Collaborative Program Model FAQs
Last Updated on March 11, 2016
So you are interested in adopting the Collaborative Program Model at your school site? This guide will support you in implementing an impactful collaborative classroom to ensure the academic achievement and behavioral success of all students.
Table of Contents:
Program Overview FAQs
What is the definition of the Collaborative Program Model?
What is the purpose of the Collaborative Program Model?
What does a typical day look like?
What students benefit the most from the Collaborative Program Model?
Who oversees the coordination of the Collaborative Program Model?
What is the difference between the Collaborative Program Model and a Level 3 Site Based Structured Therapeutic Program?
Implementation FAQs
What are the different instructional methods that can be employed under this model?
What behavior interventions are made available under this model?
What social-emotional services are made available under this model?
What academic services are made available under this model?
What involvement do we expect from parents and caregivers?
How are weekly collaborative staff meetings structured?
Evaluation FAQs
How will student progress be monitored?
What classroom management tools will be used to evaluate class climate?
Appendices
Appendix A - Behavior Intervention Map (BIM)
Appendix B - Collaborative Weekly Meeting Agenda
Appendix C - Classroom Management Assessment
Program Overview FAQs
Q: What is the definition of the Collaborative Program Model?
A: The Collaborative Program is an inclusive learning environment that integrates students receiving tier 3 services (i.e. students with IEPs and students with mental health needs which are impacting their ability to access their education) in a general education classroom with a comprehensive set of academic, behavioral, and social-emotional supports, including but not limited to, a paraprofessional supporting full time in the classroom, a special education teacher providing push in and pull out academic intervention, a speech language pathologist/ speech language pathologist aide offering speech therapy, and a clinician offering individual counseling and case management/social work services.
Q: What is the purpose of the Collaborative Program Model?
A: The Collaborative Program seeks to increase the academic performance and social-emotional well-being of struggling students and decrease the gaps in school services. This model provides supports for teachers, school administrators, families, and seeks to support students in accessing their educational programs at their community schools.
Q: What does a typical day look like?
A: Students and families are greeted by the general education teacher and student support counselor. Lessons are delivered by the general education with the support of the student support counselor. Small group instruction is utilized, and students receive greater individualized instruction with the collaboration of two adults. Students with IEPs receive accommodations and modifications, and students with higher social-emotional needs are pulled for social skills groups provided by the student support counselor and or clinical services delivered by a clinician. An academic intervention specialist comes in to provide further academic support during designated times (i.e. during guided reading or math groups). Students with behavior plans receive follow through with the collaboration of both the general education and student support counselor. Progress monitoring of goals are conducted throughout the school day, and the general education teacher and student support counselor check in regularly to analyze data and debrief lesson plan execution.
Q: What students benefit the most from the Collaborative Program Model?
A: ALL! All students benefit from the collaboration of the school community to integrate targeted academic, behavioral, and social-emotional supports.
Q: Who oversees the coordination of the Collaborative Program Model?
A: Traditionally, the Behavior Support Specialist (BSS) or Unconditional Education (UE) Coach are responsible for the coordination of the Collaborative Program Model. The principal(s) or dean also supports the BSS or UE Coach to increase capacity and ensure alignment of the Collaborative Program Model with the values of the school at large. The BSS or UE Coach are responsible for facilitating the weekly collaborative staff meetings, regularly follows up with team members to assess effectiveness of interventions, monitors all data tracking tools and trains staff to effectively utilize them, and supports the development of student plans.
Q: What is the difference between the Collaborative Program Model and a Level 3 Site Based Structured Therapeutic Program?
A: A Level 3 Site Based Structured Therapeutic Program is a specific type of program within the Collaborative Model. The Level 3 program only serves students who have been diagnosed with Emotional Disturbance (ED) and when a student requires this level of support schools are able to access additional funding from the SELPA to implement this plan. The full Collaborative Program Model can serve any student regardless of special education designation. A portion of the students within a Collaborative Program may qualify for a Level 3 program, and generally this indicates they have a highly intensive level of social-emotional and/or behavioral need. To qualify as a Level 3 Site Based Structured Therapeutic Program qualifying services must occur daily for at least three hours. Below are examples between moderate and high level needs:
Moderate Need (SAMPLE) / High Need - LEVEL 3 MH Plan (SAMPLE)●1 hour weekly Individual Therapy
●1 hour weekly Group Therapy
●1 hour weekly of Family Therapy
●2-3 hours a week of Case Management by a Clinician
●2 hours of daily Behavior Intervention Services in class / ●2 hour weekly Individual Therapy
●5 hour weekly Group Therapy
●2 hour weekly of Family Therapy
●6 hours a week of Case Management and Consultation with other Providers by a Clinician
●4 hours daily Behavior Intervention Services in class
Implementation FAQs
Q: What are the different instructional methods that can be employed under this model?
