Washington Elementary reports 48.5% drop in referrals after SEL, incentive and partnership changes

Washington Elementary Principal Tara Banks told the Moline Coal Valley School District board on Jan. 13 that the school has recorded a 48.5% decrease in discipline referrals from the start of the school year through Jan. 10 after revamping discipline procedures, tying social-emotional learning to district goals and changing incentives to match student preferences. "You can look at this and be like, 'Oh, a 48.5% decrease in referrals. That's huge,'" Banks said, describing the change as the product of staff work beginning in August and of relationship-building with students. She credited one-on-one student surveys that identified motivators such as peer recognition and teacher support, which the school used to redesign incentives. Banks described concrete changes: new, clearer Dojo point distribution rules; a refined incentive program; more student jobs and buddy systems; and expanded counseling and behavioral support. She said the school used the data to adjust a reward “claw machine” to items students actually wanted and that the change boosted engagement. The school also described new community partnerships. Banks said a full-time, on-site United Way coordinator, Sierra Yabe, began work recently to support family engagement and will help run a planned community pantry. The Community Health Center placed two staff members — a behavioral health specialist for staff support and a school-based therapist for student services — though Banks said the behavioral health specialist, Mitch, informed her he accepted another job and will be replaced. Why it matters: The reported reductions in referrals and increases in measures of belonging and trust speak to the campus’ efforts to improve school climate, which affect learning conditions and may reduce classroom disruption. Banks shared survey results she tied to Panorama and other instruments: a rise from 63% to 75% in students’ sense of belonging (a 12-percentage-point increase) and an increase in student–teacher trust to “around 80%,” per her presentation. She emphasized collective responsibility so that teachers do not treat subgroup challenges as solely the special-education teacher’s responsibility. Board members and the principal noted next steps including continued refinement of incentives, ongoing SEL work and the roll-out of family-support services in the planned pantry space once completed. No board action was required; the presentation was informational.