Vermont Positive Behavior Support Services

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VermontPositive Behavior Support Services

• A Framework for Improving Learning and Behavior
• Rae Ann Knopf, Vermont PBS State Coordinator
• Department of Education, Assistant Division
  Director

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What is PBS?

• Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is a proven,
  systems-focused approach that
• decreases problem behaviors among students,
• increases on-task engagement, and
• raises levels of satisfaction with school climate
  for students, teachers, and parents.
• PBS enhances the capacity of schools, districts,
  and states to adopt and sustain effective
  behavior and academic support practices. May
  Institute, Partner to the National Technical
  Assistance Center on PBIS

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PBS is based on . . . . .

• Person Centered Values interventions designed
  to meet the unique goals and challenges of each
  individual
• The Normalization/Inclusion Movement promotes
  the rights of individuals with behavior disorders
  or disabilities to be given the same educational
  and social opportunities as those without
• Applied Behavior Analysis behavior is learned,
  serves a purpose, and can most effectively be
  improved through the use of personalized-intervent
  ion planning to promote positive change
• Data-based Decision Making
• Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
  Brief, National Center for Mental Health
  Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention, 2006.

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PBS Goals

• School-Based PBS works from a framework of
  local control in improving school culture.
  Schools affirm/establish their own rules,
  practices and procedures, manage their own
  process within the context of the PBS philosophy
• Resiliency and Personal Well-being increase
  protective factors and reduce risk factors

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PBS Goals - continued

• Prevention reduce the need for more intensive
  interventions for students whose behavior,
  without intervention might escalate
• Safe, Healthy, Learning Environments a culture
  of learning where classroom/school disruptions,
  incidents, and resulting disciplinary actions and
  suspensions are reduced
• Respectful Intervention provide a continuum of
  positively focused behavioral expectations and
  interventions

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Positive Behavior Supports Continuum
Intensive individual interventions
Targeted small group, short term individual
interventions
Universal Applications
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How Wide-spread is PBS?

• PBS has been in existence for nearly 20 years
• Currently over 41 states are engaged in a
  State-Wide effort for implementing PBS
• Over 6600 schools have implemented PBS with
  fidelity
• The U.S. Department of Education sponsors
  national PBS centers in Oregon and Connecticut,
  the May Institute is a National Center Partner
• Statewide Behavior Initiatives, National
  Association of State Directors of Special
  Education, Inc., inForum, February 2007

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Vermont Challenges

• School staff continue to identify low level
  student aggression (disrespect, con-compliance
  and bullying) as a significant barrier to
  academic achievement
• Recent state health statistics indicate 52 of
  Vermont children are born into poverty
• 1 in 4 children in Vermont schools are eligible
  for free reduced lunch
• Achievement gaps are greatest among students with
  economic disadvantage and/or emotional/behavioral
  challenges

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Vermont Challenges - continued

• Inclusion rates have been declining in recent
  years
• Increasing reliance on paraprofessionals as the
  primary solution for meeting the needs of
  behaviorally challenged students despite lack of
  evidence to demonstrate effectiveness
• Vermonts rate of identification of students with
  emotional disabilities is very high relative to
  other disability categories and general student
  population
• Communicating full understanding of PBS not a
  canned system, importance of implementing full
  continuum to obtain integrity and fidelity

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Vermont Resources

• Vermont has a strong history of focusing on
  students at risk following Act 230 (1992) and Act
  117 (2001)
• National Centers exist to support PBS being used
  in thousands of schools nationally with great
  success
• Resources exist through Act 230 and State
  Improvement grants to provide regional
  professional development to support PBS
  implementation over the next 5 years

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Vermont Resources - continued

• PBS complements other efforts underway in Vermont
  schools and creates a framework for maximizing
  their value (responsive classroom, Olweus
  Bullying Program, LSCI, CPI, Second Step, RtI,
  CES, etc.)
• Vermonts own BEST team has made this a primary
  focus for development over the next 3-5 years
• A pre-existing Summer Institute exists to deliver
  training for school teams

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How does it work?

