BRIDGES to SUCCESS
The BRIDGES program provides a foundation of pro-social, critical thinking, and life skill education. Students will develop self-control and social awareness skills, and improve student’s decision-making and problem solving. Staff implements various behavioral strategies to maintain, monitor and redirect student’s off-task behavior and unexpected behavior. When further supports are needed, a Debriefing Intervention (DI) room is available for the student. In the Debriefing Intervention (DI) room, the student will go through a series of de-escalation steps to achieve a resolution and encourage an explanation of actions.
Our Program in Further Detail
The BRIDGES Program is a special education program with a structured educational environment with a small student to staff ratio with social skills training, conflict resolution training, social-emotional management, behavior management, debriefing and intervention, and counseling support. The program provides students with comprehensive social-emotional, academic and behavioral support needed to have global success while participating within the school environment.
The behavior modification system is based on the need for each student to achieve maximum social and emotional growth through positive reinforcement. A point system tracks behavior and provides immediate/short-term feedback on targeted behaviors. Students can earn up to 10 points during each class/subject session: 5 for academic and 5 for behavior. Academic points can be earned by producing work in the classroom and remaining on task and engaged during lessons. Behavior points can be earned by performing expected classroom behaviors. Students can earn A.M. and P.M. breaks/recesses if they have achieved 80% of their points prior to those breaks.
Students may cash in their points on a weekly basis at the school store. Items in the school store include toys, games, experiences and other products requested by students that are deemed reasonable for purchase. Items are labeled with the “cost,” which is the number of points needed to purchase the item.
There are three levels students can obtain. Each level affords students a greater degree of privilege and is reviewed every 2 weeks. Students must maintain a specific percentage of points over the course of 2 weeks to remain on each level. Students may drop a level if their percentage falls below the required amount specified to maintain that specific level.
When staff has exhausted all resources in the classroom, students can be asked to leave the classroom, where they will be escorted as needed to the Debriefing Intervention (DI) room. The DI room is a teaching experience that encourages and promotes students to problem solve, work through, and explain their actions. It increases accountability and helps students seek to provide a resolution. The DI room provides students with the opportunity to de-escalate in private and maintain positive social relationships with peers