Schoolwide Positive Behaviour Support

1. Schoolwide Positive Behaviour Support Getting Started at Gowrie Street 03 November 2008

2. Goals for today Provide a logic for considering Schoolwide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS). Define the core features of SWPBS Define the implementation approach Define the outcomes achieved by schools that adopt SWPBS to criterion

3. Need Queensland experience with SWPBS program was initiated by staff at the Disability Services Support Unit.

5. Australia has the second highest percentage of children living in jobless families in the OECD. Australia ranks in the bottom third in the under-5 mortality rate. Indigenous children and youth were twice as likely to die between the ages of 1�19 as their non-Indigenous counterparts.

6. 15% of all children aged 0�14 years (543,600) lived in jobless families in 2006. Half (51%) of all children in one-parent families did not live with an employed parent, compared with 6% in two-parent families.

7. Mental and behavioural problems were reported by 11% of males (100,000 people) and 9% of females (80,000 people) aged 15�19 years in 2004�05. Mood disorders were the most common problem for females, while problems of psychological development were most common among males.

8. The prevalence of mental and behavioural problems was 40% higher among Indigenous teenagers than non-Indigenous teenagers.

9. SWPBS program The SWPBS program is a structured, long-term, whole-school professional development program.

10. SWPBS Program The professional development program is used to guide school teams through the development of proactive schoolwide systems of support for defining, teaching, and supporting appropriate student behaviours to create positive school environments.

11. SWPBS Origin The program was developed in collaboration with international special education experts Professor George Sugai (University of Connecticut) and Professor Tim Lewis (University of Missouri) and is based on successful US models.

12. Main messages Supporting social behaviour is central to achieving academic gains. SWPBS is an evidence-based practice for building a positive social culture that will promote both social and academic success. Implementation of any evidence-based practice requires a more coordinated focus than typically expected.

13. Six basic recommendations for implementing SWPBS Never stop doing what is already working Always look for the smallest change that will produce the largest effect Avoid defining a large number of goals Do a small number of things well Do not add something new without also defining what you will stop doing to make the addition possible.

14. Six basic recommendations for implementing SWPBS Collect and use data for decision-making Adapt any initiative to make it �fit� your school community, culture, context. Families Students Faculty Fiscal-political structure Establish policy clarity before investing in implementation

15. Introductions Experience with SWPBS Has your school used this approach? Have you used the Team Checklist or EBS survey Does your team have a formal process for collecting and using office discipline referral data for decision-making?

16. Introductions What challenges do you see related to student social behaviour? Be specific with respect to age/grade level

17. Logic for SWPBS Schools face a set of difficult challenges today Multiple expectations (Academic, Social competence) Students arrive at school with widely differing understandings of what is socially acceptable. Traditional �get tough� and �zero tolerance� approaches are insufficient. Individual student interventions Effective, but can�t meet need School-wide discipline systems Establish a social culture within which both social and academic success is more likely

18. Problem behaviours Insubordination, noncompliance, defiance, late to class, nonattendance, truancy, fighting, aggression, inappropriate language, social withdrawal, excessive crying, stealing, vandalism, property destruction, tobacco, drugs, alcohol, unresponsive, not following directions, inappropriate use of school materials, weapons, harassment 1, harassment 2, harassment 3, unprepared to learn, parking lot violation, irresponsible, trespassing, disrespectful, disrupting teaching, uncooperative, violent behaviour, disruptive, verbal abuse, physical abuse, dress code, other, etc., etc., etc. Exist in every school Vary in intensity Are associated w/ variety of contributing variables Are concern in every community

20. The challenge Students with externalising disorders (such as non-compliance, aggression, impulsivity, arguing, and rule breaking) make up 3�5% of the students in public school classrooms, and �are some of the most difficult students to manage in an educational setting� (Jenson, Olympia, Farley, and Clark, 2004).

21. The challenge The average classroom teacher could expect to find at least 2 and perhaps up to 9 students with some level of behaviour problem to be present in a class of 30 students at any one time (Beaman & Wheldall, 1997).

22. The challenge Around 50% of teachers, at all levels, typically claim to spend more time on problems of order and control than they believe they should (Beaman & Wheldall, 1997).

