Submitted by:

Pathways of
A Proposal to Provide: In-School Delaware
Alternative Program Services for 101 Rogers Road
Capital School District Suite102
Wilmington, DE
19801
Contact: Jon McAllister, State Director

302-598-0183

Jonathan.McAllister@Pathways.com




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 Table of Contents

Contents
Program Description Narrative – A 30,000-Foot View..............................................................................4
Mission and purpose............................................................................................................................................4
Experience as a Service Provider ........................................................................................................................5
Outcome Data Highlights ........................................................................................................................................6
Student Testimonials...........................................................................................................................................12
Detailed Program Description...........................................................................................................................13
ISAP Program Design:..................................................................................................................................14
Community and Special Programs..............................................................................................................16
Individual Service Plan................................................................................................................................17
Evidence Based Interventions................................................................................................................17
Interventions.....................................................................................................................................................17
Measuring Progress and Outcomes.....................................................................................................18
Staffing Models.................................................................................................................................................19
Coverage Plan.....................................................................................................................................................19
Resumes and Job Description .......................................................................................................................20

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 Program Description Narrative – A 30,000-Foot
View

Mission and purpose

Provide a positive alternative learning experience, through the use of skilled staff,
trauma informed care, and a restorative approach, to improve student behavior and
increase their ability to be successful in the school environment.

Pathways’ ISAP program has a theoretical framework built on the principle of

intervening in student behavior before it rises to the level that would warrant an out-of-
school suspension (or greater). To put it in its simplest terms, ISAP stands as an
effective, enduring transformer of student progress. We utilize a diverse array of
strategies – including reflection, redirection, cognitive behavioral strategies, character
building, pro-social skill development, and academic support – to meet wayward
students’ individual needs and place them back on the path towards academic success.

Our holistic approach demands experienced, effective, and well-rounded colleagues who
can forge meaningful relationships with our students. Our Youth Interventionists are
trained in hard skills like group counseling and pro-social skill development, but they
also possess the intangibles required to connect with students at a deeper level. These
individuals have all been serving effectively in their roles since our program began, and
all have proven incredibly adept at balancing the relational and the transactional elements
to working with students. They have served our organization well as ambassadors to
their respective schools, evidenced by the letters of recommendation contained herein
from numerous Christina School District leaders. The school level leadership has
expressed a deep appreciation for ISAP staff members’ willingness and ability to
integrate into the school environment and to meet the current/immediate needs of the
school and students.

One of the hallmarks of our ISAP program is its ability to adapt to the needs of the
individual student or school. Some schools utilize ISAP in a more conventional means
by referring students who had committed serious behavior infractions or had chronically
disruptive behaviors; these students would remain within the ISAP program for part or all
of the school day and receive the services described above. Other schools diversified
their ISAP program’s operational scope by not only doing the former, but by also having
our Youth Interventionist visit students in their traditional classes, hold “check-in” and
“check-out” circles, serve as mentors and “cool down” coaches, and serve an overall
“whatever it takes” function. In the diversified operational capacity Youth
Interventionist have played a pivotal role in successfully reintegrating students in the
school environment after out-of-school placements. This non-traditional role resulted in
over proactive 2,700 interventions.

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Both approaches successfully met their desired end: students whose behavior began to
slip were effectively redirected and placed back on the path towards long lasting success.
This is evidenced by increased academic engagement in the classroom, improved
attendance outcomes and a decrease in problem behaviors.

What follows in this proposal are a specific, more nuanced explanation of our services;
outcome data from last year’s program; explanations that demonstrate our interventions
(i.e. Individualized Service Plans); resumes and job descriptions of our colleagues; and
letters of recommendation from Christina School District personnel, among others. We
believe these items make totally clear that our organization is the perfect choice to
provide these services to the Capital School District.