A: Traditionally, the Collaborative Program Model consists of a full-time student support counselor or an academic intervention specialist supporting the class and general education teacher through a “Collaborative Team Teaching” instructional method. It’s important to note that the general education teacher is responsible for lesson planning, and they are supported in the lesson delivery and accommodations by the student support counselor and/or academic intervention specialist. Furthermore, the Academic Intervention Specialist offers guidance in modifications and IEP goals. “Collaborative Team Teaching” allows for six different variations for both adults to support all students:
1.One teaches, one observes. During class time, one adult observes students closely in order to collect valuable information about a child’s attention and behaviors that impact students’ learning. The second adult is able to observe how the child responds to different teaching approaches. This data is valuable for IEPs and for behavioral and instruction intervention planning.
2.One teaches, one assists. This frees up the “assistant” adult to float around the classroom and give individual help or rewards, as needed.
3.Station teaching. Adults may be responsible for different parts of the lesson plan. This allows them to play to their teaching strengths. Students are divided into groups and move from one station to the other. Alternately, the adults rotate from group to group.
4.Parallel teaching. The class is split in half and each adult takes one group. Both groups are taught the same thing but tailored to the specific learning style of each group.
5.Alternative teaching. One adult facilitates a lesson to a larger group of students. Meanwhile, the other adult works with a small group on a different lesson or gives more support to struggling learners.
6.Tag-team teaching. The adults take turns teaching the class.
Retrieved from Tucker (2014). Collaborative team teaching: What you need to know. Understood.com.
Q: What behavior interventions are made available under this model?
A: Behavior interventions include but are not limited to:
- Behavior Intervention Map (BIM). This living document is updated by the behavioral aide at least monthly to identify successful/unsuccessful early interventions and classroom accommodations and modifications. The behavioral aide presents a student’s BIM in team meetings to track baseline, early escalation, escalation, and crisis phases. A sample BIM can be found in Appendix A.
- Weekly Social Skills Instruction. The student support counselor and clinician can provide whole-class lessons or small pull-out groups to help students develop friendship, emotional regulation, conversational, and problem-solving skills. For pull-out groups, teachers and clinicians provide input for which students should participate.
- Behavioral Goals Progress Monitoring. The student support counselor with consultation from the IEP team creates and maintains a behavioral goals tracking sheet. This data is inputted in an intervention tracking system (i.e. Apricot) and presented to the student’s IEP/support team on a monthly or quarterly basis.
- Behavioral Coaching. The student support counselor, behavior intervention specialist, or clinician all have the resources to support teachers and school administrators in developing strategies aimed at decreasing a student’s maladaptive behaviors and increasing the use of positive replacement behaviors.
- Individualized Incentive Program. These programs are created to reinforce positive replacement behaviors that are outlined in a student’s IEP or BIP. An incentive program is designed to provide a meaningful relationship that can be generalized at school and home.
- Therapeutic Behavioral Services (TBS). TBS is an intensive behavior-focused service for students who have full-scope Medi-Cal who and are at risk of losing placement in school or at home. TBS provides skills that help students manage maladaptive behaviors. Referrals for TBS is made by a student’s clinician.
Q: What social-emotional services are made available under this model?
A: Social-emotional services include but are not restricted to:
- Individual and Group Mental Health Services. The following educationally related mental health services (ERMHS) are available:
- Individual Counseling: One-to-one counseling, provided by a qualified individual pursuant to an IEP. Counseling may focus on aspects, such as educational, career, personal; or be with parents or staff members on learning problems or guidance programs for students. Individual counseling is expected to supplement the regular guidance and counseling program. (34 CFR § 300.24(b)(2), (CCR Title 5 §3051.9).
- Counseling and Guidance: Counseling in a group setting, provided by a qualified individual pursuant to an IEP. Group counseling is typically social skills development, but may focus on aspects, such as educational, career, personal; or be with parents or staff members on learning problems or guidance programs for students. IEP-required group counseling is expected to supplement the regular guidance and counseling program. (34 CFR §300.24.(b)(2)); CCR Title 5 §3051.9)
- Parent Counseling: Individual or group counseling provided by a qualified individual pursuant to an IEP to assist the parent(s) of special education students in better understanding and meeting their child’s needs; may include parenting skills or other pertinent issues. IEP-required parent counseling is expected to supplement the regular guidance and counseling program. (34 CFR §300.31(b)(7); CCR Title 5 §3051.11).
