Program boosts middle school’s discipline, academics

Since implementing a discipline framework called PBIS (Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports) eight years ago, Double Churches Middle School has reduced its number of cases referred to the office by 77 percent.

Not coincidentally, school officials say, the state’s overall measurement for school accountability, the College and Career Ready Performance Index, has improved from 64.5 to 71.0 at Double Churches the past four years – despite the Title I school’s poverty rate increasing nearly 10 percent in the same time period, from 58.8 percent to 68.5 percent.

“We are a picture of Columbus,” said Double Churches principal Craig Fitts. “We truly are, racially and socioeconomically. We have kids who live in the projects, and we have kids who live in Green Island Hills, and we have everything in between. But this is really an environment where kids have something in common, and it’s the foundation of this school.”

Fitts, in his second year as principal at Double Churches, credits his predecessors, Molly Hart and the late Chris Cox, for establishing PRIDE in the school and leading its success. He also lauds academic dean Kenya Gilmore for being the school’s PRIDE team coach and special-education teacher Shawna Hartley for being the PRIDE team leader.

“I came into a situation with an outstanding group of folks here,” said Fitts, who has worked at Carver, Jordan and Shaw high schools, teaching for 15 years and serving as an assistant principal for seven years. “The administrative team that was here prior to me laid the groundwork. Faculty and staff, from the custodians and secretaries to the media specialists and cafeteria workers, truly made it a group effort.”

Since the 2007-08 school year (the year before its staff implemented PBIS), Double Churches has reduced its number of discipline cases referred to the office from 1,739 to 399 and the per-100-students rate from 274 to 75, according to the school’s data.

And the positive momentum continues. From the 2013-14 school year to the 2014-15 school year, according to the Double Churches data, it has reduced the total number of days students spent on in-school suspension from 457 to 294 and the total number of days students spent on out-of-school suspension from 255 to 190.

Double Churches has attained the highest of the three PBIS levels, “operational status” – the only one of 29 schools to implement PBIS in Muscogee County and one of 147 out of more than 400 participating schools in Georgia.

All of which qualifies Double Churches to be a demonstration site for schools considering the framework.

In fact, Fitts welcomes anyone to visit his school and witness firsthand the positive effects of the program, which staff and students at Double Churches call PRIDE.

“We have an open school,” Fitts said. “If anyone wants to come visit, PRIDE creates an environment that the school can be visited at any time.”

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 7:46 PM with the headline "Program boosts middle school’s discipline, academics."