The Responsible Thinking Process (RTP) is a key part of the behaviour management strategy at Rocky High. This means that classroom disruption is minimised and learning time is maximised. Students are challenged to reflect on their positive and negative behaviour through a series of questions comparing published rules with an individual’s behaviour. They learn how to be responsible for themselves.
Significant parts of RTP include:
· A belief that students are responsible for their actions.
· A belief that no one has a right to disrupt in the classroom.
· A belief that students have choices about how to manage their behaviour within the Responsible Thinking Process.
· A belief that a core component of education is the positive relationship between teacher and student.
· A belief that self-reflection is a life-long learning skill.
Rocky High has created a Responsible Thinking Classroom (RTC) where students choose to attend if they are disruptive in their classroom. Here they sit in silence, reflect on their actions and record their reflections by completing a plan. They take the plan to their teacher in their own time then negotiate that plan with their teachers – they then re-enter and follow their plan. They make a commitment to follow their plan and to catch up on missed work.
Students who overuse or disrupt in the RTC, or continually refuse to think responsibly about their behaviour will be deemed to have a critical behavioural need. This may result in an intervention meeting which involves parents and teachers and support staff. Disruption in the RTC has serious implications as students are indicating that they refuse to follow rules for more multiple teachers in different classroom environments within a 70 minute timeframe despite all attempts by teachers to help. There are significant consequences for students who refuse to think responsibly.
Parents will be requested to attend intervention meetings. The aim is to create conditions for individual students to better address their behaviour and to re-enter the school and their class and to get on with learning.
RTP is helping to support all students to learn in their classes. Policies and processes have been set in place to support learners and teachers in classrooms to get on with the business of education. Since the implementation of RTP students have shown that they can think responsibly about their behaviour.
Education Queensland’s Code of School Behaviour stipulates a Responsible Behaviour Strategy be adopted for all schools.
Rockhampton State High School’s Tracking system
Our system allows the school to track student progress, motivate students to maintain and improve behaviours and supports the philosophy of RTP at Rockhampton SHS.
Our level system is a tiered system identifying students who exhibit a range of behaviour patterns.
(1) Gold: very responsible behaviours, participating in both school and community service.
(2) Silver: commendable students displaying very responsible behaviours and school service.
(3) Green: responsible behaviours and in the most part follow the school rules, may have referred to
the RTC and successfully negotiated re-entry to class. All students enter the school at this level.
(4) Amber: These students will be seen as at risk and will need an intervention. This includes
students who have used the RTC frequently, and may be deemed to be critical.
· The student has returned from suspension, moved from red, has created a behaviour plan and has operated within the plan for at least 2 weeks.
(5) Red: These students will be seen as being at the most risk. Continual interventions have failed to
encourage the student to think responsibly, ie students who repeatedly disrupt or break the school
rules.
· These students may have been suspended and have been working on a school re-entry plan for less than 2 weeks.
· They have an intervention strategy in place.
· Many of these students refuse to think responsibly or follow their plans. Due to the level of risk, students will not participate in school representative activities, school dances, excursions, or camps.
Student movement through level system
Student movement through the level system is determined by a behaviour management committee made up of teachers and administration. This committee meets weekly to decide on the movement of students.
Upward movement is determined by considering student ‘level-up’ applications and referring to their behaviour profile, including attendance in the RTC.
Downward movement is determined after consulting their immediate behaviour record and taking into account individual circumstance.
Upward Movement
· Students can move from (5)Red to (4)Amber after they have written an acceptable plan and have followed the plan for a 2 week period. There must be minimal visits to the RTC during this time (less than 3). If the student infringes any of the RTP rules or engages in a critical incident, they remain at their current level and the 2 week timeframe re-starts.
· Students can move from (4)Amber to (3)Green after they have written an acceptable plan and have followed the plan for a 2 week period. The student cannot attend the RTC over the two week duration. If the student infringes any of the RTP rules, they remain at their current level and the 2 week timeframe re-starts.
· Student movement to (3)Green must be a student generated process but will have input from Year co-ordinators and/or RTC teacher who will review student histories and consult the students’ “level-up” sheet. This will be a measurable goal in their plan. The level-up form is available through Student Services, the RTC or from Mr Cook in Admin.
· Students can move from (3)Green to (2)Silver to Gold in the same way as students move through the levels– using a level up sheet and fulfil the criteria for each position.
Downward Movement
· Students who are (1)Gold or (2)Silver and display critical incidence behaviours, who are suspended or have an intervention will move to (5)Red. If, after the intervention, they write an acceptable plan and follow the plan they can move back to their original level after 2 weeks. Students who use the RTC more than twice in a week will move down a level.
· Students who are (3)Green or (4)Amber and under a plan generated after an intervention who continue to negative behaviours will move to Red. This means that students who become critical while they are Amber will move to Red. Students who use the RTC more than three times in a week will move down a level.
· Students move downward in response to their use of the RTC. The committee assesses individual student RTC records and if a trend of persistent disruption and/or refusal to fulfil the requirements of RTP is evident, students will be moved downwards. This movement is usually associated with communication with parents and possible intervention strategies.
The level system is an effective tracking tool for students. Students value recognition for responsible behaviour. Students also recognise fair and consistent consequences exist for negative behaviours, and in the most part attempt to address their level to ensure that they can continue to represent the school.
The level system at Rockhampton SHS is a fair process, driven by a committee consisting of teachers and members of the school administration to monitor movement of students through the level system. This committee meets weekly and reports to the school community on student levels. The level system provides an effective tracking system and helps motivate students to rise through the levels and access the full range of activities available to students.
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