PIECES Framework – Thinking Beyond the Limits

SEELEY LAKE – Many who drove by Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) early this summer read "The PIECES Framework is taking over the world" on the reader board. While the framework has yet to take over the education world, the influence that it has had in the past year has set the waves in motion for tangible impacts locally and for other rural schools across the country.

In October 2015, Special Education Director Julie Haines and Behavior Support Coordinator Angela Harris were challenged by Superintendent Chris Stout to conceptualize and communicate what is done well at SLE. The end result was to present at an international conference in April. SLE first grade teacher Maggie Burwick volunteered to help with the project as well.

"We thought it was really awesome that three different professionals from different realms and different perspectives could come together and create a presentation to share what was going well," said Harris.

The creation team started from scratch brainstorming what components captured why SLE was so successful. They created the acronym PIECES "effortlessly."

"The shared vision and implementation of the framework have been in practice at this school for years," said Haines. "We called it a framework and a model because, yes, it is unique to our school but could be something that was shared and implemented with other schools [and organizations]."

The PIECES framework addresses personal needs while differentiating learning for sustained success. It integrates mental health services into the climate of the school through relationships, starting with the student/teacher relationship.

"One of the reasons I think we have been real successful is we treat those services and the people that work for Altacare as if they are just part of what is going on here. Angela is now a part of the school staff," said Stout

PIECES is an acronym that stands for Professional Development, Inclusion and Integration, Eclectic Education, Collaboration, Evaluation, and Support. The foundations of this comprehensive model are all interrelated, codependent and must all be in place in some form to be effective. The framework also includes a self-evaluative rubric that a professional can use to assess himself or herself on how they are doing within the framework.

Even though SLE has been operating in the components of the framework, the creation team said they have already seen changes at SLE since implementing the framework.

"It has really unified the SLE staff for a common goal of student engagement," said Harris.

Burwick added, "It is validating the things that are already going on. And it is pushing the teachers to go further, to think outside of what they are already doing."

The team has seen an increase in collaboration on effective strategies and available resources. Haines thinks that by tapping into community resources and utilizing the strengths of other staff members have helped SLE think beyond the limitations of the education system and create a vision.

"I feel like Seeley is a leader in Montana for pushing those limitations [of the education system] out and looking at how could we do things better," said Harris.

Harris said SLE has also seen a shift in preventative approaches looking at the function of the behavior versus the behavior itself. Implementing preventative strategies increases the student's success and decreases punitive consequences.

Haines said the data from last year shows that SLE eliminated its in-school suspension and reduced out-of-school suspensions by 50 percent.

"Kids are here more, attendance is increasing and we are finding new ways to engage them in school," said Harris.

"You can see the progression of the kids [who have been at SLE for many years]," said Burwick. "They are happy and successful. They are going to be able to take on challenges outside of this school."

"What's unique about SLE is that it is one of the few places blending education and mental health," said Harris. The collaboration and integration between the departments including the therapist, special educator and regular educators has helped students transfer skills learned in their therapy or one-on-one sessions to everyday life.

"It's not always a mental health disorder," added Harris. "It is recognizing that we are all people and we all have emotions and we all need to figure out skills of how to work through things."

Burwick agrees that the framework gives teachers more tools to recognize functions of behaviors and have a different lens when they are looking at kids. Instead of taking the disciplinary approach with behaviors, approaching it from the perspective of what is really going on and how can the behavior be changed without just reacting to it.

"It has made me more confident in my colleagues and more willing to go seek help because I don't know everything," said Burwick. "It's for the kids. I bring my boys [to SLE] from Missoula because I wouldn't bring them anywhere else."

Harris, Burwick and Haines have presented the PIECES framework four times this year, twice in Missoula, at the Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity in Hawaii and to their colleagues at SLE before school started.

"It was amazing to be a part of the energy and celebration of all the different professionals and aspects that are going so well at Seeley," said Harris. "There was such a positive, unified collective energy to start off the year."

Harris and Haines agree that it has taken five years to allow this model to come together for SLE. Harris credits Stout's leadership and the autonomy he allows. She also credits the evolution of mental health services that have been offered and used in the schools and community along with reducing the stigma associated with the services.

"It's remarkable what we all [at SLE] have done to change that," said Haines.

The team is looking forward to presenting the PIECES framework at the Montana Educators Association (MEA) conference in October in Helena. The team continues to grow, adding three more presenters.

In the future, Haines said they would like to see the framework as a university class to establish a foundation to work with, address and recognize students with mental health needs. They also hope to build their team, market their materials and be available to present or consult with other schools and organizations. Any revenue generated would come back to the school.

For more information about the PIECES Framework visit the website http://www.piecesframework.com