THE DISRUPTIVE STUDENT - FACT SHEET, FEBRUARY 2000
BACKGROUND
Few students are born disruptive. Such behavior usually arises from a combination of the student's interaction with home, school, and community. However, the public and the media are increasingly concerned about the growing number of students whose behavior interferes with their education and the education of others.
Public concern has increased following the well-publicized school shootings, such as the one at Columbine High School. In response, schools have stepped up their security procedures, adding uniformed, armed security patrols, mandatory identification badges, and even metal detectors. Laws requiring expulsion have been toughened in many states.
Although programs for troubled or troublesome students have existed in Montgomery County for many years, new alternative programs are being considered as a result of a Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) study submitted to the Montgomery County Board of Education in February 1999. In order to speak directly to the proposed changes, the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County (LVWMC) decided at its 1999 Annual Meeting to study issues related to disruptive students in the school system and, if necessary, revise existing positions under Education as the basis for future League action.
The LWVMC Disruptive Student Committee has looked at various aspects of the problems in Montgomery County:
THE "DISRUPTIVE" STUDENT
While the term "disruptive" is commonly used as a descriptor for the students under study, most educators prefer other terms such as "troubled," "at-risk," or ''unmotivated'' to characterize those young people not getting along well in school or, usually, in society. For example, MCPS staff are also concerned about the student who is not openly disruptive, but is truant, and who, in fact, hardly ever shows up at school!
Some of these "disruptive/ at-risk" students have identifiable disabilities and are receiving special education services. However, the committee decided to confine its study to the general school population or "non-coded" students. (Coded students students are those who have been tested, examined, and identified as having educational disabilities that qualify them for special education services.)
The "disruptive/at-risk" student usually has some or all of the following characteristics:
WHAT SCHOOLS DO
Listed below are some of the strategies and resources that schools can use in working with "disruptive/ at- risk' students.
Educational Support Teams (EST) at each school meet regularly to address individual student problems, consider alternative strategies (which include referral for special education evaluation), and assign responsibilities.
Guidance Counselors are responsible for instruction in career and educational decision-making, as well as personal and social development. In addition to individual counseling for students and parents, counselors may work with groups of students who face special problems such as divorce or death in the family. Counselors may refer students to outside help, such as mental health services. Every school has a guidance counselor (only half-time in smaller elementary schools). High school counselors appear to spend the major part of their time on scheduling and college entrance issues.
School psychologists provide some counseling. However, their time is taken up principally by testing for special education needs.
Security Assistants, at least one in each secondary school, help maintain discipline and order. Schools also have surveillance and alarm systems in place.
Comprehensive Behavior Management training, provided by special education staff, has proven effective in providing school personnel with skills to defuse potentially disruptive situations and has provided positive behavioral interventions and ways to handle crisis situations. To date, this training has been provided to slightly more than one-third of the schools. There is no exact timetable for training the remainder of the staff.
Suspension is a tool always available to every principal, who may suspend a student for up to ten days. Some schools have in-school, segregated, closely supervised suspension programs. Others merely notify students of suspension, and the student is on his/ her own. Extended suspensions must be approved by one of the three field offices.
Expulsion is the ultimate punishment for misbehavior. Last year, principals sent about 1,000 referrals for expulsion to the field offices. After review by the Deputy Superintendent, about 30 students were actually expelled. Under state law, expulsion is mandatory for certain offenses such as drug dealing, bomb threats, possession of weapons, or violent attack on a staff member. Expulsion is usually for a specified period of time. Students can be reinstated depending on evidence of improved behavior.
SOME COMMUNITY RESOURCES
S.H.A.R.P. was begun by the Sharp Street United Methodist Church in Sandy Spring to provide services for suspended middle and high school students. Volunteers provide mentoring and tutoring at the church for qualifying students. Because the program has been so successful, other churches are now offering similar programs
Linkages to Learning, also an expanding program, exists in several elementary schools and school clusters, providing counseling and access to medical, mental health, and social services for students and their families.
Mental health services in Montgomery County include a wide range of in-patient and clinical services, provided by hospitals, social service agencies, clinics, and private practitioners. These services are not offered by the schools, although the schools can refer students and families for service.
Police Youth Services Investigation Division officers have a great deal of discretion in handling juvenile complaints. They investigate, and determine action for each child. Their judgment calls may include referral to the juvenile justice system.
Juvenile Justice System provides a range of community alternatives for adjudicated youth, supervised by parole officers. Some of these officers are actually stationed in the schools or meet with their charges on school property.
Montgomery County Detention Center Youthful Offender Unit has a rehabilitation program for inmates under age 21. MCPS provides teachers under contract for the youthful offender program education component.
Adult Education provides an opportunity for school dropouts or expelled students to study in MCPS adult education classes for the GED, an alternative high school certificate.
Job Corps and National Guard Challenge provide job training, GED courses, and some income for dropout or expelled youth.
MCPS ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS
Since 1986 each middle school has had an alternative support teacher, and a support teacher was added to each high school staff in 1999. By September of 2000, all alternative teachers will be expected to be working in Level I programs (described later).
One of the biggest changes recently initiated in alternative education is the use of uniform standards for referral to services. Now, the central office makes all placements, a benefit for students and the programs.
The February 1999 report shows some 260 students in alternative placements. The ethnic breakdown of the listed high school programs for grades 9-12 shows that white students are, surprisingly, in the majority. In 1996-97 there were 157 whites and 108 non-whites, which included African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and Native Americans. Males predominate in the programs.
