"Students Taking Alternative Routes to Success"                          

Vision:

Mission Statement

The Behavior Development Program provides a supportive, structured learning environment for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities.  This program emphasizes healthy emotional and social development for students and their families while fostering continued academic progress.  Our aim is to help students to become successful individuals who enjoy positive and productive relationships in their schools, homes and communities.

Program Overview

The STARS Program offers an opportunity for students to learn to cope with their emotions and to manage their behavioral responses to those emotions in alternative and constructive ways.  Students enter the STARS Program once their IEP Team has determined that an eligibility of Emotional/Behavioral Disability is appropriate for the student and that the student needs and and goals warrant the placement.  Some students enter due to lack of success in their home school and some students are transferred to the program after success in a more restrictive placement.  The classrooms are housed in three districts in the Woodford County Special Education Association service area.  The Primary class (grades K-4) is located in Riverview School.  The Junior High class (grades 5-8) is located in Eureka at Eureka Middle School.  The High School classes (grades 9-12) are located in Metamora at Metamora Township High School.  Each class is limited in size to eight to ten students and is staffed by a full-time teacher and teacher assistant.  Students in the two high school classrooms receive instruction from either teacher depending upon the subject.  They are assigned one teacher for Community Skills, study hall and IEP case management.  A permanent substitute teacher is assigned to each location one day per week on a routine basis.  The permanent substitute becomes familiar with students and classroom management systems prior to acting as a teacher or teacher assistant when personnel are absent.  Two days of counseling support are provided to the primary and junior high classes.  The high school classes receive three days of counseling support.  School personnel endeavor to coordinate their efforts with any outside agencies or service providers who may be involved with a student.

The STARS Program design includes academic instruction at the functioning level of each student as well as spectrum of supportive measures to promote emotional and behavioral growth.  All program staff receives annual training in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, which is based upon the notion that each crisis is an opportunity to learn how to better manage future crises.  Teachers heighten their awareness of the role they play in modeling effective crisis management through how they interact with students.  They may utilize surface management strategies to avert a crisis, Life Space Interview (LSI) to talk students through a crisis, or physical restraint to prevent a student from harming themselves or others followed by LSI to re-enter student into the class.  The Classroom Community Model & Service Learning foster a sense of classroom identity, pride and purpose.  Teachers facilitate student development of Service Learning projects that meet community needs and draw upon student academic and self-management skills.  Classroom management systems are tailored to the needs of each class level and daily or weekly feedback on progress is provided to students and to parents.  Student participation in general education classes is based upon IEP recommendations and progress toward goals and self-management.  Teacher assistant supervision is provided in general education settings initially and faded as student progress warrants.  When a student reaches a 50% level of successful regular education participation over a sustained period of time, usually a quarter or semester, the IEP Team may consider a return to the student's home school.  The Behavior Development Interventionist supports transition to a student's home school.

Benefits of Program:

• Students enter from less (or more) restrictive setting

• Small class size (8-10 students)

• Teacher + teacher assistant in each class

• Counseling support 3-4 half days per week

• Students learn to manage emotions, behavior, & academic demands in a supportive setting

• Integrated into regular education classes as successful

• Consider return to home school when integrated 50% or more (at least 9 weeks)

• Coordinate efforts with outside agencies/service providers