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Brittany Sill
SCED 501
December 7, 2016
Student Success Plan

The student I selected is a fifth grader with a diagnosis of conduct disorder (CD). This

student was diagnosed during his 2 grade year while attending a school within the Gladstone
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School District. He was displaying disruptive behavior, bullying other students, and being

disrespectful to authority figures. He was enrolled in this school district from K-3 grade and
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then transferred to North Clackamas School District at the beginning of his 4 grade year. Per
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the school counselor, my mentor, the administrators and staff had not see him displaying any of

the above-mentioned behaviors during that school year. Reports had been made by his

classmates about this student bullying others and being disruptive during unstructured times.

Since these behaviors were not done in the presence of adults, it has been difficult to pinpoint

and provide support and interventions around his behavior thus far.

There are a few reasons why I chose this student. He is one of the only students I have

worked with multiple times, in different situations, and I have witnessed him exhibiting some of

the above-mentioned concerning behaviors. Also, he will be attending a different school next

year as he will be moving up to middle school and I feel a sense of urgency around getting him

evaluated and a plan in place for him prior to his transition. Currently he is still academically

successful with limited class engagement. His past test scores show he understands materials

presented and can complete assignments related to the material presented, but chooses not to.

When he is pressed, he becomes defiant and disruptive to the entire class. He does not see the

relationship between academic success and his future. The level of difficulty at the middle school

level will not allow for limited engagement in the classroom. I worry that school will become

challenging and he will drop out as he does not have very much family support or guidance. He
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dresses himself and gets to school all on his own. His attendance is very good, which is

something to consider while implementing a success plan for this student.

This student currently bullies, threatens and intimidates classmates as well as authority

figures. He has deliberately destroyed school property and then lied about the situation, even

when confronted with irrefutable evidence. When disruptive, he has often been removed from

the class and even occasionally has received in-school suspension. When confronted with these

types of behaviors he is indifferent about his actions. He shuts down and has expressed a lack of

people in his life that care if he succeeds or fails.

He is currently on a check-in, check-out system with his classroom teacher. It is very

apparent that he has a close relationship with his teacher and enjoys one-on-one interactions with

her. He is currently on an incentive plan, the school purchased a Lego set for him and when he

earns 20 points for appropriate behavior and engaging in class, he earns 20 minutes of time

towards working on the Lego set. Unfortunately, he has only received enough points one time.

I think it would be beneficial to begin with a lower number of earned points. This way he can

experience success more often. Based on his diagnoses in 2 grade, it is important that the
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school consider what this means and asses his needs and implement a plan for success.

This student attends a federally designated Title One, Spanish immersion elementary

school. The school has a population that is 58% economically disadvantaged. Students with

disabilities make up 19% of the population. There are seven different languages spoken within

the school community and 28% of the students are English Language Learners. The student

population at this school consistently fluctuates. Students move in and out of the school on a

frequent basis. The total student population totals 436 students, which is 12 less than the
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previous school year. The student demographics are comprised of 58% White, 7% Multi-Racial,

33% Hispanic/Latino and 1% Black/African American (Oregon, 1998).

The average classroom ratio is 30 students to one teacher with a floating instructional

assistant at most grade levels. Having such large classroom sizes diminishes opportunities in the

classroom for more interactive learning situations, which would be especially beneficial to this

student. It is apparent that this student’s inappropriate behaviors would reduce in a smaller

classroom environment. He could be more active and receive more one-on-one interactions with

the instructors.

The median age of onset for CD is 11.6 years (Hughes, Crothers, & Jimerson, 2007). CD

is a psychiatric syndrome occurring in childhood and adolescence, and is characterized by a

longstanding pattern of violations of rules and antisocial behavior (Searight, Rottnek, & Abby,

2001). An article written for the American Academy of Family Physicians magazine pointed out

that, “approximately 6 to 16 percent of boys and 2 to 9 percent of girls meet the diagnostic

criteria for conduct disorder. The incidence of conduct disorder increases from childhood to

adolescence” (2001).

There are four main behavior symptoms that are recognized in students with CD. They

are: 1) aggressive behavior that causes or threatens harm to other people or animals, such as

bullying or intimidating others, often initiating physical fights, or being physically cruel to

animals; 2) non-aggressive conduct that causes property loss or damage, such as fire-setting or

the deliberate destruction of others’ property; 3) deceitfulness or theft, such as breaking into

someone’s house or car, or lying or “conning” others; and 4) serious rule violations, such as

staying out at night when prohibited, running away from home overnight, or often being truant

from school (Peak, 2016).

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Research on CD shows that adolescents with little family support learn the behaviors

associated with CD as a part “of gang culture or to meet basic survival needs (e.g., stealing food)

and are often less psychologically disturbed than those with early childhood histories of behavior

disorders”. They can take on “new-onset conduct disorder behavior, such as skipping school,

shoplifting or running away, in the context of a family stressors” and can alter their behavior

when appropriate structures and supports are provided (Searight, Rottnek, & Abby, 2001). This

research indicates that there are ways to work with and effectively support adolescents with CD;

therefore, a student success plan is crucial.

