Developing Program-Wide Systems of PBS at the Preschool Level

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Developing Program-Wide Systems of PBS at the
Preschool Level

• Becky Beckner, PhD
• Columbia Public Schools
• University of Missouri
• rbeckner_at_columbia.k12.mo.us

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EC and Elementary PBS Similarities

• Proactive, preventative approach
• Teach and practice expected behaviors
• Feedback for appropriate and inappropriate
  behavior
• Team-based management
• Training and support for all staff members and
  students
• Due to the structure of early childhood
  programs and the ages taught, there are a few
  concepts that must be adapted.

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Program-wide PBS

• Early Childhood PBS is generally approached as a
  program-wide system rather than school-wide,
  although this will vary depending on the program
  make-up in a particular community.
• Within a public school system, early childhood
  classrooms are often spread out across several
  elementary buildings.
• These may be in buildings that have school-wide
  PBS of their own, indicating that the early
  childhood program must be mindful of creating a
  developmentally appropriate PBS system while
  fitting into the different elementary buildings
  programming.

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Program-wide PBS

• Some public school early childhood programs are
  developed for typically developing children
  (i.e., Title One preschools), while others blend
  with Head Start and/or Early Childhood Special
  Education classrooms.
• Some early childhood programming occurs in
  community-based childcare centers.
• The PBS team must consider these scenarios when
  planning for implementation.
• The EC-PBS team is typically quite large.

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Columbia Public Schools

• Columbia, Missouri
• 18 Title I preschool classrooms in 12 elementary
  buildings with 500 students and itinerant ECSE
  support
• 8 ECSE classrooms at a Center with 130 students
• 7th year of PBS implementation
• Be Safe, Be Kind, Be Responsible

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Other EC Programs in Missouri

• Central Missouri Community Action
• 8 counties of Head Start classrooms
• 6th year of implementation
• Columbia Montessori School
• Academy Early Learning Center
• Sedalia Early Childhood Center
• Rockwood Early Childhood Program
• Francis Howell Early Childhood Program
• United Services

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Developmentally Appropriate Programming

• It is important for the PBS team to focus on the
  developmental appropriateness of planning instead
  of merely copying the programming of an
  elementary building.
• One example of this would be deciding on school
  behavior expectations and completing the rules
  matrix. For an early childhood program, it may be
  important to focus on 2 or 3 expectations instead
  of the 4 to 6 chosen in an elementary building.
• Again, some classrooms are in buildings with
  existing PBS programming. The team should be
  aware of existing situations when deciding on
  program expectations, and plan accordingly.

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Formalization of Learning Through EC-PBS

• Another thought to consider is the typical
  purpose of children who are 3 to 5 years of age.
  For most of them, this is their first experience
  with organized schooling. All school-appropriate
  behaviors to be learned are new to them and
  require numerous opportunities for practice.
• These include not only the rules and routines of
  school, as laid out in the expectation matrix,
  but also how to make friends, how to express
  emotions, and general school structure.
• Early childhood teachers already spend much of
  their time teaching such skills yet often fail
  to articulate the importance of these lessons to
  the children, parents, and other staff by
  labeling such lessons as part of the daily
  routine.

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Instruction of Social Skills

• The learning of preschool-aged students occurs
  through play and trial and error actions.
• Social skills instruction in early childhood
  settings often utilizes puppets, storybooks,
  finger plays, social stories, songs, group games,
  and art activities for well-rounded instruction
  and practice of such skills.

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Circle Time Rap

• Now its time for the Circle Time Rap
• My eyes are on the teacher
• My hands are in my lap
• My legs are sitting criss cross
• My voice is very quiet
• Im sitting on my bottom
• Now everybody try it

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Philosophical Differences

• Philosophical differences refer to variations in
  peoples beliefs and values. Differing
  philosophies can affect buy-in, overall support,
  the extent and integrity to which staff use PBS
  techniques, and overall school climate.
• Therefore, it is important that philosophical
  differences that may exist among faculty and
  staff be addressed.
• Many early childhood programs utilize curricula
  based on constructivist theory (e.g., High/Scope,
  Project Construct). The early childhood PBS team
  will need to work closely with the staff to
  ensure that the curriculum and PBS programming
  blend well.
• There are two particular concepts that may need
  to be discussed and addressed by the team.

