OPI report prompts closer look at suspensions

An initial report from the state Office of Public Instruction showing high percentages of suspensions prompted Havre's director of education to take a closer look at the numbers. Andy Carlson said that he and his staff broke down the figures and updated them to more closely examine what percentage of Native American students were being suspended vs. white students. "It's good that information like this makes us ask those questions," Carlson said. And while those questions are uncomfortable, "I was pleased to see those results," he said. The numbers from 2006-07 show that 51 percent of Native American students, who constitute 23 percent of the elementary population in total, in the elementary system were disciplined. Numbers for 2008-09 show the same percentages. When each of those instances was examined, only 6 percent of the students were disciplined with suspension, Carlson said. Out of the white student discipline cases, only 3 percent were suspended, he added. Those numbers fit into the response to intervention model's three-tier system, Carlson said. The model 's f i rs t t ier expects that 80 percent of students wi l l respond to set benchmarks for behavior throughout the year. The second tier allows for 5 to 10 percent of students to be disciplined on a progressive scale. The third tier is made up of the remaining 5 percent of students who are listed at the "intensive" level because of atrisk behavior. Suspension percentages are the third tier, Carlson said, and if the model is applied to the discipline numbers for Havre Public Schools elementary level students, the numbers are within the correct range. Those numbers for three school years showed the same trend, he said, with numbers on track to be the same or possibly lower for this year. Most of the suspensions come from the middle school level, Carlson said. Regardless, suspensions are used as a last resort most of the time, he added. "If students aren't in school, we can't teach them," he said, which isn't ideal. Programs in the schools help to teach things like social responsibility and behavioral expectations, he said, which help to eliminate behaviors that cause discipline problems in the first place. "It makes our program better, everything we do," he said. At Havre Middle School, Principal Dustin Kraske said that several programs help keep students on track. This year's suspension numbers are on target to be fewer than last year, he said. "We're spending a lot more time in this building teaching appropriate behavior than we have before," he said. During the first few days of the school year, student s attend grade-level assemblies that teach what building expectations are. Throughout the year other programs are available for students. "Why we're doing all this is ... we're trying to take each kid and make them succes s ful in our bui lding, " Kraske said. One program is the I-STAND program, which focuses on catching at-risk students up to speed in core subjects. The students are placed in smaller classes so that there is more teacher attention, and students are taught at their level. Of the total 13 seventh- and eighth-grade middle school students who participated in the 2008-09 program, two of the students successfully returned to the regular class setting. Highly structured study halls and daily organizational classes also give extra attention to struggling students, Kraske said. Flexibility grouping in math allows for students to catch up with their peers, and programs before and after school provide extra help, too. "I feel confident (the flexibility grouping in math) is relieving some of the pressures of math," Kraske said. Workshop sessions teach about pertinent issues like drug use, technological safety, leadership and teamwork. Assistant Principal Jamie Courville gives workshops focused on "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" to sixth-, seventh- and eighthgraders, Kraske said. The programs help some students become successful for the first time, he said. "I'm not hearing a whole lot of 'Why should my kid do that?'" he said. "This is more about what we think is best for your child." School personnel and parents want the same things for the students, he said. "We want them to be successful at our school. How can we help?"