Students exhibiting emotional and behavioral problems in the classroom significantly

impact the learning for themselves and others. Because of this, they are usually referred to the

school counselor and as a school counselor, I see how essential an effective success plan would

be for this student. I am basing my success plan on the assumption that his parent will be open

to an Individual Education Plan (IEP), as there is nothing to indicate otherwise and I am viewing

interventions from the viewpoint of the school setting. It is crucial that schools “consider the

structural and pragmatic issues of teaching and treating children who require specialized delivery

of their instruction” and approach their behavior intervention plans with a fundamental

understanding of how to build an effective plan that is “comprehensive in scope to meet the

needs of all children” (Hughes, Crothers, & Jimerson, 2007).

My first step would be to educate his guardian about his current behavior at school and

then provide her with some background knowledge around the importance of evaluating her

child for an IEP. The student has medical documentation from 2 grade, which diagnoses him
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with CD. For the school to affectively support and intervene, it is imperative that he be

evaluated for an IEP plan. Due to the complexity surround this disorder, according to Hughes,
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Crothers and Jimerson (2007), “It is important for school psychologists and other educational

professionals to consider the importance of comprehensive, coordinated, and sustained

intervention strategies”. It is the role of the school psychologists to help school staff members

and families understand the complex nature of CD by using a comprehensive evaluation.

Once the student has been evaluated and qualifies for an IEP under the category of Other

Health Impairment (Lee, 2014), I would ask for a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA). An

FBA is generally considered to be a problem-solving process for the addressing the “why”

around student problem behavior. This approach helps educators and parents understand and ask

the question, “What happened to you?” instead of “What is wrong with you?”. An FBA relies on

a variety of techniques and strategies to identify the purposes of specific behavior. It then helps

the IEP teams select interventions that will directly address and impact the problem behavior.

Functional behavioral assessment should be integrated, as appropriate, throughout the process of

developing, reviewing and if necessary, revising a student’s IEP (“Functional Behavioral

Assessment,” 2001).

After initiating the IEP and FBA, I would take the time to sit down with his parent and

discuss additional resources and support programs that are available. I would begin by explaining

the importance of and process involved with the parent making a self-referral to North

Clackamas Department of Human Services (DHS). The parent has made it clear that she is at a

loss on how to effectively support her son and basically has left him to his own accord. I would

emphasize to the parent that I would help her through the process so she doesn’t feel like she is

alone. By making a self-referral, the hope would be that she would qualify for and receive

support from the Family Support and Connection Program. Families who join this program are

connected to a Family Support advocate. “Advocates are flexible and available to meet anywhere
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your family feels comfortable. Your family advocate will help identify the strengths and needs of

your family, and work with you to find the solutions that work best for you and your children”

(“Assistance,” n.d.).

Next, I would discuss the option of making a referral to Trillium. Trillium is an

organization that provides trauma informed care and comprehensive mental health services to

individuals and their families. They offer “hope to families when they don’t know where else to

turn”. Providers from Trillium help with ongoing conditions by supporting children and their

families while learning the skills necessary to manage their mental health needs and become

thriving members of society (Portland, 2016).

As a school counselor, who is a member of the North Clackamas Youth Protection Team

(YPT) with DHS, I would make a referral for this student to the team. YPT is comprised of

school counselors, DHS staff, juvenile justice staff, law enforcement, social workers and school

psychologists. The benefit of discussing this student with the team would be for me to receive

additional support from DHS, receive feedback from multiple perspectives, and increase support

for him and his family.

The second part of my student success plan would be centered around intervention

strategies both in the school setting and at home. I would use a three-fold model that focuses not

only on the student, but the teacher/school and family.

The student-focused approach would address the cognitive and social processes that are

driving his behavior. The book, “Identifying, Assessing, and Treating Conduct Disorder at

School”, discusses how to meet the student’s needs. The primary focus would be around school

staff teaching problem-solving skills, as well as providing interventions that specifically target

his problem behaviors. As a counselor, I would use a variety of modeling, practicing, role-
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playing, and direct reinforcement/incentives to address his target behaviors (2007). As the

school counselor, it would be important for me to provide guidance lessons which focus on

controlling his emotions, coping skills, problem-solving skills, peer relations, and bullying.

According to Hughes, Crothers and Jimerson (2007), negative affect is a common

problem for children with CD, there are several styles of interaction that teachers can use in

classrooms to help provide appropriate emotional support. It is important to place this student

with a teacher who presents classroom material using these three criteria: 1) A teacher who

consistently practices skills and assignment expectations before asking for group or individual

skill practice, which involve teacher -directed preparation for assignments, individual followed

by individual or group work, 2) systematic routines around instruction (direct instruction or skills

steaming), and the application of individual, classroom and schoolwide behavioral feedback and

expectations, and 3) a cumulative manner, where lessons (education or social) are explicitly

connected to previous learning experiences (Hughes, Crothers, & Jimerson, 2007).