- Social Work Services. Social Work services, provided pursuant to an IEP by a qualified individual, includes, but are not limited to, preparing a social or developmental history of a child with a disability; group and individual counseling with the child and family; working with those problems in a child’s living situation (home, school, and community) that affect the child’s adjustment in school; and mobilizing school and community resources to enable the child to learn as effectively as possible in his or her educational program. Social work services are expected to supplement the regular guidance and counseling program. (34 CFR §300.24(b)(13); CCR Title 5 §3051.13).
- Consultation and Coordination. Clinicians are available to provide consultation and coordination regarding support plans for students with high social-emotional needs.
- Psychological Services. These services provided by a credentialed or licensed psychologist pursuant to an IEP, including interpreting assessment results to parents and staff in implementing an IEP; obtaining and interpreting information about child behavior and conditions related to learning; planning programs of individual and group counseling and guidance services for children and parents. These services may include consulting with other staff in planning school programs to meet the unique needs of children as indicated in an IEP. (CFR Part 300 §300.24). IEP-required psychological services are expected to supplement the regular guidance and counseling program. (34 CFR §300.24; CCR Title 5 §3051.10)
- Class-wide interventions. Clinicians offer a variety of psychoeducational interventions for an entire class or small pull-out groups. Examples of psychoeducational interventions are social stories, social skills groups, journal prompts, and the implementation of social-emotional curriculum.
Q: What academic services are made available under this model?
A: In addition to the “Collaborative Team Teaching” method detailed above, students in collaborative classrooms may be provided the following academic services:
- Individual and Group Academic Intervention Services. These services are targeted to students goals as determined by a student’s IEP/support team.
- Academic Accommodations and Modifications. Students with learning disabilities or students who face ongoing challenges in certain subjects are supported with accommodations and modifications to ensure equal access to their learning environment. Examples include extended testing time, separate testing space to decrease distractions, text-to-speech, notes, and chunking information.
- Other Related Services. These include Speech Language Services, Occupational Therapy Services, Physical Therapy Services, Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services, Vision Services, Orientation & Mobility Services, and any additional services pursuant to a student’s IEP. Service providers are expected to provide consultation in in-class supports.
Q: What involvement do we expect from parents and caregivers?
A: Parents and caretakers are considered partners and key decision makers on their student’s team. The success of the Collaborative Program Model hinges on school staff building a trusting relationship with parents and caretakers. It’s important to note that many students and families within the Collaborative Program have experienced alienation from the school and historically have been marginalized in society. Therefore, building a trusting relationship includes restoring experiences where students and families were alienated. Parents and caretakers will receive weekly updates on behavioral progress and regularly scheduled academic progress updates. Additionally, in this model, staff support parents and caregivers to attend regularly scheduled in-person team meetings.
Q: How are weekly collaborative staff meetings structured?
A: Weekly collaborative staff meetings are organized with an opening check in, content specific focus, and collaboration time to work on lesson plans, students support plans, or family engagement strategies. The content specific focus rotates between academic, clinical, behavioral, family meetings, and model implementation. For weeks that focus on the academic, clinical, and behavioral strands, a training on developing tools pertaining to that particular area of focus will be led by an outside expert or a staff member. The weeks that fall on the family meetings include teams sharing student progress with families and or addressing concerns. The model implementation focused meeting is designed for staff to deliver constructive feedback in order to develop and refine the model. A sample collaborative meeting agenda can be found in Appendix B..
Evaluation FAQs
Q: How will student progress be monitored?
A: For students with IEPs, progress monitoring is completed by the individuals listed on each individual goals. The student’s IEP/support team will collaborate during weekly and monthly meetings to discuss student progress and make adjustments as needed to students’ intervention plans.
Q: What classroom management tools will be used to evaluate class climate?
A: We offer a “Classroom Management Assessment” which evaluates the ecological factors, classroom behavior systems, and curriculum and instruction in order to determine the implementation of positive behavior supports in the classroom setting. The assessment should be completely initially at the beginning of the academic year by the student support counselor or academic intervention specialist and general education teacher. Goals should be created based on the findings of the initial assessment. Ongoing progress monitoring is completed throughout the year by the student support counselor or academic intervention specialist. The “Classroom Management Assessment” can be found in Appendix C.
Appendix A - Behavior Intervention Map (BIM)
BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION MAP (BIM)
This is a living document and should be updated as often as needed to avoid emergency situations. Updating the document should be a collaborative effort among youth, family, and staff. Information from the Intervention Preference Tool should be used throughout this document in its original form. Please include interventions that are applicable to program, community, and at-home situations.
Student Name: Date:
Grade:Teacher:
Student’s Team:
BASELINE PHASE
BASELINE BEHAVIORS
What are notable examples of the student’s baseline behaviors? What activities does he/she enjoy? How does he/she interact with others?