EXISTING PROGRAMS
Montgomery County uses a variety of alternative programs for "disruptive/ at risk" students with MCPS providing the education component. These programs include the following: non-residential, interagency day programs, interagency residential programs, the Phoenix drug recovery programs, and a school-to-work program. There are two middle school programs and five high school programs as well as the programs that include all secondary age groups.
Barbara Simmons, Coordinator of the Department of Alternative Programs, feels that "The Other Way", one of the interagency, non-residential programs for grades 7-12, is a model program because, among other strengths, it provides family and student mental health counseling. Operated by Health and Human Services, this is a structured program for 27 students who are not achieving in regular schools due to behavior and/or attendance problems. MCPS provides three teachers and one instructional assistant. Parents apply for the program with pupil personnel worker involvement, and the clinical team makes entry/exit decisions according to the new standard procedures.
The February 1999 report also recommended that the alternative programs be reviewed and possibly replaced by programs that could provide better security and better academic instruction. This review process is ongoing.
Home and Hospital Teaching is not considered an alternative program, although it serves a number of "disruptive/at risk" students. The program was created to provide instruction for students who cannot attend school because of illness or injury or because of an emotional crisis. Teachers provide six hours per week of individual instruction core subjects.
Students are also administratively placed on home instruction because of disruptive behavior when no alternative program is available or when they have a delayed placement. (Under the new procedures delays should be minimized.) In October 1999, 59 of the 100 plus students on Home Instruction were categorized as "disruptive/at risk." Of these, 25 were white, 17 African American, 5 Asian, and 12 Hispanic.
Cathy McGuire, Director of Comprehensive Pupil Services, claims that about 75 percent of the pregnant girls who go into the program do return to school and graduate. The greatest hindrance to young mothers completing high school is lack of adequate day care for their infants, although day care is available for children age three and older in many high schools. Unfortunately, many teens drop out of school when they become pregnant and never join the program.
PROPOSED CHANGES
The February 1999 report proposed major changes in services to "disruptive/ at risk" students. Widespread negative consensus seems to have held up creation of the large alternative learning centers proposed last year. Instead, there is an emphasis on the proposed three levels of service, regardless of where these are housed.
LEVEL I
Level I programs are intended to address the needs of "disruptive/ at-risk" students in their home schools, providing interventions that prevent behaviors from escalating to a more serious level. There are two existing Level I programs, one at Sligo Middle School and one at Richard Montgomery High School.
Richard Montgomery's PASS Program, which the school does not label a Level 1 program, is supervised by an experienced teacher. Two groups of 12 students each meet for several periods each day to discuss individual issues, develop organizational skills, and learn to take responsibility for their own futures. The rest of the time these students are in regular classes. The teacher says these students are not "behavior" problems, but students who have not been previously adequately motivated.
Each school must decide what it needs and what it wants for its Level I alternative education program, although the funds and a staff member are already in place. Barbara Simmons will be training school staff this year at many of the schools, helping them to design their programs. Each secondary school should have an in-school alternative program in place by next fall.
LEVEL II
The report proposed replacing the existing alternative schools with Level II programs. These would be regional programs for middle and high school students, providing small classes. It has been suggested that 60 students is the minimum efficient number to provide adequate academic instruction in all subjects required for graduation. To achieve this number, several programs would be placed in the same location -- middle school programs in existing middle schools and three alternative learning centers for high school students. According to the plan, these high school programs would be located in buildings that would also house adult education, night school, GED preparation, and SAT preparation classes.
LEVEL III
Level Ill programs would be reserved for students exhibiting the most severe behavior problems and would be in self-contained facilities. According to the proposal, Level Ill programs would provide core academic courses, a behavior management system, social skills training, group counseling, and social work services involving the families, possibly with options for interagency mental health services.
The only functioning Level Ill program is the Rockville Academy, which opened in fall 1999. With a capacity of 30 -- 15 students in the morning and 15 in the afternoon, the Academy is operated under a pilot contract with Ombudsman Inc. of Chicago, providing three hours per day of individualized computerized academic instruction under an Ombudsman teacher. There is no behavior modification or socialization component or any counseling for students or their families.
Theoretically, a student "at-risk" would be recommended first for a Level I program in his or her own school. If this placement is not successful, and failure can be documented under the uniform standards and procedures, the student is referred to the next level program by the Educational Support Team. It is possible, however, to place a student directly in a Level II or Level Ill program if such placement is deemed appropriate.
REDUCING "DISRUPTIVE/ AT-RISK" BEHAVIORS
School personnel interviewed seemed to agree that "disruptive/ at risk" students have five major needs:
There are also a number of existing conditions that may interfere with providing adequate education at school. Many "disruptive/at-risk" students bring their family problems to school, making it difficult or impossible for them to function efficiently There is now considerable debate about how much the family or the parents should be involved in education, especially by the time students reach high school. The Superintendent encourages involvement; others do not.
Some students may have personality traits that make social adjustment difficult. They have different learning styles, and the pace and approach of the learning situation may be at odds with their personal style. In other cases, the school has not been able to accommodate an increasingly diverse student body.
There are a number of accepted ways to reduce acting-out behaviors:
The new Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Jerry Weast, has made a number of these issues his priorities. He is putting programs in place to make academic achievement and reduction of "disruptive/at-risk" behaviors a reality. He has spoken out vigorously about improving standards and training staff to deal with all types of students.
Project Achieve, proposed by the new Superintendent in his FY 2000 budget, would be a process for improving the ability of the entire school staff to work more effectively with both academic and behavioral issues and make the Education Support Team accountable for outcomes. Its aim is to create a more positive school climate and increase parent involvement and support.
Organizations and individuals are invited to duplicate this fact sheet with attribution given to LWVMC. Before reproducing, please call the LWVMC office at 301-984-9585 for corrections or updated information