I was introduced to the in-school suspension process when I became an administrator in a school for students with severe behavior problems. It was used as I expected to keep students in school when they would have otherwise been suspended. The one thing that set this (ISS) In-School Suspension program apart from other programs was the amount of time that a student spent in ISS, and the level of student accountability. Students who were assigned ISS were not put in there for hours but, for days. Students also had to produce a voluminous amount of work in order to be released. If the student’s behavior was out of line while they were in in-school suspension, they were assigned more time.
This idea of in-school suspension has been around since the 1970’s when researchers began propagating the notion that out-of-school suspensions (OSS) were ineffective, and perhaps even detrimental to students. It has been my experience that out of school suspension is only ineffective when the student is left unsupervised in the home while they are suspended, and because the parents don’t hold the child accountable for his poor behavior in school. Students would come back from out of school suspension, without any consequence imposed in the home, and had no fear of being suspended again. The school then has been handed the responsibility of holding students accountable, while the student remained in school for behaviors that they would otherwise be suspended for.
The Key Components to an Effective In-School Suspension Program:
Respect must be Present – If mutual respect is not established between the instructor and the students assigned the program will be a dismal failure. An in-school suspension program should have one, and I stress one supervising teacher. Students who have chronic behavioral problems have difficulty adjusting to different personalities and really need more of a mentor to help and encourage them to change their behavior. The supervising teacher should be a certified professional and have a background in Special Education, or counseling.
Students must be responsible and held accountable – The teachers and administration must develop a user friendly mechanism that provides assignments for the students assigned on a daily basis. All work must be completed before a student is allowed to leave. The work should be checked for completeness by the in-school suspension teacher and routed back to the teacher who provided the assignment. If students complete their assignments before the end of the day, supplemental packets should be made available. These assignments should not be busy work, but rather they should be used to address some of the specific behaviors that put the student in in-school suspension in the first place.
Non-compliance must be addressed – If a student continues to exhibit inappropriate behavior while in in-school suspension it must be addressed. Too often inappropriate behaviors are ignored; this sends the wrong message to other students in the room, and in its own way communicates by default agreement. Students who exhibit inappropriate behavior, should be given instruction regarding the rules and regulations of the room, given a firm warning, and then if the inappropriate behavior continues support needs to be summoned to the room. Counselors are not disciplinarians, but they should be called first to help manage the student’s behavior. A clear line needs to be drawn between the counselor and the administrator. Counselors deal with behavior from a therapeutic standpoint and provide compassion and understanding; administrators enforce the rules and regulations of the school. Both are needed for the discipline process to be effective.
Room location, size, and student teacher ratio – The In-School Suspension room should be far enough away from the general population of the school, but close enough to allow for administrative visits. The room should not be so far away that the disciplinarian by-passes the room during building tours. The size of the room should be large enough to keep plenty of space between each student to avoid the possibility of any student confrontations. Students in an in-school suspension program can be chronic behavior problems. Large numbers of these students in one room can become unmanageable. The student teacher ratio should be no more than 8-1.
Amount of time assigned – It has been my experience that periods, or hours do nothing to change a student’s behavior. Students should be assigned 2 days of In-School Suspension for every day that the student would otherwise be suspended for. Too often ISS is used as a holding area and can become a place where students want to go. Students should not be allowed to assign themselves ISS because of problems with a particular teacher, or because they refuse to do work. The disciplinarian of the school has the responsibility of assigning the day and time a student should report to ISS. Administration and only administration should assign students to the ISS room.
By: James H Burns
Posts Tagged ‘Behavior Problems’
Keys To An Effective In School Suspension Program
January 5th, 2010Goals And Objectives Creation For Special Education Students
October 15th, 2009
Planning and Placement Team Meeting continued…
What are goals and objectives?
Goals and objectives are the areas that your child will work on throughout the year in the classroom, with a special education teacher, a counselor or in some other way. Hey have to be monitored and measured. Monitoring can be through completion of tasks, teacher observation, etc. The measurement can be through grades, standardized tests or mastery of a task. Each goal and subsequent objectives has a page dedicated to it. Goals can be related to academics, self-help skills, behavior, counseling, etc.
How are goals and objectives created?
The team including yourself (the parent) will talk about your child’s strengths and weaknesses. Goals/objectives will reflect areas that a child needs assistance in. Any classes taken with a special education teacher will have their own set of goals/objectives. Depending on the age of your child, he or she may need transition goals from one school to the next or post-graduation Behavior goals are generally for mild behavior problems. Students with serious behavior issues generally have a behavior intervention plan made up separately from an Individualized Education Plan. Other goals may be added as necessary in terms of community participation, general education participation, self-help skills, etc. Children with Occupational, Speech or Physical Therapy needs will have goals related to these areas as well.
Who writes the goal page?
The special education teacher generally writes the goals and objectives with input from the team. Certain goals related to counseling, speech therapy, etc. would be written by the individuals providing the service.
Can a parent request certain goals/objectives?
Certainly. Most teachers will work with the parent in creating goals and objectives that both feel are appropriate and in the best interests of the child. Also, if there are goals or objectives that you feel are not needed or are inappropriate talk to the individual about it and see why it was created and discuss whether or not it is relevant.
By: Melissa A Gilbert
Special Kids Need Teachers With Special Education Degrees – Qualify And Make A Difference
October 3rd, 2009
To put children who are challenged and have special needs into the mainstream classrooms is not really an intelligent thing to do. Children with special needs require teachers with a special education degree. Professionals with a special education degree are rare these days and many administrators are finding it hard to recruit and hire qualified teachers. There is a desperate need for professionals who understand the various learning styles for students who have learning disabilities. Having a special education degree itself, guarantees long-term employment.
Teaching, as it is, is already a difficult job and the difficulty increases when teaching those who have learning disabilities like dyslexia. Students who have behavior problems like Attention Deficit or Hyperactivity Disorder can take a toll on a regular classroom curriculum and need to be taught separately keeping their condition in mind. Among the diverse population of students who have special needs includes children with autistic disorder. This puzzling disorder makes it nearly impossible for some of these children to function in a regular classroom.
Regular and traditional teachers cannot impart the required quality of education in the learning support classes due to lack of knowledge necessary to help challenging students. Only teachers who have a special education degree have the knowledge necessary to help challenging students meet their academic goals. A teacher needs to have training on how to use the latest teaching strategies to help this diverse population learn to its greatest capacity.
The strategies required for teaching challenging students are quite different than the ones used in the traditional classroom. Once a teacher has earned a special education degree, he is properly trained to help such students learn to their greatest capacity. These unique strategies are effective in helping nearly any student function well in the classroom setting.
There are a good number of different programs available for anyone who wants to earn a special education degree. Many of the courses can be taken online in the comfort of your own home and at your convenience.
A teacher with a special education degree becomes an asset for the school by enhancing its reputation and is thus sought after by many school systems across the United States.
By: Scotie Keithlow
