P.R.I.D.E. Alternative School is a program set up to service children ages five through twenty-one, who have been referred to the program due to some kind of emotional or behavior problem. All the students have been found eligible for special education services with a primary emotional disturbance disability. P.R.I.D.E., which stands for Personal Responsibility through Independence and Developmental Education, is for those students who are not experiencing success at their home school. The program consists of three main components:
Academics: Each classroom consists of approximately ten students with a teacher and a teacher aide. All the teachers at P.R.I.D.E. are certified in ED and many carry certifications in LD and EMH. The administration holds a Type 75 certification. The classroom/homerooms are set up by the student's academic ability, so the teachers can do some lecture as well as individualized instruction. The P.R.I.D.E. School curriculum mirrors that of the schools we service as well as being aligned with the State standards.
Behaviorally: The behavior modification program at P.R.I.D.E. is a level system as well as a token economy. The students earn tokens every ten minutes for positive behavior and tokens are taken away through a fining system for negative behaviors. By the end of the day, the student must have earned a minimum amount of tokens (75% positive behavior for the day) to make their day. Ten good days on one level will move them to the next level. As the student moves up the level system, we wean them from the token economy system, preparing them to follow the rules with immediate reinforcers. The goal for every student that enters the program is that they reach Level 8, have 30 good days on Level 8, they are then reintegrated back to their home school. There are time out rooms in every classroom. At P.R.I.D.E., time out is not viewed as negative. Students can ask to take a time out any time they feel they need one or staff can request a time out any time a student is out of control. Any time a student is physically out of control and a danger to themselves or someone else, the staff will physically restrain them.
Therapeutically: The therapeutic component of the program consists of every student receiving a bare minimum of 43 minutes of individual therapy per week, 129 minutes of group therapy per week and 60 minutes of family therapy per week. These are all minimal if the student is having a particularly hard day or class period and the therapist is called and the child is seen.
P.R.I.D.E. students receive transportation to and from school by the school staff. All the P.R.I.D.E. staff have received their Illinois School Bus Driving Permit through the Secretary of State. The staff transport the students to and from school. The students receive tokens for good bus behavior as part of the P.R.I.D.E. behavior management system.
Program Goals for P.R.I.D.E. Alternative are as follows:
- To provide an educational atmosphere that fosters desire by students to succeed in school.
- To strengthen all academic skills to their maximum level of functional performance.
- To develop within each individual student a positive self-concept.
- To help students learn to cope with every day stress regardless of its origin.
- To prepare all students to live independently both socially and vocationally.
- To mainstream students back to their resident district school whenever appropriate.
- To instill within each student, the emotional and physical ability to function as an independent and self-sufficient adult.
The S.T.O.P. Program (Short Term Optional Placement)
The S.T.O.P. Program is designed to assist school districts address students in behavioral crisis. The students have all been identified as needing special education services and may have a variety of disabilities. School districts will refer students to the S.T.O.P. Program as an alternative to out of school suspensions. The length of stay for each student will be determined by the referring school district. The students are placed in a self-contained room with not more than a total of twelve students. There is a certified teacher as well as a teacher aide in the classroom at all times. The teacher is certified in ED.
The S.T.O.P. Program consists of three components:
Academics: Each student is sent work from their home school and work is completed individually. Assistance is given on an as-needed basis.
Behavior Management: The behavior management system consists of a token economy system. The students earn tokens for positive behavior and tokens are taken away for negative behaviors. Time-out as well as physical restraint are implemented as needed (see the P.R.I.D.E. Program description).
Therapeutically: The students receive daily group therapy focusing on the reasons they were referred to S.T.O.P. and how things could have been done differently.
Each student also receives individual therapy once a week or at least once during their time in S.T.O.P. (if they are there less than one week). The therapeutic intervention will assist students in addressing their behavioral crisis.
