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BOCES SCHOOL SCENE
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
Shooting for the STARS isn’t too far to aim at all
B
OCES proudly has some rising STARS. “The STARS Program is based on providing services for students who have communication difficulties, or fall somewhere on the autism spectrum,” says Donna Hemmer, BOCES’ director of communications. “We provide them with instruction to enable them to be fairly competent as they grow. We show different methods of working, new methods, and technology. “They all come through referrals from schools. They all have IEPs, or Individual Education Plans, and they are meeting their goals, tying to the Common Core.” STARS stands for Structured Teaching and Related Services. The program has about 40 kids in classrooms of eight students, one teacher, and three aides. BOCES began the program partly in response to the
increase in student referrals. Teachers Teri Knight and Joanne Scialabba, and Speech Therapist Madeline Paciga, sat down to explain the innovative approach that uses research-based methodology developed by Dr. Vincent Carbone, a wellknown specialist in the field. Paciga explained, “Last year, BOCES made arrangements with the Carbone Clinic in Pennsylvania. Dr. Carbone is a specialist who runs a private clinic that uses these methods that are now being brought here.” The school is incorporating a fiveyear plan, starting last year. The Carbone Clinic first evaluated the classrooms, staff, students, and abilities. After analysis, two classes with teachers Knight and Scialabba were chosen to continue contact with the consultant from the clinic, who comes to the school monthly. The system uses ABA, or Applied
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Richard Welk, 11, doesn't speak but instead uses two iPads to communicate, one to talk to others, and the other for his work. "We teach him to speak as well," said his teacher, Joanne Scialabba.
Behavior Analysis. An older method was more rigid, the teachers explained, and sometimes even detrimental or aversive to the students. ABA uses principles of behavior to enforce socially acceptable actions. Knight explained, “So it’s a different way of bringing ABA, of delivering instruction to the classroom.” “It’s more userfriendly,” Paciga interjected with a smile. Knight expanded, “One of the ways it has changed it to bring out the student motivation. When the student is motivated for something, you use that to your advantage, to steer them. In this program, they are constantly being reinforced for appropriate behaviors and responses, to increase motivation, and to make teaching less aversive.” She continued, “We’re slowly implementing the program based on ABA, which helps us to address problem behavior, as well as teaching skills. It’s data-driven. Data is taken by the teachers daily about the skills learned, as well as the causes of problem behavior in the classroom, so that we can come up with strategies to increase learning and decrease problems.” The Carbone Clinic consultant comes in once a month to look at the data, and gives instructions for the next step.
Everything is structured and predictable, starting with the way the classrooms are set up, since the students often have problems with anxiety. The teachers explained how the new program is filling in the gaps. For example, if students can’t speak, no matter how old they are, they can’t be taught other skills. The teachers have to do the curriculum over for individualized instruction based on the level where students are now. The new method uses positive reinforcement. Scialabba explained, “Some of our kids would act out by screaming, and we would use timeout, punishing. But they got away from doing what they didn’t want to do, and they thought, great, because they didn’t want to study anyway. So now we always go back to that activity that they’re trying to avoid. No matter what they do, they go back to it – for example, math. We always keep that demand on them.” Knight continued, “Demand is placed, like ‘sit down, sit down.’ As soon as there’s a good response, they get a little food snack or ‘good job’ verbal praise – what we think is enforcing the good behavior. And we see it only as enforcing if it increases the behavior we’re looking for. You have to find out what is going to
The system uses ABA, or Applied Behavior Analysis. An older method was more rigid, and sometimes even detrimental or aversive to the students.