Grand Star Elementary leaders and students describe early gains from BIST behavior program

Grand Star Elementary staff and students presented the Board of Education with a progress report on the school's first year implementing BIST (Behavior Intervention Support Team), saying the program has led to fewer disruptions, more instructional time and improved consistency among staff.

School leaders said BIST establishes a common language and predictable responses for student behavior. "We were all trained as a full staff, so we would have a common language as well as know the basics of BIST," said Melinda Gatlin, a third- and fourth-grade teacher. Teachers described classroom lessons that explicitly teach three student life goals — "I can make good choices even if I'm mad," "I can be okay even though others are not okay," and "I can do something even if it's hard or I don't want to" — and repeated reteaching after long breaks.

The program, staff said, included a week-long summer training for a representative from each team and ongoing coaching from building staff with prior BIST experience. "The foundation in common language has really been what has tied it together for our students," said Hope Sherman, a third-grade teacher.

Teachers and students described three primary outcomes observed so far: students demonstrating improved frustration management and routines; increased instructional time because teachers are spending less time re-teaching expectations; and stronger staff collaboration and consistency across grade levels. "We've also noticed a huge increase in instructional time," Sherman said. "The kids are spending less time having to be out of the classroom." Teachers reported using short refocusing strategies such as a three-minute quiet period called TAPS (total and perfect silence) before difficult instructional blocks.

Students from the school's student leadership council recited the life goals and described how the skills help them persist when tasks are hard and control their actions even if peers are not making good choices. "Learning these life goals has helped us do well in school and make better choices with our friends and classmates," said Oliver Davenport, a Grand Star student.

Presenters asked the board and district to continue supporting implementation and coaching. The board did not take formal action on the report; it received the presentation during the meeting's presentations segment.