NEW ORLEANS — Nov. 30, 2016 — After implementing the Kickboard school culture system in five schools and seeing dramatic reductions in suspensions and discipline referrals — and sizable increases in positive behaviors — St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) is expanding the use of Kickboard to 25 schools this fall.

Carver Elementary, Farragut Elementary, Lyon Academy at Blow Elementary, Patrick Henry Downtown Academy, and Sigel Elementary began using the Kickboard school culture system to help teachers and administrators establish consistent behavior expectations; collect, analyze and act on real-time behavior data; address behavior issues; conduct responsive interventions; and create a more proactive, positive learning environment. The schools also participated in Kickboard’s Leadership Coaching to help leadership teams drive school-wide improvement.

“To maximize learning for every child, it’s essential to focus on academic rigor and school climate and culture,” said David Hardy, deputy superintendent of academics for SLPS. “Before we began working with Kickboard, we couldn’t pinpoint some of the key challenges our schools faced. Kickboard identified these missing data points to show our schools where they were struggling, and support them in creating action plans to transform their cultures. The Kickboard software and coaching are pushing our schools to think differently about what makes students and teachers successful, how they can create stronger cultures, and how they can sustain this improvement over time.”

During the 2015-16 school year, the pilot schools saw substantial improvements. For example, at Carver Elementary, the number of office referrals dropped from 250 per week to only 35 per week — an 86 percent decrease. Farragut Elementary recorded an 84 percent decline in recess detentions, and a 64 percent drop in suspensions. Lyon Academy saw a 79 percent decrease in referrals to the school’s reflection room. At Patrick Henry Downtown Academy, the number of suspensions fell from 48 in 2015 to only seven in 2016.

“Kickboard allows us to dive deeper to see what’s behind the numbers, so we can intervene before small problems become large. Our use of school culture data is changing the way we’re supporting our students to be successful,” said Hardy.

In addition, Kickboard enables school leaders to accurately measure the impact of positive culture programs, such as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). For example, in 2015-16, Patrick Henry Downtown Academy recorded a 149 percent increase in the number of occurrences of “active learning” taking place in the classroom.

“With Kickboard, we have much greater insight into how to effectively use school culture data to improve student outcomes,” said Hardy. “Instead of looking only at suspension rates and attendance, we’re now looking at data such as the ratio of positive to negative behaviors in the classroom or in a school. Having that data available helps us align our thinking around the culture and the behaviors we want to see in our classrooms. It allows us to look at each child holistically, so we can provide targeted support to meet the needs of our students, teachers, leaders and schools. Our students and staff are truly invested in our partnership with Kickboard and in the results we’re achieving.”

About Kickboard

The Kickboard school culture system is a configurable, web-based platform used by K-12 educators to improve school culture through positive behavior reinforcement, intervention management, classroom management, and district-wide school culture analysis. This unique combination of features allows schools and districts to directly impact student achievement, attendance, discipline, and more. For information or to sign up for a free school trial, visit https://www.kickboardforschools.com.

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