Experience as a Service Provider

As a provider of services to violent and challenging youth, Pathways Human Services
(Pathways of Delaware’s parent company) has extensive experience spanning across 37
states providing human services to youth and their families. Some of the programs
Pathways offers include intensive in-home family counseling services, individual and
group counseling, life skills mentoring programs, independent living / transitional
services, child-welfare case management, wrap around services, therapeutic foster care,
substance abuse treatment, Virtual Residential Program, an Autism school, Sex Offender
Treatment Programs, and other specialized services aimed at treating youth within their
own communities. From our size and experience we offer the ISA Program a wealth of
resources, expertise, measurable models, and support for the full and effective
implementation of a mental-health based school program.

Pathways are the largest provider of alternative education services in Delaware, based on
the total number of students served. We collaborate with 13 of the 19 school districts in
the state to run programs serving elementary through high school students assigned to
Alternative Placement

Our educational programs are not limited to brick & mortar alternative schools, however.
We currently operate a large array of education-based human services whose diversity
allows for the “best fit” in meeting the needs of the individual student.

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 Pathways of

Delaware Family

1 to 1 ISAP
Intervention
Services

Emotional
Evening
Support
Program
Classrooms

Youth
Alternative
Empowerment
Schools
Program

Outcome Data Highlights

2017-2018 school year

During the 2017-2018 school year, the ISAP program was extremely effective
engaging student behaviors in their home school setting:

84% successfully transitioned

forward from ISAP into the
regular school environment.

81 % remained in the home

school; i.e. avoided alternative
placement.

6

Increased School wide Involvement

The integration of the
Interventionist in the
Student contact school culture has been
and continues to be a
hallmark of our program.
We believe that this is the
foundation of a
transformative
relationship. During the
2017-2018 school year
our school- wide presence
has be felt by a 30%
Create transformative increase in student
relationship Building rapport interventions for students
not enrolled in the ISA
Program.

Letters of Support

We reached out to some of our partners within the Christina School District and the
community for whom ISAP has provided services, and asked them to furnish honest,
authentic narratives of their experiences with us. Some responded via email, while others
provided more formal responses on district letterhead. All were positive; below are some
of their responses.

From: KOOK JACKIE

Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2016 2:21:32 PM
To: COLEMAN CHIDINMA
Subject: RE: ISA testimonials

I’ve found having Ms. Coleman (Pathways’ ISAP Youth

Interventionist)* in the building to be an enriching experience for
students and staff alike. She adds so much to the climate of the
building, not just through her own program but also in general. I’ve
seen her mentoring students in many things, such as social skills and
athletics, in addition to the work she does with academics. Ms.
Coleman has also proven to be a devoted social justice activist, and I
have grown as a professional through my interactions with her.

7


From,
Jackie Kook

*The bid author added italicized explanation

From: MCCANN SARAH
Sent: Friday, June 17, 2016 8:04 AM
To: COLEMAN CHIDINMA
Subject: RE: ISA testimonials

To Whom It May Concern:

Ms. Chidinma Coleman is an invaluable member of the support

staff here at Kirk Middle School. She is always willing to do what
is best for students and is supportive of them yet firm and
consistent. The services she provided to students in the ISA
program helped not only the students but their teachers;
students almost always came out of her program with a better
mindset than when they entered her program. The students in
the building trust her and know that she will help them to the
fullest of her abilities, whether they were part of her program or
not. The relationships she built with the students in the building
were developed through her being ever present and visible to all
students. She helped in the cafeteria during breakfast and
lunch, supervised hallways, and answered calls to classrooms to
provide support to teachers. We are extremely lucky to have
Mrs. Coleman and I look forward to working with her in the
future.

Sarah McCann
Dean of Students,
7th Grade and Special Education
Kirk Middle School
Christina School District
302-454-2164 x43765

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 NEWARK HIGH SCHOOL • 750 EAST DELAWARE AVENUE
NEWARK, DELAWARE 19711 • (302) 631-4700
FAX (302) 454-2155

Timothy Slade
Assistant Principal
Timothy.slade@christina.k12.de.us
(302) 631-4702
July 16, 2016

To Whom It May Concern:

Please accept this as a letter of recommendation for Mr. William Davis to remain in the position of In-
School Alternative coordinator. I have worked with Mr. Davis at Douglass Alternative School &
Newark HS for 4 years, in which I was an administrator and he worked as a behavior interventionist.
His main responsibilities were to provide on-going counseling to challenging students, provide an
opportunity for students to learn proactive skills which will lead to improved school and community
outcomes, and to provide input to the staff regarding students with behavioral and emotional
challenges.

