Introduction to Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support

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Introduction to School-wide Positive Behavior
Support

• Major portions of the following material were
  developed by George Sugai and Rob Horner OSEP
  Funded Technical Assistance Center
• www.pbis.org
• In conjunction with
• The Iowa Behavioral Alliance (An Initiative of
  the Iowa Dept. of Education)
• www.rc4alliance.org

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Goal

• Orient new PBS Leadership Team members/
  faculty/administrators to the concept of
  School-wide Positive Behavior Support.

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• Why Positive Behavior Support?

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Main Logic for School-wide PBS

• Schools face a difficult challenge
• Academic, social, safety
• Children more different from each other than ever
  before
• Do more with less

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Main Logic for School-wide PBS

• Individual behavior support
• Functional assessment
• Commitment to all students
• Wraparound

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Main Logic for School-wide PBS

• School-wide behavior support.
• Behavior support in schools begins by investing
  in building a positive social culture
• School-wide intervention

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Main Logic

• Prevention
• Teaching
• Effective practices need nurturing systems

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Message!

• Successful Individual student behavior support
  is linked to host environments or schools that
  are effective, efficient, relevant, durable
• (Safran Howard, 2003 Zins Ponti, 1990)

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Problem Behaviors

• Exist in every school
• Vary in intensity
• Are associated w/ variety of contributing
  variables
• Are concern in every community

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The Challenge

• Teachers report that uncivil behavior is
  increasing and is a threat to effective learning
• Skiba and Peterson, (2000)
• There is a link between general level of
  disruptive behavior and more extreme acts of
  violence
• Skiba and Peterson, (2000)

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When behavior doesnt improve, we Get Tougher!

• Zero tolerance policies
• Increased surveillance
• Increased suspension expulsion
• In-service training by expert
• Alternative programming
• Anti-bullying initiatives
• Increased number of harassment policies
• ..Predictable systems response!

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Immediate seductive solution Get Tough!

• Clamp down increase monitoring
• Re-re-re-review rules
• Extend continuum consistency of consequences
• Establish bottom line
• Exclude student not ready to learn
• ...Predictable individual response

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The Challenge

• Exclusion and punishment are the most common
  responses to conduct disorders in schools.
• Lane Murakami, (1987)
• Rose, (1988)
• Nieto, (1999)
• Sprick, Borgmeier, Nolet, (2002)
• See Article
• Extrinsic Reinforcement in the Classroom Bribery
  or Best Practice by K. Angelique Akin-Little,
  Tanya L. Eckert, Benjamin J. Lovett and Steven G.
  Little

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The Challenge

• Exclusion and punishment are ineffective at
  producing long-term reduction in problem behavior
• Costenbader Markson (1998)

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The Challenge

• Exposure to exclusionary discipline has been
  shown, not to improve school outcomes, but in
  fact to be associated with higher rates of school
  dropout.
• Skiba, Peterson and Williams, 1997
• Ekstrom, Goertz, Pollack, Rock, 1986
• Wehlage Rutter, 1986
• Sprick, Borgmeier, Nolet, (2002)

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The Challenge

• We have the knowledge and the skill to make our
  schools effective instructional environments with
  a minimal use of suspension and expulsion.
• Russ Skiba, Testimony before U.S. House of
  Representatives, May 2002

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The Challenge

• We have no evidence that suspension and
  expulsion make a positive contribution to school
  safety or improved student behavior they may in
  fact have significant unintended negative
  consequences for students and school climate.
• Russ Skiba, Testimony before U.S. House of
  Representatives, May, 2002

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Research Findings

• Reviews of over 600 studies on how to reduce
  school discipline problems indicate that the
  least effective response to school violence are
• Counseling (talking therapies)
• Psychotherapy
• Punishment
• Gottfredson, 1997
• Lipsey, 1991 1992
• Tolan Guerra, 1994
• Elliott, Hamburg, Williams, 1998

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Research Findings

• The same research reviews indicate that the most
  effective responses to school violence are
• Social Skills Training
• Academic Restructuring
• Behavioral Interventions
• Gottfredson, 1997
• Elliot, Hamburg, Williams, 1998
• Tolan Guerra, 1994
• Lipsey, 1991 1992

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School-wide Positive Behavior Support

• School-wide positive behavior support is set of
  systemic and individualized strategies for
  achieving social and learning outcomes while
  preventing problem behavior.

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School-wide Positive Behavior Support

• Four core elements are emphasized.
• Clearly defined outcomes
• Research-validated practices
• Supportive administrative systems
• Use of information for problem solving

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SW-Positive Behavior Support
Social Competence, Academic Achievement, and
Safety
OUTCOMES
Supporting Decision Making
Information
Supporting Staff Behavior
SYSTEMS
PRACTICES
Supporting Student Behavior
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Six Major Ideas

• 1. Build Multiple Systems of Behavior Support
• 2. Invest in Prevention
• 3. Start with Administrative Commitment

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Six Major Ideas

• 4. Use Team-based Implementation
• 5. Adapt procedures to fit the context
• 6. Collect and use information for
  decision-making

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Invest in PreventionBuild a Culture of
Competence

• Define behavioral expectations
• Teach behavioral expectations
• Monitor and reward appropriate behavior
• Provide corrective consequences for behavioral
  errors.
• Information-based problem solving

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Practices for School-wide Behavior Support

• Practices
• Define expectations
• Teach expectations
• Monitor expected behavior
• Acknowledge expected behavior
• Correct behavioral errors (continuum of
  consequences)
• Use information for decision-making

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Systems for School-wide Behavior Support

• Systems
• Admin Leadership
• Team-based implementation
• Defined commitment
• Allocation of FTE
• Budgeted support
• Development of decision-driven information system
• Formal policies

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Other Resources

• For more information on Iowas Positive Behavior
  Support Program
• www.rc4alliance.org
• For more information on Positive Behavior Support
  from a national/international perspective
• www.pbis.org