During the 2015-2016 school year we began using the SWIS program (School Wide Information System) for collecting and summarizing student discipline data. An early look at the data showed an unprecedented number of student discipline referrals coming from transportation. When looking at transportation data with our advisory council, it became clear that the greatest number of disciplinary reports came from the bus that services students in the lowest socioeconomic group. This is the bus that transports students who are living in government assisted, income based apartment rentals. This one bus services 38 students (3.5% if our student population) and accounted for 17% of the referrals for discipline.

Many of these disciplinary referrals resulted in students being removed from the bus for several days, and in some cases missing days of school due to lack of transportation. This, in turn, affected academics and social relationships. We discussed these concerns at our advisory council meeting and brainstormed intervention ideas.We extended our school counseling program goal to closing the gap activities to put reinforcements in place for this particular group. It is our mission to ensure that all students have access to a safe and nurturing environment that removes barriers to learning.

Applied Survey Research (a nonprofit social research firm specializing in school readiness assessments) performed a study in July 2011 commissioned by Attendance Works (a national and state initiative that promotes better policy and practice around school attendance) that suggests that attendance in the early grades is critical to sustaining school readiness skills developed in preschool. “Students who arrived academically ready to learn - but then missed 10 percent of their kindergarten and first grade years - scored, on average, 60 points below similar students with good attendance on third-grade reading tests. In math the gap was nearly 100 points.” (“Attendance in Early Elementary Grades; Associations with Student Characteristics , School Readiness, and Third Grade Outcomes”, July 2011). It is for this reason that we chose to educate these students on what the expectations are on the bus so that they could be successful. Our objective was to reduce the number of disciplinary bus referrals on this bus, thus limiting the number of days a student would be absent due to lack of transportation and removing that barrier to learning.

We began February 8, 2016 by pulling together these students by grade level and surveying their perceptions. Based on this we determined that the most successful interventions would be ones that taught and reinforced the rules of the bus. We planned a series of large group lessons that lasted over six weeks. For each group of students we reviewed bus safety with administration, watched our kid friendly P.B.I.S. (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) video that we made on bus behavior, practiced bus procedures, and reinforced the transportation expectations. This resulted in a 64% decrease in discipline referrals for this bus by the end of the school year. Next steps include intervening with this group of students and bus driver at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year to see if that number can be maintained, or even further decreased.

Goal: By the end of the 2015-2016 school year the number of bus disciplinary referrals for students who ride the bus that services low socioeconomic students will decrease. This will limit the number of days a student would be absent due to transportation issues and remove that barrier to learning. This will be attained through instruction delivered in large and small counseling groups by the elementary school counselors along with the assistance of the administration team and the bus driver. This plan will begin no later than February 8, 2016 and will allow students to demonstrate self-discipline and self-control. In comparing bus referrals, from the current school year, before and after the initiation of the program, results will show a 20% decrease in the number of students receiving a disciplinary referral by May 26, 2016. This is an extension of the counseling program goal to decrease bus referrals for students on all buses.

Target Group: Students who ride the bus that services those living in government assisted, income based apartment rentals.

Data Used to Identify Students: List of students who ride bus #33 in the morning and afternoon, list of students participating in the free or reduced meal program.

School Counselor(s): Penny Callahan, Kelley Mills

ASCA Domain, Mindsets & Behaviors Standard(s): M 3, B-LS 9, B-SMS 1, B-SMS 2, B-SMS 7, B-SMS 9, B-SMS 10, B-SS 1, B-SS 2, B-SS 3, B-SS 7

Type of Activities to be Delivered in What Manner?: Students will be broken up into large groups by grade level. Each large group will participate in the following activities: Session 1: Review of bus safety procedures with grade level administrators and counselors. Session 2: Counselors show students P.B.I.S. video on transportation expectations and discuss "do's" and "don't's". Session 3: Counselors and bus driver practice with students bus procedures - lining up, boarding the bus, sitting in seats, and exiting the bus. Session 4: Counselors break students into smaller groups of 4 to 5 to watch “Riding the School Bus” safety video. Discuss do’s and don’t’s as a group. Session 5: In small groups, counselors read “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” and discuss what rules a Pigeon bus driver would have. Session 6: Watch video “School Bus Safety for Kids” and talk about what mistakes the boy in the video makes and how to correct them, post survey.

Process Data (Number of students affected): 38 students - 19 kindergarten, 9 first grade, and 10 second grade students who ride the bus that services students living in government assisted, income based apartment rentals.

Perception Data (Surveys or assessments used): How did the students attitudes change? (Student perception data) 1. Do you like school? Pre 93.3% yes, Post 100% yes. 2. Do you like to ride the bus? Pre 81% yes, Post 93% yes. 3. Do you have friends on the bus? Pre 100% yes, Post 100% yes. 4. Do you know what the rules are on the bus? Pre 14% yes, Post 100% yes. 5. Do you follow the rules on the bus? Pre 85% yes, Post 100% yes. 6. Do the other kids follow the rules on the bus? Pre 26% yes, Post 86% yes. 7. Does your bus driver tell kids when they do a good job? Pre 33% yes, Post 100% yes.

Outcome Data (Achievement, attendance, and/or behavior data): Behavioral reports show a 64% decrease in discipline referrals for the students on this bus from the beginning of the program to the end of the school year.

Implications: This program was successful in reducing the number of discipline referrals for these students, thus limiting the number of days they may have been absent from school due to lack of transportation. Next steps include intervening with this group of students and bus driver at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year to see if that number can be maintained, or even further decreased.

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