Mr. Davis is a huge asset to Newark HS as he has so much respect from the students, especially those
from the Wilmington area. He grew up in Wilmington so he has that connection with the students
that most other staff members lack. He works effectively with students we consider at-risk as he
focuses on addressing student issues, communication, anger management, sense of self and future,
and family functioning. His goal is to help youth identify errors in their thinking and help them learn
how to think differently and see situations differently so they can respond more appropriately in the
future. I am glad we have Mr. Davis to rely on when needed, as he has a great attitude and a strong
work ethic. He is a true team player and always goes above and beyond on a daily basis. When he is
called upon to assist with behavioral issues and other duties (lunch room coverage, bus duty
coverage, hall coverage, etc.), he does not hesitate and is readily available. He has developed great
relationships with the Newark community and we need his presence as we continue to build strong
relationships with our students. Most of the students he works with do not have positive adults to
rely on in life and live in challenging environments, so I am glad he is someone they call on in times of
need.

Mr. Davis truly has passion for student success and it is always reflective in his practice. He
encourages students to learn that they have options for dealing with a situation. He teaches them that
they become empowered and should not resort to aggression or violence.

At this time, Newark HS wishes to continue to have Mr. Davis as the coordinator in the in-school
alternative program. Mr. Davis exhibits a professional demeanor while working with students and
works well with the administrative team. I strongly recommend Mr. Davis, as he would accept the
responsibilities and dedicate himself to academic and student achievement. I think he is a
tremendous role model for young adults and will have continued success.

Sincerely,

Tim Slade, Assistant Principal @ Newark High School

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Student Testimonials
Student names are redacted. All statements are unedited for spelling/mechanics.

June 3, 2016
When I was in the ISAP program I learned a lot about my behavior. I started being
good in my classes. The teachers don’t call my mom. And the teachers that didn’t like
me like me now.

- Kirk Middle School Student


June 6, 2016
I like the ISAP program because it gives me a chance to focus in an environment that is
less distracting. Also gives me plenty of time to complete all my class
work/assignments. Then I get to go to the gym as long as I’m not drawling, plus I like
being in here because I get all my work done then when my teacher say that I didn’t do
the work because she lost the paper Mr. Taylor is there to confirm that I did. Another
thing I wanna say is that I’m about to get honor roll this marking period which I have
never gotten, even though I might fail the year because of that dumb school Delaware
MET. If I could I would stay in here the remainder of my time in Glasgow high school.

- Glasgow High School Student



June 7, 2016
This program help me in school and out of school. It helped me get my grades up and
focus on my work more. I realize if I didn’t focus on my work I would be put back. It
helped me out of school like stop doing the drugs and have me stop hanging out with
the people that kept getting me in trouble.

- Shue-Medill Middle School Student


June 6, 2016
This ISAP program has changed me a lot. Before I got into the program I was fighting
a lot and not doing my work. When I got into the ISAP program I started getting my
work done and staying out of fights and trouble. I started getting good phone calls
home and I was proud of myself.

- Shue-Medill Middle School Student

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 Detailed Program Description
The Pathways In-School Alternative Program (ISAP) is a program of individualized
educational, behavioral, and social services to youth (grades 6-12) who have been
recommended for a temporary alternative placement by their school district. Our program
moves beyond the services provided in the traditional setting through a collaborative
approach involving the student, parents/families, school professionals, community
partnerships, and outside support services. The outcome of the ISAP program is a
transformative and transferable relationship to assist students with achieving optimal
academic and social outcomes while remaining in a traditional school setting.