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Formal Curricula

• Early childhood educators often create lesson
  plans based on the current interests of children
  in the classroom.
• Purposeful Instruction It will be important for
  the staff to discuss the need for all children to
  be directly taught appropriate school behavior.

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Praise and Tangible Rewards

• After discussing this issue, many EC programs
  have resolved to use a minimum of verbal feedback
  in the form of acknowledgement of appropriate and
  inappropriate behavior.
• Typical examples heard in early childhood
  programs are Tim, you are using your walking
  feet. You are being safe, and Tim, our rule is
  to use our walking feet to be safe. Can you show
  me or should we practice?
• Several early childhood programs have utilized a
  continuum of strategies to recognize appropriate
  behavior, ranging from verbal acknowledgement for
  group behavior to awards for individual behavior.
  
• The PBS team will need to work closely with the
  staff to come to an agreement on what strategies
  are appropriate for children in their program.

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Group Contingency for Appropriate Behavior
(Beehive)
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WE FILLED OUR BEE HIVE TODAY!
Do You Like to Buzz? (sung to the tune of Do
Your Ears Hang Low?) Do you like to buzz? Are
you covered in fuzz? Do you call a hive a home In
the garden where you roam? Do you know how to
make honey? Are your stripes a little funny? Do
you like to buzz?
WE ARE BEING SAFE, KIND AND RESPONSIBLE
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Strategies for Addressing Philosophical
Differences Share Data

• Schools have reported data is our best weapon.
  Data should be shared and explained to staff in
  meaningful ways.
• Personalize communication when speaking with
  personnel regarding data. Make certain teachers
  understand the needs and outcomes that are
  revealed by the data. Share data from different
  levels (e.g., classroom, school-wide, district).
  
• Share data on a regular basis. Allow teachers to
  see the transformation. Teachers need to see that
  PBS works.

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Share Data

• Provide stories from staff members who have
  switched to the PBS philosophy.
• The stories should explain why they used to
  disagree with PBS, and what happened to make them
  think differently.
• These stories can be posted in staff areas to be
  read during down times, shared at faculty
  meetings, through email, in staff newsletters, or
  on a school PBS folder on shared files.
• Provide public recognition and praise for
  teachers who are using PBS effectively.

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Adult Incentive Form
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Communicate Effectively

• When addressing philosophical differences
  regarding PBS among staff, effective
  communication is key. When speaking with staff,
  do so in a meaningful way, which may include
  addressing staff individually.
• Frequent communication opens dialogue for problem
  solving among staff members.
• Make certain that staff members feel comfortable
  seeking clarity and asking questions. Regardless
  of individual differences, staff should feel
  supported as a whole.

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Open Communication

• Philosophical differences cannot be adequately
  addressed if staff members feel as though they
  have no voice in the PBS process. Involve staff
  members who object to PBS. Having a naysayer or
  two on the PBS team will provide a platform for
  others who may have differing opinions.
• Have a person/s on the team whose role is
  communication specialist- a person who provides
  updates to the staff, this is the person for
  staff to contact when they have questions.

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Listen to the Staff!

• Address faculty concerns.
• Questions may be answered anonymously during
  faculty meetings (chances are there are other
  staff members who have the same question, but
  have not asked it).
• Create an anonymous suggestion and question box,
  so that staff members can share their concerns
  freely.
• Be empathetic and try to listen for the concerns
  that are their underlying objections. For
  example, a staff member who complains, We are
  already doing this, may feel this way because
  she does not have enough information about PBS.
• Instead of insisting PBS is a new strategy for
  your school, gradually provide information.
  Explain how PBS fits in with ongoing
  initiatives.

