Positive behavior draws praise at Grant

by Jenni Luckett
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 2:14 PM MDT

Stuffed animals are scattered on desks throughout the classroom. At one table, a little boy copies words onto a dry-erase board, a dark brown stuffed bear watching from his side.

At first glance, this may look more like a child’s playroom, where a youngster makes-believe “school” and imagines what it must be like to be a big kid and go off to learn every day.

In fact, this is the real thing: a first-grade classroom at Grant Elementary School, where children are learning vocabulary, early math and behavioral skills while still having all of the fun a 6-year-old deserves.

Vicki Windle believes in making her class a safe and child-friendly place. The first-grade teacher at Grant explained that she has embraced the new positive behavior model employed by the school and even has taken it a bit further.

“I use anything and everything (as rewards),” Windle said. “Catching them doing well makes all the difference in the world.”

Grant recently changed its approach to classroom n and schoolwide n behavior management. Instead of a three-pronged “stoplight,” where children might get warnings and progressive consequences for negative behavior, the school developed a ladder.

On any given day, each child can move up and down the ladder for positive and negative behavior.

Compliments for their behavior equal tickets, which may be exchanged for rewards, such as a seat on the stage for lunch or class parties.

Less positive behavior may result in moving down the ladder, eventually calling parents, or making a stop in the “beartrap,” where a behavior interventionist works with the young Grizzlies to develop better social skills.

“Having that person to help with the kids is a real plus,” said Principal Tom Mesecher.

That way, instead of being sent to sit outside the office and wait for a scolding, students go somewhere to learn how to improve their behavior, he said.

But even the “beartrap” has become a positive place, too. Kids can go there to redeem their tickets for rewards n and one reward is a chance to spend recess playing on the new Wii donated by the school’s PTA.

“Our hope is that everybody has at least one chance to play,” Mesecher said.

Back in Windle’s classroom, though, students have been known to exchange such a tempting opportunity for a step up on the ladder.

This is actually what Windle considers a “rough day.” Though no student is below a “good” on the class ladder, they’re usually much higher, she said. That’s because high ladder rankings earn students a day with one of the stuffed animals in the room.

They’ll do just about anything for that.

Plus, she said, seeing her charges carry around stuffed animals reminds her once again how much they need her love and care.

“When you see these little guys with a stuffed animal is when you really realize how small they are,” she said. “They’re just 6- and 7-year-olds. They are just little kids.”

Grant keeps an eye on academics

Behavior has been a strong focus lately at Grant Elementary School. But it doesn’t come at the expense of academic subjects.

Developing a positive atmosphere, where staff members constantly check in on kids and praise them for their success, frees up time for substantial learning, staff members said.

This is the school’s first year with its new math curriculum, Everyday Math. The subject is a key focus for the school, and staff members are working hard to implement the new, standards-based program.

Instructional facilitator Debbie Salvador meets weekly with every grade level, alternating between working on math and reading programs.

“They continue to review the program and the data,” said Principal Tom Mesecher. “There’s ongoing collaboration with folks to try to address difficulties, as well as things that are going well.”

Salvador and reading coach Karen Higginson also work with other teachers on the school’s Reading First program.

The reading program uses constant assessments to place students in small groups according to their needs and abilities.

Staff members also use the program in conjunction with creative teaching to help lessons hit home for students.

For example, on a recent Monday, Amy Serafin’s fourth-graders were reading a passage about Duke Ellington in a book called “Heroes.” Serafin paused the reading to pull up Ellington online and play some of his music.

Then, the reading continued, as she worked with students on using context to understand unfamiliar words and to stop to check understanding as they read.

Meanwhile, in Vicki Windle’s first-grade classroom, students sat on the floor and used their “wings” (which you might know as their arms) to demonstrate the appropriate use of the word “flutter” during a vocabulary lesson.

“We’re seeing good growth,” Higginson said.

In the first year of Reading First, less than half of the students in every grade level were ranked proficient in reading skills. Four years later, there is only a handful who need the intensive interventions to improve skills.

Meanwhile, students are taking responsibility for their own progress as the school implements the districtwide goal-setting initiative. This spring, intermediate students learned about their own assessment scores and explained them to their parents during student-led conferences.

The school’s kindergarten classes have weekly goals sent home to their parents, who are able to track their children’s progress and help at home.

“The key thing is the use of many data sources to determine what the needs are,” Mescher said.

“We find out exactly why a kid may be having trouble to find out how to best help them,” Higginson said. “We’re seeing really good jumps.”

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