What Comes First: Academics or Behavior A Conversation Bob Algozzine January 28 8:00 Mountain 9:00 Central 10:00 Eastern

1. What Comes First: Academics or Behavior?A ConversationBob AlgozzineJanuary 288:00 Mountain9:00 Central10:00 Eastern What issues and knowledge should we be considering as we work toward developing systems that integrate or coordinate RTI (for academics) and PBIS (for behavior)?  Dial in: 1-888-387-8686 2745414#Dial in: 1-888-387-8686 2745414#

2. What issues and knowledge should we be considering as we work toward developing systems that integrate or coordinate RTI (for academics) and PBIS (for behavior)?  What can we discern from the research to support our efforts to coordinate/integrate behavior and academics? What do we know from experience, if research is not strong, to support our efforts? How can we best use the PBIS model to think about and design our efforts to implement RTI? What aspects of the systems approach to implementation of PBIS are most easily applied and which might need some modification? What should we be thinking about in designing evaluation plans and collecting data to ensure we can collectively add to our knowledge base?

3. What issues and knowledge should we be considering as we work toward developing systems that integrate or coordinate RTI (for academics) and PBIS (for behavior)?  What do we know from the research on the relationship between academics and behavior? Most researchers have focused on ratings and correlations of achievement and behavior. Teachers’ ratings of students needing assistance reflect both achievement and behavior problems (academic problems are more common, behavior problems are more difficult to address). Youth who are incarcerated exhibit low achievement scores compared to their peers. Some researchers have focused on hypothesized relationships between achievement and behavior. Compromised opportunity to thrive hypotheses (assumption good instruction is occurring) Functions of behavior hypotheses (escape/avoidance initiates and maintains problems) Few researchers have focused on simultaneous implementation of evidence-based school-wide academic and behavior instruction.

4. What issues and knowledge should we be considering as we work toward developing systems that integrate or coordinate RTI (for academics) and PBIS (for behavior)?  What do we know from experience, if research is not strong, to support our efforts? Good teaching is good teaching and there are no boundaries on when, where, or for what or whom it will occur. Teaching reading without attention to behavior is not evidence-based practice. Teaching behavior without attention to reading (and other academic content) is unsound practice. Stop separating academics and behavior in efforts to improve achievement—focus on “treatment fidelity” as the most important predictor of response to intervention.

5. What issues and knowledge should we be considering as we work toward developing systems that integrate or coordinate RTI (for academics) and PBIS (for behavior)?  How can we best use the PBIS model to think about and design our efforts to implement RTI? Characteristics of effective, high-performing schools and schools implementing SWPBS: Clear and shared focus; High standards and expectations for all students; Effective school leadership; High levels of collaboration and communication; Curriculum, instruction, and assessments aligned with state standards; Frequent monitoring of learning and teaching; Focused professional development; A supportive learning environment; and, High levels of family and community involvement. (Algozzine, B., & Algozzine, K. (in press). Facilitating Academic Achievement through School-Wide Positive Behavior Support. In W. Sailor, G. Dunlap, R. Horner, & G. Sugai, (Eds.), Handbook of positive behavior support (Chapter 23). New York: Guilford Press.

6. What issues and knowledge should we be considering as we work toward developing systems that integrate or coordinate RTI (for academics) and PBIS (for behavior)?  How can we best use the PBIS model to think about and design our efforts to implement RTI? Response to Intervention is defined as “the practice of providing high-quality instruction and interventions matched to student need, monitoring progress frequently to make decisions about changes in instruction or goals, and applying child response data to important educational decisions [i.e., ARE instruction and interventions being delivered and are they working?]” (Batsche et al., 2005). Based on a problem-solving model, this approach considers environmental factors as they might apply to an individual student’s difficulty, and provides services/intervention as soon as the student demonstrates a need. Focused primarily on addressing academic problems, RtI has emerged as the new way to think about both disability identification and early intervention assistance for the “most vulnerable, academically unresponsive children” in schools and school districts (Fuchs & Deshler, 2007, p. 131, emphasis added). [Focus on child here is doomed to failure] Positive Behavior Support is based on a problem-solving model and aims to prevent inappropriate behavior through teaching and reinforcing appropriate behaviors (OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports, 2007). Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is a process that is consistent with the core principles of Response to Intervention. PBS offers a range of systems and interventions that are systematically applied based on students’ demonstrated level of need, and the role of the environment as it applies to development and improvement of behavior problems. [Focusing on child here is also doomed to failure]

7. What issues and knowledge should we be considering as we work toward developing systems that integrate or coordinate RTI (for academics) and PBIS (for behavior)?  How can we best use the PBIS model to think about and design our efforts to implement RTI? Both Response to Intervention and PBS are grounded in differentiated instruction. Each approach delimits critical factors and components to be in place at the universal (Tier 1), targeted group (Tier 2), and individual (Tier 3) levels. Our goal should be to use the shared characteristics of these approaches as a basis for meeting the needs of children experiencing academic and behavior difficulties in school. Extent to which instruction and interventions are being delivered (fidelity) and working (monitoring) is the critical factor for success.

8. What issues and knowledge should we be considering as we work toward developing systems that integrate or coordinate RTI (for academics) and PBIS (for behavior)?  What aspects of the systems approach to implementation of PBIS are most easily applied and which might need some modification? Team-based decision making (origins of problems are diverse) Fidelity (do not assume a child problem until adequate and appropriate instruction has been observed and verified) Progress monitoring (frequent and continuous evaluation of processes results in better products)

9. What issues and knowledge should we be considering as we work toward developing systems that integrate or coordinate RTI (for academics) and PBIS (for behavior)?  What should we be thinking about in designing evaluation plans and collecting data to ensure we can collectively add to our knowledge base? Common indicators of fidelity Common progress monitoring indicators Common or shared outcome measures Best practice for the future is teaching both academics and behavior until research demonstrates we should act differently.

10. What Comes First: Academics or Behavior?