The Action Plan Reflects The School’s Needs Based On:
Topics and Participants – Zones of Regulation was a component of our school improvement plan, so we implemented small groups with this focus. Group members were chosen based on standardized testing scores, previous behavioral data, and teacher referral. Additionally, a theme of worry occurred among scholars, so five anti-worry groups were delivered in the spring.
Data/Goals- The school improvement goal was to decrease office referrals for the entire 2nd grade. The plan to address this goal called for second grade teachers to pilot the Zones of Regulation curriculum as a behavior management system. To increase exposure, we implemented the curriculum via thirteen first through fifth grade small groups. Our goal was similar: to decrease office referrals, improve conduct grades, and academic grades.
Developmental Needs – While all groups contained components of Zones of Regulation, we adjusted the curriculum based on the developmental needs of our scholars. For instance, our kindergarten small groups focused on basic social skills and school norms since many of our kindergartners arrive without school exposure. We modified our first and second grade small groups to include mindfulness experiences. Our third and fourth grade scholars’ curriculum emphasized managing worries and regulating feelings associated with worries. Our fifth grade scholars utilized comradery to support each other through the stressors of impending middle school and end of year testing.
ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors – We addressed eight Mindsets & Behaviors via small groups. It was imperative that scholars developed self-confidence and felt a sense of belonging in school – M2 and M3. Additionally, our second through fifth graders needed to apply self-motivation and self-direction to learning – B-LS4. Finally, as the fostering of relationships is woven into the fabric of our school, we also focused on B-SS 1 and B-SS 3 to help scholars communicate with each other and have healthy relationships.
The Lesson Plan Content Driven By Mindsets & Behaviors:
Self-management skills are the core of the Zones of Regulation curriculum. We focused on B-SMS1, B-SMS 2, and B-SMS 7 for all K-5 small groups. The ability to have self-control and responsibility will serve our scholars now and later in life. Lastly, B-SS 2 serves as the cornerstone to our Zones of Regulation lesson plan by assisting our scholars in creating positive and supportive relationships with peers and staff alike.
Perception Data Assessment links To Mindsets & Behaviors:
We strategically created survey questions that directly tied to Mindsets and Behaviors. Question one states, “There is no such thing as a little problem.” This is designed to facilitate recognizing the size of a problem to gauge an appropriate reaction, thus utilizing coping skills when faced with a problem (B-SMS 7). Our second question focused on the skill of increased self-discipline and self-control (B-SMS 2) through the concept of an Inner Coach. Our third question, “An Inner Critic is helpful,” also centers on self-discipline and self-control, as it teaches scholars the difference between negative and positive self-talk. The fourth question, “A rock brain will help me with my problems,” helps scholars take responsibility for their reactions via a flexible mindset (B-SMS 1). Question five, “Stop, Opt, and Go is about choices I have when I have a problem” highlights B-SMS 7. Seven weeks of building relationships in group corresponds to B-SS 2- the creation of positive and supportive relationships with other students.
Results Report Informs Future School Counseling Activities With:
Cogent Rationale For Recommendations:
We highly recommend implementing Zones of Regulation school-wide as a classroom behavior management system, along with small groups. Scholars became more conversational in the Zones of Regulation terminology and every survey yielded an acquisition of knowledge. This content was easy to embed in everyday teaching and learning in Kindergarten through Fifth grade.
Ideas To Improve Delivery:
In the future, we plan to gain further understanding of our impact by adding a qualitative questionnaire for parents and teachers. In addition, we will hold individual meetings with group members to help assess the transference of skills in their daily lives. Additionally, we would like to consider a scholar’s potential changes in internalized behaviors.
Continuation Of Group:
Overall, Zones of Regulation was beneficial for all scholars. As more classroom teachers are using the vocabulary and strategies in the classroom, the concept will become pervasive and part of the culture of Sawyer Road. For those who need specific remediation, we will reinforce the self-regulation skills in small group.