MCUSA is a private national healthcare company dedicated to excellence with a focus on a full-circle of behavioral health and wellness for our cmmunity's youngest citizens.  For the duration of this agreement, MCUSA will implement the organization's evidence-based Motivational Coach (MC) school program, which is adapted from the Council Curriculum Set, a middle and high school age appropriate services modality.  The Department of Psychology at Portland State University has identified this program as a "Promising Model."

Motivational Coaches of America, known as "MCUSA," is Florida's largest network dedicated to excellence in behavioral health, wellness, and life skills education services for our community's youngest citizens.  The program is designed to help at-risk kids overcome behavioral issues such as academic underachievement, violent behavior, anger management, bullying, chemical dependence, oppositional defiance, negative peer influences, grief/loss, low self-esteem, and more.  It is implemented through group work facilitated by a Motivational Coach (MC).  MCs will develop, foster and sustain positive, professional and effective relationships with students, parents, staff and the entire school community at these school sites.  The MCUSA MCs aim to support and complement the overarching mission, goals and objectives of the school and District.

The program would begin a soft launch in 2016-17 on or around April 1, 2017, in two junior high schools identified by District based on data and need.  Each school identified would also have an elementary attached to it for program purposes where the MCs will work with at-risk youth in the sixth grade identified by school staff and supported by data.  This will help with their eventual transition into the junior high setting for their seventh grade year.  The overall plan would be to have all junior high's and one feeder elementary school each with a MC by the end of the first semester of the 2017-18 academic year, and maintain this design through the duration of the agreement.

GAP ANALYSIS

Middle grades represent a significant transition for youth in both an academic and social-emotional perspective.  The junior high programs are also a time when factors such as attendance, conduct, and academic outcomes are compounded by economic indicators, family dynamics, social relationships and goals for the future.  Programs at the middle grades level tend to be itinerent at best, and usually focused on considerations for specialized programming decisions.  This limitation of support services makes all of the junior high population more vulnerable to behaviors and mindsets that will compromise purposeful participation in a classroom setting.

PREVIOUS OUTCOMES

Student engagement is compromised by attendance patterns; if students are not in school, we cannot teach them.  The following table shows the current rate of attendance patterns for junior high schools in Clay County for the 2016-17 academic year.  This profile is consistent with previous years, and clearly illustrate a need to actively engage the most at-risk students in the learning environment.

 EXPECTED OUTCOMES

For the students identified to participate in the program, it is expected that attendance profiles will improve by 10% or more, learning engagement will improve by 10% or more based on a baseline survey 

The superintendent recommends Board approval for this partnership as designed for a limited launch in the 2016-17 academic year at two junior high schools and their feeder patterns to establish program strength.  The two schools and their identified feeder pattern will be:

Orange Park Junior High School: Cherry Elementary and Jennings Elementary

Wilkinson Junior High School: Wilkinson Elementary and Clay Hill Elementary

For the 2017-18 academic year, all junior high programs will be launched in phases as follows:

Phase I (First Semester)

Green Cove Springs JH

Lake Asbury JH

Lakeside JH

Phase II (Second Semester)

Keystone Heights Jr./Sr. High

Oakleaf JH