• As part of a multi-year commitment, School
  Leadership Teams focus their efforts on improving
  3 primary areas -
• School-wide procedures for discipline and student
  support
• Targeted interventions designed to prevent
  further escalation of problems
• Individualized behavior support planning

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Universal (School-Wide) Applications

• School teams review existing behavioral
  expectations, discipline practices, and
  procedures
• They agree upon a common approach and make a
  positive statement of purpose
• At least 80 of school personnel agree
• Positively stated expectations for all students
  and staff are formed
• A continuum of procedures for teaching these
  expectations, sustaining them, and discouraging
  rule violations are established and taught

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School teams review existing committees and
groups for efficacy and impact working smarter
not harder.
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Examples of Universal Strategies

• Positive expectations taught encouraged
  throughout school
• Goal is a ratio of 6-8 positive to 1 negative
  adult-student interaction per student
• Active supervision
• Redirections for minor, infrequent behavior
  errors
• Frequent pre-corrections for chronic errors
• Effective academic instruction curriculum

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Acting on Information vs. Emotion

• Coaching, monitoring, and consistency -
• School-based Coaches monitor and report
  discipline data by student, class, time of day,
  and location to school teams and staff for
  informed decision making to improve school
  culture and learning.
• Best chance for success -
• Interventions are focused toward the stated
  behavior expectations, spanning the school,
  classroom, and community - changing the
  environment to encourage change in the behavior
  giving students the best chance to succeed.

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Usability

• Using evidence based practices (EBD) for
  implementation
• Consultation and Coaching vs. Train Hope
  External and Internal Coaches
• 80 buy-in vs. seeding Readiness Tool
• Creating District-Wide and State-Wide Leadership
  teams to provide additional support, expertise,
  and resources
• User friendly data-collection systems (SWIS)
• On-going evaluation and adjustment (SET)
• Grounded in National Implementation Research

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Supporting Social Competence Academic
Achievement
4 PBS Elements
OUTCOMES
Supporting Decision Making
DATA
Supporting Staff Behavior
SYSTEMS
PRACTICES
Supporting Student Behavior
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Intended Consequences

• These efforts provide a framework for change
  school-wide, resulting in
• Safer schools
• More positive school climates
• Improved academic outcomes
• More effective responses to students who display
  significant problem behaviors, and
• Higher parent and community satisfaction

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Out of Classroom Discipline Referrals Sample
Data
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Out of Classroom Discipline Referrals Sample
Data cont.
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Out of Classroom Discipline Referrals Sample
Data cont.
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Out of Classroom Discipline Referrals Sample
Data cont.
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Targeted Interventions

• School teams become aware of at risk students
  high risk locations
• Proactive short term interventions are used in an
  effort to change behavior and break negative
  cycles
• Social skills clubs, Behavior Education Plans,
  check-in check-out systems are all examples of
  targeted interventions

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Intensive Individualized Interventions

• Behavior support teams form plans for students
  needing intensive, fully individualized,
  assessment based interventions
• Interventions complement primary and secondary
  supports and may include things like
• wrap around planning
• evidence-based mental health interventions
• coordinated services planning, and
• crisis response

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Samples of Outcomes
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Cost Saving Outcomes New Hampshire - 44
schools over 2 years
Recovered 2823 days for learning 591 days
for teaching 1263 days for leadership/administr
ation
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Sustainability in NH MD
Developing State Capacity for Durable and
Accurate Implementation of Statewide Positive
Behavior Support in New Hampshire, Howard S.
Muscott, Ed.D. New Hampshire presentations
International APBS Conference, March 2007
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How do I bring PBS to My School?

• Talk with school administrator
• Contact a Vermont PBS/BEST team member
• Form a school leadership team, identify a coach
• Complete the Readiness Checklist
• Attend coaches and school leadership team
  training
• Create a school action plan for PBS implementation

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What is in Place in Vermont so far?

• 4 Schools implementing in Addison NE
• 6 External Implementation Coaches established
  state-wide to assist schools in implementing
• State-Wide PBS Leadership Advisory established
• PBS School leadership forum - 10/16/07 over 220
• School Readiness, Coaches and School Leadership
  training scheduled in November for second cohort
  of implementing schools
• BEST/Act 230 and State Improvement Professional
  Development grant monies earmarked to help
  schools interested in implementing PBS
• Over 50 schools state-wide expressing interest

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Where to Learn More About PBS

• www.pbis.org
• www.pbismaryland.org
• www.apbs.org
• www.promoteprevent.org

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PBS and Fixsens Work

• Effective Intervention Effective Implementation
  Good Outcomes
• Core Intervention Components PBS is/has a
• Clearly described (who/what)
• Practical measure of fidelity
• Fully operationalized (do/say)
• Field tested (recursive revision)
• Contextualized (org./systems fit)
• Effective (worth the effort)
• Dean Fixsen Karen Blase, National
  Implementation Research Network

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What is Readiness?

• Review Readiness Tool
• 100 completion of the tool demonstrates cultural
  readiness to begin work on school action plan and
  implementation

What is SET?

• Why is the School-wide Evaluation Tool important?
• A score of 80/80 on the SET reports school-wide
  implementation with integrity

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What is SWIS?

• How does the School-Wide Information System work?
• Why is it a useful tool for schools?
• How accessible is it?