Mary C O'Brien Accommodation District

The MCOB District has a robust intervention system to support student learning challenges. At MCOB Elementary students are identified through benchmark, interim, and state assessments to receive intervention from a certified Reading Specialist and a certified Math Specialist. The principal meets bi-weekly with the intervention team to review student progress, adjust the interventions, and make any revisions to interventions as necessary. MCOB Elementary uses small group instruction with the above-mentioned specialist, support from trained paraprofessionals, and online intervention programs (Lexia, Reading Plus, I-Ready) to support student learning loss. Villa Oasis is an approved alternative school with small classes (10 to 1 student to teacher ratio) and provides interventions with a certified Reading Specialist and a Math Intervention teacher. Students at Villa Oasis are typically out of cohort (less than the required credits to graduate), and support is provided for credit recovery. Our district prioritizes support for homeless students, English Language Learners, low-income students, and special education students. Both schools use benchmark data to determine learning loss due to loss learning time and the challenges of the pandemic. We will also use the grant to support the salaries of a full-time counselor/social worker on each campus to support the social/emotional needs of our students. The evidence-based strategies utilized by the counselors is laid out later in this narrative.
The MCOB District will fund summer school in June of 2022 and June of 2023. The summer learning program is focused on students that are below grade level and addresses the learning needs of these students with evidence-based strategies. The summer program will run for 4 weeks, 4 full days per week, for a total of 16 summer school days. The district utilizes spring assessment data to determine student needs and the students are assessed throughout the summer session to determine progress towards established academic goals. Special Education students, homeless students, and ELL students are prioritized for support during summer school.

MCOB Elementary focuses on students below grade level in Math, Reading, and Language Arts. Foundational skills in ELA and math are the focus using our core curriculums Journey's Language Arts curriculum and Eureka Math curriculum. Small reading groups led by the reading coach are offered daily. On-line interventions (Lexia, Reading Plus, I-Ready) which specifically align instruction to
individual student need for reading and math are used daily. Student to certified tutor ratio is 7 to 1. Social/Emotional support will be available from certified Counselor/Social Worker.

Villa Oasis High School focuses on credit recovery during summer school and provides small classes and certified teachers to support students in achieving high school credit towards graduation. Student to certified teacher ratio is 15-1 or less for high school students. A certified special education teacher will support special education students. Social-Emotional services are provided by a certified social worker/counselor. Homeless students, special education students, and ELL students are prioritized for inclusion in summer school.

Counselors focus on students that are homeless, in foster care, and those identified by teachers and staff that are exhibiting anxiety, poor schoolwork, or any issues at school. Counselors also visit classrooms and provide social/emotional training to students and staff.

Evidence based strategies for Villa Oasis High School -

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Teens Program (MBSR-T) (Biegel, 2009a, 2009b, 2014, 2017) in varying forms. Stressed Teens teaches mindfulness skills and provides tools for those in their pre-teen years through latter adolescence and even for young adults. Stressed Teens takes a mind-body approach and focuses on the whole person. Teens often have difficulty with their social skills, emotions, confidence, procrastination, impulsivity, and attention. Stressed Teens can improve a teen's functioning and quality of living socially, physically, and psychologically.

MBSR-T is an adaptation of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program for adults (Kabat-Zinn, 1982, 1990, 2013). The MBSR-T intervention is closely related to the traditional MBSR program created by Kabat-Zinn and colleagues. The MBSR-T program is meant to be a program to use with adolescents and young adults versus the traditional MBSR program for adults. Like MBSR, MBSR-T is based on secular adaptations of mindfulness practices with roots in Eastern meditation traditions. MBSR-T is also strongly influenced by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2002, 2013).

Mindfulness is noticing your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations in the present moment without harmful judgement. Mindfulness can be cultivated through both formal and informal mindfulness practices. The formal practices taught are similar to those in adult MBSR, but their duration is shortened to accommodate the attention span of adolescents. Emphasis is also given to mindful qualities of living, informal practice, and developing an awareness of one's thoughts. It appears, through experience in MBSR-T, that teens often benefit from activities that focus on noticing and awareness of self-other judgments, worries, things out of one's control, and pain and suffering. Many mental health difficulties arise from these aforementioned thoughts.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy often referred to as CBT, is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on making connections between thoughts, behavior, and feelings. Psychotherapists who use CBT help people identify and change dysfunctional patterns.
CBT is often used with adolescents. It can be effective in treating a wide range of issues including eating disorders, substance abuse, anxiety, and depression

Basic Principles
CBT is based on the idea that there is a clear link between thoughts, behavior, and feelings.1 Here's an example:

Thought: I'm socially awkward
Feeling: Anxious
Behavior: Teen sits in the corner alone while at a party
A teen who thinks they are awkward might avoid eye contact and shy away from the conversation. Then, when they don't have positive social interactions, their belief that they're socially awkward is reinforced.

Motivational-Interviewing (MI)
Motivational Interviewing is a therapeutic approach that clinicians take when trying to help patients change certain behaviors. Many people assume that when people gain new information about behavior that's unhealthy or dangerous, they'll stop engaging in the behavior based on their new knowledge. However, evidence shows that this is rarely the case. Just because people know they need to change doesn't mean they will change, or they want to change.

This is where Motivational Interviewing (MI) comes in. Through a specific, evidence-based method of asking questions and listening nonjudgmentally, the therapist guides the patient through the process of eliminating harmful, risky behaviors - or forming new, positive habits. The goal of MI is to attempt to motivate the patient to change on their own. MI is particularly helpful for patients who are ambivalent, reluctant, or defensive about their problems.

Evidence Based Strategies at MCOB Elementary -

Create safe boundaries for students'
Identified counselor's room as a safe place to go calm down.
Kindergarten and first grade have bean bags in the classroom they can go to calm down "Reflection Area."
Mindfulness activities such as deep breathing, stretches, and students imagine of a calm and safe
Process with students after an incident has happened, problem solve, and identify positive strategies with students.
Use the website GoNoodle for many of the mindfulness activities and calming activities.
Students use the Zones of Regulation chart to reflect on their feelings for the day and sometimes there is more than one zone/color/feeling.
Student are allowed to exercise and walk to calm down.
Teach deep breathing exercises in the classrooms and to the students.
Teach emotion management and problem-solving skills through games, role plays, worksheets, artwork and social skills stories
Complete activities, strategies, and incentives for school motivation and reward their success
Teach Character Counts
Counselor will facilitate small social Skills groups.
Counselor will teach social skills lessons in the classroom.
Individual student support as needed
Staff members check in with specific students on a daily basis.
Student Study Team meetings every Tuesday
Through this student learn the following:
Self-awareness
Self-management
Social awareness
Relationship skills
Responsible decision making