NBOE Partners with Thrive Alliance NBOE

Dr. Joseph Bresnahan, OSE Supervisor,  welcomes educators to the first Thrive professional development session of the school year
Dr. Joseph Bresnahan, OSE Supervisor, welcomes educators to the first Thrive professional development session of the school year

The Newark Office of Special Education is proud to partner with the Thrive Alliance Group to provide Staff Development for educators working with students in the Emotional Regulation Impairment (ERI) program. The students in the ERI program, due to their diagnosis, often display unique behaviors that can better be managed with  specialized therapies and routines. ERI staff members including para professionals, teachers, Child Study Team members, and administrators will be trained in best practices to address the behavioral challenges.  Thrive Alliance Group has created a Staff Development model to assist with this initiative.

The Thrive Alliance Group met with the Principal's of the ERI Elementary schools to discuss the Staff Development Program for the 24-25 school year.  The Thrive Staff Development Program has a three pronged approach. The first approach focuses on Universal Practices: Student success is best achieved in an environment where there is a consistency in understanding of foundational concepts and practices that are proactive and collaborative.   Staff development for Universal Practices will include Positive Behavior Interventions, Systems, Signs and Symptoms of Mental Health challenges in the Classroom, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, Trauma Informed Classroom Environments and Growth Mindset.  The second approach is Program Based Focusing. This approach focuses on the needs of the students and staff in the ERI environment. These staff development sessions will include Classroom Design, Trauma Informed Teaching, Behavior Intervention Plans, Extrinsic vs Intrinsic Motivation, IEP Goals & Objectives.  The third component is Classroom Crisis Planning, Functions of Behavior, Effective Intervention Strategies, Measurement and Assessment.  These programs will be offered throughout the school year to meet the specialized needs of the students and to help support and reinforce the mission of the Office of Special Education and the Newark Board of Education.