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Empower Teachers

• Provide teachers with the opportunity to observe
  classrooms and speak with teachers who
  successfully implement PBS strategies.
• Utilize teachers and staff to provide details and
  examples from their classroom and school proving
  that PBS can be successful.
• Have other schools share their outcomes. Provide
  research articles supporting PBS.
• Emphasize the benefits of PBS. For example PBS
  strategies can save time and effort data
  collection provides accountability to families
  and districts and PBS improves school climate.

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Go the Extra Mile!

• Be sure to check back with staff members to see
  if their concerns are being addressed.
• When a change is made to some component of PBS
  because of staff concerns, let the faculty know
  what the concern is and how they have made
  changes to address the concern.

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CPS Year 7 Survey Results

• How many children have you taken to BUZ team this
  year?
• 023 people 114 people 210 people 31
  person
• For what area/s of concern?
• Communication-10
• Behavior-16
• Academics-7
• Sensory-2
• Was the process easy? Yes 22 No 3
• Was the process helpful? Yes 22 No 3
• Did you get your needs met? Yes 19 No 5

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Data Collection Regarding Individual Students

• Most early childhood programs have not previously
  used systems to collect behavioral data.
• As analysis of appropriate data is key to
  developing a workable action plan, the PBS team
  will need to discuss how to gather basic
  information about behavior incidents as they
  occur.
• Many decisions must be made regarding the use of
  a Behavior Incident Report.

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Data Collection for Parents

• Parents are very involved in the education of
  preschool-aged children. Early childhood teachers
  typically share information about specific
  behavior incidents with parents in person or by
  writing a note. It is important for the teacher
  to still have this ability regardless of what
  type of form is developed.
• Teachers do not generally want to send home a BIR
  for minor, classroom-managed issues. Therefore, a
  decision-rule must be made regarding when a BIR
  should be sent home.
• Likewise, a decision must be made regarding which
  offenses are recorded and turned in to a central
  location for analysis. Many teachers use the BIR
  as a data collection tool with a summary of minor
  chronic behaviors turned in to the central office
  and to parents.

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Behavior Incident Report

• Data rules At CPS
• Sent home and to data manager if a Level 3
  consequence is given
• After 3 incident reports, support is offered
• Reality BIRs are not consistently used unless
  requesting support or as part of the evaluation
  process.

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Screening Process

• Behavior Checklist (November and March)
• Subjective measure compiled from clinical and
  developmental scales
• Sample data November-450 filled out
• 43
  red-flagged
• March-520 filled out
• 13 more red-flagged
• Standardized Screening Instruments

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Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA)

• Assess a childs level of internal protective
  factors, or resiliency (self-control, initiative,
  attachment)
• Create a classroom profile to pair with lessons
  for school, share information with parents for
  strategies at home
• Goal Strengthen protective factors and minimize
  impact of risk factors
• Infant/Toddler, Preschool, School-age, and
  Clinical versions
• Short screen for Problem Behavior

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Early Screening Project(Walker, Severson,
Feil, 1995)

• Proactive multiple-gated screening
• Stage One Teacher ranking of externalizing
  internalizing behaviors
• Stage Two Teacher ratings of the 5 highest
  ranked children
• Stage Three Direct observations parent
  questionnaires of children exceeding Stage Two
  criteria

Teacher Ranking
Teacher Ratings
Observations
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Early Screening Project

• Stage Two Normative comparisons on several
  checklists/scales that are appropriate to
  externalizing and internalizing concerns
• Scores of At-Risk, High-Risk, or Extreme Risk for
  each scale with separate tables by gender
• Convert to T scores and percentile ranks
• Stage Three Optional measures that guide
  decision-making regarding support
• Parent Questionnaire with items that correspond
  to teacher scales
• Social Behavior Observations during peer play
  that identify antisocial/nonsocial behavior or
  prosocial behavior (two 10-minute sessions)
• The ESP can be used as a clinical tool to
  determine eligibility for special services as
  well as programming/monitoring progress

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PRE-SET (Horner, Benedict, Todd, 2005)

