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Concurrent sessions are divided into four themed tracks: 1) Stories from Current Check & Connect Implementation Sites, 2) Tips for Implementing Check & Connect, 3) Sustaining Check & Connect, and 4) Research.
Lael Engstrom, MSW, SPDG-Check & Connect Director, University of South Florida - St. Petersburg
Peg Sullivan, M.Ed., SPDG Director, Florida Gulf Coast University
Florida's State Personnel Development Grant targets increasing the graduation rate of students with disabilities through multiple initiatives one of which is the implementation and scaling up of Check and Connect. Working closely with the Institute on Community Integration we are entering year 3 of this initiative. Check & Connect has provided a structure to what many Florida schools were already doing, and has becomes an invaluable resource for schools challenged with disengaged students. Florida selected districts experiencing challenges in graduating students with disabilities to receive support to implement Check and Connect for a 2 year period. Working closely with the Florida Department of Education’s Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services we are currently implementing across 12 school districts in 36 schools. Plans are under way to double that number of schools over the next two years. Aligning and integrating with the Florida Multi-Tiered System of Supports two models of Check & Connect implementation have emerged. We have created a number of tools looking at fidelity of implementation from various perspectives. This presentation will look at structures needed to support implementation, lessons learned along the way and preliminary data from our implementation sites. Check and Connect is enabling Florida to produce “Successful Graduates.”
Daniel N. Samuta, Check & Connect Mentor, Cluster 5 RTLB, Auckland, New Zealand
Arthur Mui, Check & Connect Mentor, Cluster 5 RTLB, Auckland, New Zealand
Currently under the Positive Behaviour 4 Learning (PB4L) initiative for the Ministry Of Education in New Zealand, Check & Connect has been involved with two secondary schools in West Auckland for six months. With over 80% of Daniel and Arthur's referrals having a link to the Pacific Islands, this presentation focuses on how they have implemented Check & Connect by using a "Village Approach" to effectively work with Pacific Island families to address drop out.
Richelle Dumas, Student Assistance Consultant, Metropolitan School District Pike Township, IN
Kathryn Szwed-Thompson, District Behavior Consultant, Metropolitan School District Pike Township, IN
The Metropolitan School District of Pike Township is utilizing Check & Connect Program district-wide to provide supports for middle school students with challenging behavior that impact their academic performance and are identified through the Response to Instruction model. This presentation will share the implementation steps utilized to begin the program at 3 middle schools and the next steps for beginning the program at the high school level.
Kent Pekel, Ed.D., President and CEO, Search Institute
Search Institute's newest applied research focuses on studying and strengthening the relationships that put young people on the path to becoming thriving young adults. Kent Pekel, Ed.D. will discuss his organization’s research on relationships between young people and adults and between young people and their peers. Participants will learn about the Developmental Relationships Framework and how SI is working to help strengthen these relationships through the discipline of improvement science.