Norris School Board hears year-one results of Character Strong social‑emotional curriculum and staff proposal to continue program

Counselors and district student‑services staff told the Norris School District Board on April 14 that a year of classroom use of the Character Strong social‑emotional learning (SEL) curriculum produced early behavioral improvements and widespread classroom engagement, and they asked the board to review a funding proposal for continuation next year.

The presentation, delivered by a team of building counselors, the district’s director of student services and school psychologists, described a tiered approach: a universal tier‑1 curriculum for all students and optional tier‑2 interventions for small groups. The presenters said Region 5 agreed to cover $3,000 of the program cost and that the district cost for the four buildings’ tier‑1 and tier‑2 access was $11,293.60 for the coming year. Staff said they would return a formal quote and a cost proposal for board review at the next meeting.

Why it matters: School leaders said Character Strong supplies common language and activities used across age groups and buildings, which they said has helped build classroom communities, reduce disciplinary incidents and create shared approaches for teachers and counselors.

In her overview, Jill Berenson, the elementary counselor, said the program “has provided just a really solid foundation” and helped students and teachers form classroom communities through interactive lessons and games. Nicole Meyer, middle‑ and high‑school counselor, described how advisory and homeroom periods were used to deliver monthly themes so “we are all talking about the same skill that month.”

School psychologist Maggie Tian reported a sizable change in disciplinary measures at the high school: “Our classroom behaviors have decreased by 25% as compared to last year at this time,” she said, adding, “correlation, not causation.” That figure was presented as district staff data rather than as the result of a formal, independent evaluation.

Presenters summarized how the district is using Character Strong: weekly counseling lessons in elementary and intermediate specials, monthly classroom lessons by teachers at the intermediate level, advisory lessons at the middle school, and a 30‑minute slot on Wednesdays at the high school for teacher‑led lessons. Tier‑2 tools described include check‑in/check‑out, coping skills groups, executive‑functioning lessons and short small‑group interventions. Staff said tier‑2 has more material than the district can deliver consistently yet and recommended another year to evaluate which tier‑2 components to keep.

Staff also described classroom anecdotes and survey feedback: teachers and students cited games, circle time and practical phrases (for example, use of “I” statements and distinguishing big vs. small problems) as immediate classroom takeaways. A middle‑school staff survey cited empathy and community building as the most meaningful monthly themes.

Costs and next steps: Director of Student Services (unnamed in the transcript) said Region 5 would cover $3,000 of the program cost and that the district budget line to continue tier‑1 and tier‑2 access across four buildings totaled $11,293.60 for next year. The team asked the board to review a written cost proposal that staff said would be attached and distributed at the next board meeting, and said they expected to use the upcoming summer to refine tier‑2 implementation and to present a final vendor quote after July 1 so Region 5’s support could apply.

Implementation challenges and staff direction: Presenters emphasized scheduling and staffing constraints at the secondary level (finding consistent small‑group time for tier‑2 interventions) and said they were piloting multiple tier‑2 options. They also flagged the need for better processes to scale tier‑2 beyond counselor‑delivered groups. Staff asked for continued access to the Character Strong materials for one more year to finalize which tier‑2 tools the district will adopt permanently.

No formal board vote on the Character Strong recommendation appears in the transcript; board members asked questions and praised the program but presenters said a cost proposal would be provided for the board’s formal review and action next month.

The board packet included a line‑item cost proposal and a note that Region 5 required a quote dated after July 1 to confirm its partial funding; presenters said they would work with the vendor to meet that administrative requirement.