• Adaptation of the School-wide Evaluation Tool
  (SET) used in K-12 educational settings to
  measure critical features of school-wide PBS.
• The Pre-SET assesses classroom and program-wide
  variables across 9 categories
• A. Expectations Defined
• B. Behavioral Expectations Taught
• C. Appropriate Behavior Acknowledged
• D. Organized and Predictable Environment
• E. Additional Supports
• F. Family Involvement
• G. Monitoring Decision-Making
• H. Management
• I. Program District-Wide Support

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Staff Support in Crisis Situations

• Most EC teachers do not send children to the
  principals office or to a buddy room when
  escalating and/or violent behavior occurs.
• Child care licensing regulations are particular
  about use of physical restraint and continued
  enrollment of students who may be dangerous
• A Crisis Plan is completed by each classroom team
  in order to be prepared for such events.
• Students are taught classroom evacuation.

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Early Childhood Secondary and Tertiary Supports

• On-Going Monthly PBS Support Group Training of
  staff on concepts such as managing escalating
  behavior, determining environmental triggers for
  behavior, and understanding the function of
  behaviors
• Intensive Social Skills Instruction
• Beyond the lessons provided to teachers,
• For at-risk behaviors such as dealing with
  frustration tolerance,
• Materials are provided or a specialist
  provides the requested lesson for small groups

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Other Secondary and Tertiary Supports

• Mentoring for children in need of extra attention
  (due to crisis, family issues, or
  attention-seeking behaviors)
• Administrators and traveling specialists
• 15 to 30 minutes per week, plus field trips and
  class parties
• Unconditional involvement
• Special Education evaluation in the area of
  social/emotional/behavioral functioning
• Special Education services
• Behavior consultation
• Direct social skills instruction
• Individual counseling
• Parent PBS training

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Teacher Assistance Teams

• CPS Buddy-Up Zone (BUZ Team)
• Available every Friday-different times of the
  day-Four teams of peers
• Any area of concern (85 of meetings during
  2007-2008 were for behavior)
• Request for Support and gathering of available
  data
• Parent permission required, attendance encouraged
• Teacher Support and Referral Team (TSAR)
• Two per month-classroom team, Mental Health
  Consultant, ECSE staff

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General Education Interventions

• Compile what is known, what is in place
• Identify antecedent/environmental strategies
• Identify curricular modifications
• Address any behavior management needs
• Recommend interventions, supports, materials,
  observations, data collection methods/tools,
  and/or referrals for evaluation
• Schedule a follow-up meeting

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RTI and BUZ 2008-2009

• Early Childhood DIBELS administration for all
  pre-kindergarten students in Title I
• Cluster teams School Psychologist, ECSE Teacher,
  Speech/Language Pathologist, Title I teachers
• Meet every 2 weeks
• Ongoing screening for those who need it
• Implementation of strategies
• BUZ available per cluster at each meeting
• Behavior Consultant, Occupational Therapist

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Transition to Kindergarten

• Transition to kindergarten is a big step for all
  students and their parents.
• In particular, those with behavioral difficulties
  tend to struggle.
• At CPS, Transition Plans are written for all
  children who have gone through BUZ/TSAR teams.
• Parental permission is obtained prior to the
  initial team meeting.
• Support forms and transition plans are sent to
  the principal of the receiving elementary school
  for dissemination

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Where to get more information Positive Behavior
Support Systems Applying Key Features in
Preschool Settings Authors Melissa Stormont,
Timothy J. Lewis, and Rebecca Beckner TEACHING
Exceptional Children   VOL. 37 NO.6   July/August
2005 http//journals.sped.org/ec/archive_article
s/VOL.37NO.6JulyAugust2005_TEC_Stormont37-6.pdf
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Program-Wide Positive Behavior Support Supporting
Young Childrens Social-Emotional Development
and Addressing Challenging Behavior The
Southeast Kansas Community Action Program
(SEK-CAP) (www.Challengingbehavior.org)
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