The Mission of the ISAP and all of our alternative schools and programs is to:

Provide a positive alternative learning experience, through the use of skilled staff,
trauma informed care, and a restorative approach, to improve student behavior and
increase their ability to be successful in the school environment.

To fulfill this Mission, we are tasked with 5 objectives:

• Establish an orderly and appropriate atmosphere of learning and development.
• Build strong relationships with families, students and school staff through open
communication and counseling services.
• Provide a socially and emotionally healthy community environment for
individualized and group interventions staffed by highly trained interventionist
and educational professionals.
• Use an integrated model of teacher-directed and computer-based instruction.
• Partner with community and agency services to expand the support network and
opportunities for students.

The ISAP model ensures that each student receives a comprehensive program of
care that addresses his unique academic, behavioral and mental health needs by:

1. Working in tandem with the student, parents and school personnel using a
structured Evidenced Based Practice (EBP) curriculum to build on strengths and
address identified needs with the expected outcome of successful academic
functioning in a least restrictive environment.

2. Providing a time-limited service available to the student who has a history of

behavioral issues that have been identified as barriers to his or her age-appropriate
participation in his or her academic setting.

3. Building strong transformative relations with students through reflection and

redirections interventions.

4. Using a collaborative Individual Service Plan to inform

5. Focusing on achieving functional gains that are developmentally appropriate,
culturally relevant and culturally sensitive.

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 6. Providing services that are child and family-centered and having the objective of
integrating the individual into the desired educational setting.

7. Linking students to adjunctive mental health services in the community to

enhance their mental health and behavioral outcomes.

We will meet these goals by delivering the same effective services aimed at transforming
the behavior outcomes of challenging youth that we use in many of our other education-
based programs across the state.

ISAP Program Design:

ISAP will include direct services to disruptive students and other students assigned to the
program in the form of:

• Academic Support
• Mindfulness Interventions
• Restorative Relationships
• Reflection and Redirection
• Character Education
• Social Skill Development
• Behavior Modification
• Clearly Identify Behavior
• Teach Replacement Behaviors
• Data Collection (related to direct services provided to students as defined by the
district)

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ISAP Supervision and Implementation:

State
Director

Director of Director of
Comm. & Clinical
Spec. Prgs. Services

ISAP
Director

Lead Youth Youth Youth

Interventionist Interventionist Interventionist



The State Director and Director of Community and Special Programs, with support from
the Clinical Director, will have co-management authority for the operations of the
program and its facilities. They will work directly with the district and the schools to
ensure that a purposeful, quality program is implemented at each school as detailed in the
RFP. Additionally, they will hire qualified staff that will monitor/facilitate the ISA
Program and ensure that staff has the knowledge, skills, and training to work with
students who have behavior problems. The Director of Community and Special
Programs, Coley Harris, has over twenty years’ experience working with at-risk youth
and adolescent substance abusers. The Clinical State Director is an LCSW with
considerable clinical experience and will oversee the counseling operations of the
program.

ISAP will be managed and directed by Dr. Moriel McDuffy; Dr. McDuffy has over
twenty years’ experience in counseling at-risk youth, specifically with mental health,
sexual deviance, and substance abuse and behavioral challenges. The Program Director
will provide coordination of academic and therapeutic services for the child and family
team and play an active role in the development and implementation of services,
including providing higher levels of intervention for the most challenging students. He
will also provide coordinate first responder coverage for the Youth Interventionists. We
have an on call full-time Bachelor’s level, fully trained staff member who provides first
responder coverage. In the event of the need for a second responder the ISAP Director
will provide coverage.

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ISAP will have a Lead Youth Interventionist (LYI) who serves as the initial support for
staff. The LYI has over 10 years of experience working with challenging youth in various
settings, 5 of which have been with ISAP. The LYI is a seasoned member of the ISAP
team who gives additional support through peer coaching, workshop resourcing and
scheduling.

