2025 NAREN Wisconsin Conference

 "Bridging the Gap" offers a comprehensive approach to supporting 9th-grade at-risk students as they transition to high school. This presentation will explore effective strategies and interventions designed to address the unique challenges faced by these students. This presentation aims to equip stakeholders with strategies utilized at Ellsworth High School to ensure a smoother transition and empower at-risk students to thrive in their new educational setting.

Educators have access to countless strategies for regulation and intervention, but the challenge often lies in choosing the right tool at the right time. Whether designing a small group reading lesson or implementing a behavioral skill intervention, it’s essential to effectively target the skills we want to build while promoting safety, success and regulation. This session, grounded in the 6Rs of the Neurosequential Model©, will provide a practical guide for planning and collaborating around intervention choices, daily practices, systems and structures. Together, we will explore how to apply the 6Rs of the Neurosequential Model© to increase our efficacy, reduce educator lift, and support not only our students but also ourselves and our school communities.

DBT STEPS-A is a curriculum developed by Jim and Liz Mazza that adapts the core principles of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to make them accessible and engaging for adolescents. Skills addressed include Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness. Each lesson in the curriculum is scripted, allowing anyone to pick up the book and begin facilitating the lessons. Join us to learn more about the curriculum, hear about successes and lessons learned from running DBT groups in an alternative Middle and High School, and participate in a lesson.

DBT Key Concepts

Many high schools give students the opportunity to take the ASVAB as a precursor to entry into the Armed Services but it can be so much more!  The Vine Street GEDO-2 program uses it as a career assessment tool to satisfy the career assessment requirement but goes farther with the full career assessment follow up and individualized career exploration.

Students will share their personal stories as well as share with educators strategies and tactics that helped them find academic and school success while facing the trauma of their past.