What is the Communities In Schools Model?
Communities In Schools (CIS) West Virginia and CIS site coordinators leverage partnerships to connect students and families with community resources, tailoring them to their specific needs. Within the school the CIS Model is implemented in the following steps:
Needs Assessment
Using school and community data, stakeholder interviews and surveys and identified school priorities, CIS will conduct a needs assessment in collaboration with school staff to determine the priority needs for the community and student populations that the CIS site coordinator can address.
Annual Support Planning
The CIS site coordinator, working with the identified School Support Team, will develop a School Support Plan outlining all goals and planned supports for the school year. Supports are tied directly to the needs identified in the needs assessment, have clear objectives and measurable outcomes and processes for evaluating effectiveness and making necessary adjustments.
Integrated Student Supports
Tier 1 - Widely available services designed to foster a positive school climate and address school-level risk factors. Tier I supports are available to all students in the school on an as needed basis.
Tier 2 - Targeted services typically provided in a group setting to students with a common need. Tier II services are provided to case managed students by a site coordinator who tracks and assesses student progress.
Tier 3 - Intensive, individualized services typically provided in a one-on-one setting to students with highly specific needs. Tier III services are for students who are case-managed by CIS Site Coordinators.
Monitoring and Adjustment of Services
A key component of the CIS model is that all supports, both school-wide and individual, are monitored to determine effectiveness and adjusted as necessary. This process is completed as part of on-going reporting and coordination with school staff and leadership.
Services and resources include:
Academic Assistance
Academic Tutoring
Basic Needs/Resources
Behavior Intervention/Modification
Career Preparation
College Preparation
Community Service/Service Learning
Crisis Intervention
Enrichment/Motivation
Family Engagement
Goal Setting
Life Skills
Mentoring
Physical Fitness/Health
Professional Mental Health
Evaluation
The support provided by CIS is evaluated regularly based on program goals for the outcomes for the school and individual students. These evaluations will help to demonstrate results and determine what resources are needed to meet desired outcomes.