Curriculum Delivery

Classroom Lessons

Altoona School District uses Character Strong’s Purposeful People series as our universal curriculum for social/emotional and character development.  Classroom teachers teach the 4th and 5th grade curriculum once a week for one hour.  Our school counselor co-teaches these lessons as well.  Each month covers one character trait in depth.  An overview of a year in Character Strong lessons can be found in the elementary scope & sequence.  We also utilize Character Strong’s Bullying Prevention lesson.

Our district-wide vision for Character Strong instruction aligns the ASCA Student Standards, Wisconsin SEL Standards, and Altoona K-12 School Counseling Essential Standards.

Visit the Character Strong site for parents & families for more information and resources at https://www.characterstrong.com/familystrong

Small Group Skill Building

Character Strong provides curriculum for small groups of students receiving targeted skill instruction. Examples of small group topics within Character Strong include: Coping, Regulation, Self-Management, and Relationships (Friendship Skills).

Additional groups may be offered based on needs of the student population using other appropriate resources.  Topics could include, but are not limited to: Test Anxiety, Mindfulness, Caring for Your Mental Health, and Grief Support.

Behavior Supports & Interventions

Using data, such as social/emotional screeners and office behavior referrals, students are identified for additional support.  A team including the family and staff who work with the student will work together to select an intervention that best fits the child’s needs.  

Examples of interventions we utilize from Character Strong include: Check In Check Out, Class Pass, Pre-Correction Plan, School-Family Communication, Behavior Contract, and Self-Monitoring.