Behavioral Support & Interventions

Creating educational environments that are safe and conducive to learning is a school-wide responsibility all must share. MSD implements a multi-tiered system that allows for clear expectations of desired and undesired social and academic behaviors. This proactive approach acknowledges students who demonstrate appropriate behaviors and supports students who display unwanted behaviors with built-in, research-based interventions. At MSD, each department has their own system that focuses on building positive relationships between staff and students through a variety of strategies and age-appropriate preventive activities.

While the majority of students at MSD benefit from basic school-wide (universal) support and interventions, including proactive classroom management strategies aimed at creating a safe and supportive learning atmosphere, MSD provides additional data driven assistance to students whose behavior interferes with the development and learning process. Each campus is staffed by Student Support Specialists, who along with the school psychologists, provide more focused and/or intensive support and interventions to students with additional behavioral needs. In addition to these services, the student support specialists offer consultation and training to MSD staff and parents/guardians on a variety of school behavior issues, including classroom behavior management, conflict resolution, and peer mediation. Ongoing assessment and data collection is a key component at this level of support.

 

 

Joseph B. Smail, Ph.D., NCSP | School Psychologist & Director of Mental Health and Behavioral Support Services

Email: [email protected]

Voice: 410-696-3025

VideoPhone: 410-696-7445