunities to review and share promising practices regarding the formative assessment process and family engagement. Clear and relevant data, along with established family engagement, are two of the most important things an educator can bring to the EST. The workshop will use participants’ expertise and relationships with students and families to effectively engage with an EST. Intended Audience: Educators and support staff. Presenters: Tracy Watterson and Tom Faris, Vermont Agency of Education