The mission of the Plainfield Academy Middle and High School is to develop student independence and success through high individual expectations; by providing a structured environment for students, and teaching the skills students need to meet their behavioral deficit areas. We do this consistently by following the a school wide approach to teaching skills that starts with Preventive Teaching to our population as a whole, then we use individual classroom instruction, and when necessary we work individually with students on corrective teaching.  When continued maladaptive behavior warrants a referral the therapeutic teaching of skills continues to be the essential goal of our referral process, focusing on student learning. 

Preventive Teaching is anticipating the behaviors or social skills necessary for a particular situation and learning, practicing, and reviewing them in advance, like a lesson plan (common school and classroom procedures and routines). 

Common Area Planning – What are our guidelines and expectations for success?  Common Area Plans - Systematically evaluating as a staff what we need to do to provide a safe educational community for our students.

• Goal Statement:  Statement of desired state - Look for key words - Helps clarify purpose or outcomes  

• Student Behavior Expectations:  Specific behaviors - Defines success in this setting – Students will….. 

• Teaching Responsibilities:  Who - When - Where – How

• Encouragement Procedures:  Keep students feeling good about expectations - Sustain student and adult efforts 

• Supervisor Responsibilities:  Adult resources needed to achieve goal - Clear expectations….. Who, When How?

• Interventions (Consequences) for infractions:  Instructional - Learning - Logically connected to the setting - Easy to administer

Individual Instruction briefly teaches or reviews a social skill or expectation at a neutral time with an individual student or group of students.  Individual Instruction is often done when a specific classroom needs to review a skill. 

Corrective Teaching interrupts behavior needing improvement so that a more appropriate response (social skill) can be taught, reviewed, practiced and then reinforced.  Corrective teaching allows educators to blend teaching social skills with ongoing classroom management. The ongoing de-escalation techniques used in the Corrective Teaching Process include:  Verbal Praise, Rationales, Empathy, Specific Instructions, Coupling Statements, Quiet and soft communication

Administrative Discipline Referrals (therapeutic referrals) are used when engaged in corrective teaching and the inappropriate behavior continues - Individual Personalized Instruction that is assigned to the student that is meaningful and relevant to the situation

Academy School staff is also often in-serviced in the areas of:  Precipitating Factors, Rational Detachment and the Integrated Experience, to ensure personnel work from a clinical perspective with students and do not personalize behavior.