Community and Special Programs

The Community and Special Programs Department of Pathways has a deep and
rich relationship with many of the area agencies, organizations and programs that
services challenging and at promise youth throughout Wilmington and the Dover
area. One of the greatest benefits of this community investment is the capacity to
coordinate positive student development through these community-rooted
organizations. The Youth Empowerment Program, which is under the direct
leadership of this department, has valuable relationships with Wilmington and
Dover area educational, athletic, career development, violence prevention and
mental/behavioral health organizations. At the commencement of the 2016 school
year we were able to expand our program to the Dover area, through a partnership
with one of Pathways’ brick and mortar schools (Parkway Central). Since 2015
we have been able to provide after-school academic support and programming to
over 120 students in the underserved community of Dover. We have been able to
leverage this synergy to connect many ISAP and CSD students with the supports
in their neighborhoods. Through collaboration with the Capital School District
Administrators, we feel confident in affording all of our students the same
supports.

The on-site Youth Interventionists are Bachelor Level specialists with at least 3 years’
experience with at-risk youth with behavior challenges. These staff members have
already been successful in producing positive outcomes in CSD schools over the past
three years as evidenced by letters of support from CSD middle and high school building
level administrators.

They will provide the daily academic support, counseling, behavior modification and
skill-building interventions using the Pathways approved curricular materials to the most
challenging youth in each building. They will work collaboratively with the school-
based team of educators, support staff, and administrators to help draft, modify, and
update FBA, IEP, and therapeutic plans. Additionally they will liaise with agencies to
ensure a continuum of services outside of school and for families as well as consistently
evaluating and modifying interventions to meet program outcomes.

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Individual Service Plan

Individual Service Planning will be a collaborative effort among the student, his/her
parents, the school support team (School psychologists, counselors, etc.), teachers, school
administrators and Pathways staff. The Pathways team will adhere to and consolidate the
plans, interventions and goals of the student's Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA),
Individualized Education Plan (IEP), Behavior Contracts and Mental Health Assessment.

Evidence Based Interventions

Pathway's In-School Alternative services are structured interventions drawing from
several Evidenced Based Practices. Appropriate EBPs are selected according to age,
needs and environment. Together, Pathways and school staff will review a list of
acceptable EBPs to determine which model best fits the culture of the school and the
needs of the student population. The ISAP Director will document ongoing supervision
and compliance within the terms of the model or EBP to assure model fidelity. The
following EBPs are amongst those available:

• Positive Behavioral Support
• Trauma-Focused CBT
• Mindfulness
• System of Care
• Group Cognitive Behavioral interventions (CBT)
• Adolescents Coping with Stress
• I Can Problem Solve
• Brief Strategic Family Therapy
• Adolescent Transition Program (ATP)
• PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies)
• Positive Action
• ACHIEVE
• Seeking Safety
• Aggression Replacement Treatment (ART)
• Depression Prevention Program for elementary school students
• Coping Cat
• Skills Streaming

Interventions

• Eliminate challenging behaviors and replace them with new functional skills
• Development of therapeutic relationships between the Interventionist, child, and
family/caregiver; Identification and self-management of behaviors;

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 • Development/improvement of social and relational skills;
• Enhancement of communication and problem solving skills
• Relapse prevention and management strategies
• One on one reflective sessions
• Provision of strengths-based positive behavior supports
• Psycho education and training of family, unpaid caregivers, and/or others who
have a legitimate role in addressing the needs identified in the Person Centered
Plan.
• Replacement of faulty cognitions with functional thoughts that lead to academic
and behavioral success in school
• Anger management skills
• Decision making groups
• Restorative mediations between teachers and students

Measuring Progress and Outcomes

In addition to outcomes within the Evidence Based Practices, both individualized and
data-based planning procedures will be implemented for monitoring, evaluating and
reassessing school specific outcomes that may include:

Improvement in
Improvement in ability to
academic performance as
Increase in student positively respond to
measured by report card
attendance school-based
grades and/or teacher
interventions
feedback

Increased positive
Stronger connection to Decrease in ofeice
relationships between
community protective referrals for maladaptive
school and parents/
supports behavior
families

Increase in restorative,
Stronger linkage to transformational and
counseling services, both transferable reltionships
in and out of school between students and
educators.