The check-in and check-out system would be continued to help the teacher gauge where

the student is at daily. If the teacher has the time in the morning, with help from the student, she

can adjust her approach and provide additional support in where needed. This would also be a

time for the teacher to understand how the student is entering the classroom and if additional

staff support is needed.

To help the student manage his emotions, it would be beneficial to implement a

break/time-out system. The student and teacher would create a specific signal to let the teacher

know when he needs a break. The student would be allowed to work in the counselor’s room to

work on the current assignment that is causing frustration in the classroom. This would help

deescalate the student and prevent blow-ups. However, the teacher will still need to intervene if
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the student decides to remain in the classroom and continues to escalate. There would be a daily

number of breaks allotted to the student to prevent misuse of the system.

Another piece that I would add to his student success plan would be a fieldtrip to Sabin-

Schellenberg, an Occupational Skills Center. The goal of this trip would be to connect his

current interest in automotive mechanics to the importance of school success and continuing his

education. I believe that it would make a difference for him to receive a tour and talk with a

current student about the different programs offered. This could help him understand what it

would take to reach his goal of becoming an automotive service technician (“Sabin-Schellenberg

Professional Technical Center directory,” 2016). Overall, visiting this school will help increase

the student’s motivation to be academically successful.

This may be the first-time many of the school’s staff have worked with a student who has

CD. To effectively support and intervene it would be beneficial to provide professional

development opportunities; or if possible, hire an instructional assistant with the background

knowledge of the intellectual and emotional stability that must be provided to the student. It is

important that the educators who work with this student can provide objective and frequent

feedback for students to achieve their target behaviors.

Parent-focused approaches help address the social influences from the home environment

that might be contributing to the child’s behaviors. Mental health providers can help train his

guardian to increase positive social interactions. The mental health provider will teach and

model prosocial interactions with the parent to help improve the parent’s interactions with the

student (Hughes, Crothers, & Jimerson, 2007). It is a priority to focus on the interactions at

home, especially those involving coercive exchanges, such as bullying. For parents to

effectively and successfully redirect the student’s behavior, parents need to alter their current
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way of interacting with their child. This is where a referral to DHS and/or Trillium would be

imperative for the parent.

Interventions Outline:
1) Assessment
a) IEP evaluation due to medical diagnosis of Conduct Disorder (CD)
b) Follow-up with a FBA/BSP assessment to further understand WHY the student is
exhibiting these behaviors.
2) Additional support/intervention options for mom
a) Self-referral to DHS (mentioned she is struggling and needs help)
i) Counselor will present information for this student to the North Clackamas DHS YPT
b) Receive consent for the counselor to make a referral to Trillium
3) Classroom Behavioral Interventions and Support
a) Check-in/Check-out
b) Incentive Plan
i) LEGO Set
c) Time-outs
4) Academic Interventions
a) Teacher/School-Focused
i) Teacher Behavior/General Classroom Management
ii) Curriculum-based Interventions
b) Student-Focused
i) Guidance Lessons
ii) Mentorship Program
iii) Field trip to Sabin-Shellenberg to encourage his interest in automotive mechanics
c) Parent-Focused
i) Direct Training
ii) Interventions
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References:

Assistance. Retrieved December 4, 2016, from http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/Pages/index.aspx

Bibliography: Searight, R. H., Rottnek, F., & Abby, S. (2001, April 15). Conduct disorder:
Diagnosis and Treatment in Primary Care. Retrieved November 30, 2016, from
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2001/0415/p1579.html

Functional Behavioral Assessment. (2001). Retrieved December 4, 2016, from

http://cecp.air.org/fba/

Hughes, T. L., Crothers, L. M., & Jimerson, S. R. (2007). Identifying, assessing, and treating
conduct disorder at school. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag New York.

Lee, A. (2014, April 11). How IDEA protects you and your child. Retrieved December 4, 2016,
from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/your-childs-rights/basics-about-childs-
rights/how-idea-protects-you-and-your-child

Oregon. (1998). Report card Download - Oregon department of education. Retrieved December
02, 2016, from http://www.ode.state.or.us/data/reportcard/reports.aspx

Peak, P. (2016). Conduct disorder. Retrieved December 5, 2016, from

http://www.nmha.org/conditions/conduct-disorder

Portland, C. of. (2016, September 23). Trillium family services: Parry center for children.
Retrieved December 8, 2016, from
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/sustainabilityatwork/article/461226

Sabin-Schellenberg Professional Technical Center Directory. (2016, November 3). Retrieved

December 6, 2016, from http://www.nclack.k12.or.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=5298