History of Connections Screener in RI: How the Connections Survey began | Home

Implementing an SEL Screener at the Secondary Level: Measuring Connections (Coming Fall 2024)
History of Connections Screener in RI

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1. Setting the Stage

1.1. How the Connections Survey began

Connections Screener Timeline


	Burrillville morale was at an all-time low coming off staff "work-to-rule." Kim Pristawa (BHS) and Alyson Doumato (BMS) discussed examining connections as an SEL screener. Alyson had the idea for a student survey. High school (BHS) designed the forms and process to examine adolescent connections to both adults and peers in a high school setting. BHS then collaborated with the middle school (BMS) to extend the screening process to BMS.
	BHS implemented and revised processes with staff using a paper-and-pencil survey.
	After two years of revisions, the BHS process was expanded into a statewide Connections Project. For several years, different cohorts of schools new to the Connections Survey were brought together to: Learn about the survey, how to administer, how to collect and utilize data and determine next steps for improving connectedness for students; Learn from other schools, Including some from outside of RI; Make improvements to the survey itself (moved from paper-and-pencil to Google forms, improved data collection processes with school information systems); Gain exposure by presenting at state and national conferences: RIASP, NASP and APBS; and Incorporated into an MTSS framework at the Tier 1 level.
	Transitioned from the online cohort model to creating self-paced and facilitated courses on BRIDGE-RI (increasing capacity). With increased focus on SEL, gained recognition from RIDE as an SEL screener.
	Building in considerations for how to adapt to COVID context: in-person, virtual, hybrid.
	Return to full in-person learning and addressing the social-emotional impacts from the pandemic