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The role of the coordinators is to provide
coaching and training to teachers upon
their request, and to assist them in
dealing with behavioral issues or other
needs that arise in the classroom.
For example, one of the
coordinators, Maria Helton, worked
regularly with a Middle School teacher
to co-teach sessions on empathy,
self-awareness, and impulse control.
High School choir teacher Nick LaPete
also asked for her help in working with
his students to increase their selfconfidence
and classroom engagement.
“We can assist staff in guiding
them through behavior assessments,
creating intervention plans, and with
professional learning sessions on
behavioral practices and strategies,”
says Helton.
Risk Assessment Tools
To help determine where students
needed more help, the District
invested in a Behavioral Intervention
Monitoring Assessment System, a
34-question screener that students
self-complete. The assessment is
offered to all students 12 years of age
or older, with an opt-out option for
parents, and can also be used with
younger students on an as-needed
basis with parental consent.
The results provide useful data
on trends by age group, such as
an overall difficulty with selfawareness
and self-management.
But it also allows for proactive
targeted intervention.
For example, says Massey,
“If a student has indicated frequent
thoughts of self-harm, we follow up
with the student and family within
24 hours to help connect them with
counseling services.”
Students, staff, and families can
also fill out an electronic referral form
online any time they have a concern
they would like to address. Whenever
a form is submitted, the SEL team
meets to triage and discuss the best
way to meet the needs that have
been identified. (That form, along
with resources, coping skills, and
strategies for parents, can be found
on the District’s website: shaker.org/
SocialandEmotionalSkillsResources.
aspx.)
Layers of Support
Having the right staffing and resources in place meant that each building could
then develop effective strategies to meet their students’ needs.
The High School implemented a weekly meeting period, called Crew Time,
where students could meet with a trusted adult for a check-in on their social
and emotional well-being.
“Crew is a safety net to ensure that every single student has at least one
person to go to, such as a teacher, coach, or guidance counselor,” says High
School Principal Eric Juli. “Our goal is to ensure there are layers of support for
every student. When you add our security monitors, paraprofessionals, school
psychologists, and school nurse into the mix, we have a collaborative and
robust support system in place.”
Using funding from the Shaker Schools Foundation, the Middle School
added two mentoring programs designed to increase students’ self-confidence
and social-emotional skills – Gilmore Girls and M.I.T. (Motivate, Inspire, Teach).
A weekly Breakfast Club led by teachers Beth Casey and Erika Pfeiffer provides
a safe discussion space for LGBTQ+ students and allies. And the three Middle
School guidance counselors provide a quiet, caring place for students to
land throughout the day when they need a friendly ear. Says Middle School
guidance counselor Kristina Longino, “Sometimes students just need a place to
decompress. They can play with fidgets, draw, complete a coloring page, talk,
or just be quiet.”
Keith Langford, the District’s Family and Community Engagement Coordinator,
helped create the middle school “M.I.T.: Motivate, Inspire, Teach” mentoring
program.
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