In order to identify, evaluate and correct deficiencies in the quality and quantity of
services to be provided, Pathways will do the following: 1) hold monthly continuous
quality improvement meetings with staff; 2) use outcome measures as described above;

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and 3) coordinate with the Capital school district to facilitate their monitoring of the
program.

Staffing Models

Pathways of Delaware has a history of recruiting and employing qualified staff. In our
current alternative programs, our counseling staff is expected to have a Master’s degree
and either be licensed or licensed eligible. Our education staff is expected to have a
Bachelor's degree and many are dually certified in their core subject and Special
Education.

This service is delivered by the following staff:

One (1) full time Master's Level Program Director with at least 3 years of experience
with at-risk youth, specifically in child and adolescent mental health/substance abuse
treatment services who must be actively involved in program development,
implementation and service delivery. The Program Director will also provide supervision
to Youth Intervention staff in accordance with supervision standards of Pathways.

One (1) full time Bachelor 's Level Youth Interventionist with at least 3 years’ experience
with at-risk youth, per 12 students, who has the knowledge, skills, and abilities required
by the population and age to be served, which must be actively involved in service
delivery.

Pathways will not use Para Professionals in the delivery of In-School Alternative
Program Services.

Coverage Plan

In the event of the absence of a Youth Interventionist, ISAP has a designated substitute to
fill in. The Program Director will coordinate substitutes and provide secondary coverage
when necessary. Given the size of our Alternative Schools and Programs, additional
coverage will be available if necessary. The Director of Community and Special
Programs, State or Clinical State Director will provide coverage for the Program Director
when necessary.

Staff Training

Our Youth Interventionists undergo an impressive training regimen throughout the whole
school year, beginning in early August. A large and diverse array of training/professional
development opportunities is just one of the several strengths that Pathways of Delaware
wields via its connection to its Pathways Human Services, its larger parent organization.
These trainings include live, face-to-face training, as well as computer-based classes via

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our e-learning portfolio. The list below contains just some of these opportunities to our
colleagues.

Live, Face to Face Trainings

• Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) De-escalation & Safe Restraint Techniques
• Restorative Practices: Using Circles Effectively
• Mindfulness Training
• Restorative Practices: Holding Meaningful Conferences
• Special Education: Understanding IEPs
• Trauma Informed Care (Trauma Informed Interventions)
• Harnessing our Emotional Intelligence
• Goal Building with Students
• Managing Student Conflict
• Aggression Replacement Training: Facilitator Training
• Mental Health Supports for Students

E-Learning Courses
• Effective Calming Procedures – 2 hours
• Best Practices: Behavior Support & Intervention
• Calming Children in Crisis – 1 hour
• Working with Youth: A Strength-Based Perspective - 2.5 hours
• Trauma Informed Treatment for Children with Challenging Behaviors – 1.75
hours
• Managing Challenging Behaviors Focused Learning -1.5 hours
• Overview of Children with Disabilities – 1 hour
• Overview of Major Disorders in Children 1.5 hours
• Overview of the Principles of Positive Behavior Support for Direct Support
Professionals – 4.25 hours
• Positive Behavior Support for Children – 1.75 hours
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder – 1.5 hours
• Stress Management in the Workplace – 1 hour
• Supportive Strategies for Promoting Positive Behavior in Youth: Module 1 – 1.5
hours
• Supportive Strategies for Promoting Positive Behavior in Youth: Module 2 – 1.5
hours
• Supportive Strategies

Resumes and Job Description

Our ISA Programs are staffed by highly trained and professional Pathways staff. All of
our staff members are full-time employees and afforded all of the benefits of our
organization. If given the opportunity to provide services for the Capital School District,
we stand ready to staff our program with a combination of seasoned staff and new well-
trained team members.

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