23. The challenge The probability of a student reporting attacking another student was higher for students who: Were male. Lived in a sole parent family or with neither parent. Had experienced a punitive parenting style. Often had problems with their family in the past six months. Often acted impulsively. Had problems with reading and/or writing. Students were less likely to report attacking another student if: Their behaviour/whereabouts was closely monitored by his/her parents. Their mother was aged older than 40 years. (Grunseit, Weatherburn and Donnelly, 2005)

24. 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) Exclusion and punishment are ineffective at producing long-term reduction in problem behaviour Costenbader & Markson (1998)

25. The challenge Punishing problem behaviours (without a proactive support system) is associated with increases in (a) aggression, (b) vandalism, (c) truancy, and (d) dropping out. Mayer, 1995 Mayer & Sulzar-Azaroff, 1991 Skiba & Peterson, 1999

26. 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

27. Research findings The same research reviews indicate that the most effective responses to school violence are: Social Skills Training Academic Restructuring Behavioural Interventions Gottfredson, 1997 Elliot, Hamburg, & Williams, 1998 Tolan & Guerra, 1994 Lipsey, 1991; 1992

28. What is SWPBS? SWPBS is: A systems approach for establishing the social culture and individualised behavioural supports needed for schools to be effective learning environments for all students.

29. What is SWPBS? Evidence-based features of SWPBS Prevention Define and teach positive social expectations Acknowledge positive behaviour Arrange consistent consequences for problem behaviour On-going collection and use of data for decision-making Continuum of intensive, individual interventions. Administrative leadership � Team-based implementation (Systems that support effective practices)

30. Main Messages

32. Individual Student Systems Function-based behaviour support planning Team- & data-based decision making Comprehensive person-centered planning & wraparound processes Targeted social skills & self-management instruction Individualized instructional & curricular accommodations

33. Activity:(Record your personal score, then compare) On a scale of 1-10 (10=high) To what extent do teachers/staff in your school have a clear and consistent understanding of when to send a student to the office? To what extent do teachers/staff in your school use consistent definitions for types of problem behaviour (e.g., harassment, disruption, dress code violation, non-compliance)?

34. Schoolwide Systems(All students all settings all times) Create a positive school culture: School environment is predictable common language common vision (understanding of expectations) common experience (everyone knows) School environment is positive regular recognition for positive behaviour School environment is safe violent and disruptive behaviour is not tolerated School environment is consistent adults use similar expectations.

35. Classroom Management Systems Behaviour & classroom management Classroom-wide positive expectations taught & encouraged Classroom routines & cues taught Ratio of 5 positive to 1 negative adult-student interaction Active supervision Redirections for minor, infrequent behaviour errors Frequent pre-corrections for chronic errors Curriculum matched to student ability

36. Practices and systems for schoolwide behaviour support Practices Define expectations Teach expectations Monitor expected behaviour Acknowledge expected behaviour Correct behavioural errors (continuum of consequences) Use information for decision-making Systems Admin Leadership Team-based implementation Defined commitment Allocation of FTE Budgeted support Development of decision-driven information system Formal policies

37. Use of data for decision-making Use of data to guide implementation Team Implementation Checklist Use of student data (office discipline referrals) to assess impact. www.swis.org

39. Social and Economic Clash

40. Poverty and Language Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experiences of Young American Children Betty Hart and Todd Risley Over a year (11-18 months) Children in poverty - hear 250,000 words Children in homes of professionals - hear 4 million words

41. Meaningful Differences (Hart & Risley) Affirmative Statements Professional - 30 per hour Working class - 15 per hour Poverty - 6 per hour (prohibitive twice as often as affirmative feedback)

42. Meaningful Differences (Hart & Risley) �Our experience in preschool intervention suggest that it will take thousands of hours of affirmative feedback even to begin to overcome what this child has leaned about herself in the first 3 years of life� (p.188)

43. �Just to provide an average welfare child with an amount of weekly language experience equal to that of an average working-class child would require 41 hours per week of out-of-home experience as rich in words addressed to the child as that in an average professional home� (p.201) Meaningful Differences (Hart & Risley)

44. Teaching Strategies Study Showed That: Less than 20% of teacher directives to students with and without disabilities were preceded with information that would enable the students to respond correctly. (Shores et al, 1993).

45. �Low achievement and problem behaviors go hand in hand� ~Kauffman, 1997 p.247~

46. Traditional Approach to Managing Challenging Behaviours

47. Effective Behaviour Support

48. Individual-focused models

49. Systems-solution focused models

50. Revising Attitudes From: 1. The child IS a problem 2. The child HAS a problem Inference: Solution probably found in strategies aimed at changing things �in� the child To: 3. There IS a problem Inference: Solution might be found in strategies aimed at changing a variety of factors This slide introduces the concept of neutrality when defining behaviour problems. Discussion should centre on how �stepping back� allows us the opportunity to broaden the lens through which we view a problem, to decentre the child or something �in� the child as the cause of the problem, and to consider the role of other factors which combine to contribute to the problem. 1-2 minutes discussion only.This slide introduces the concept of neutrality when defining behaviour problems. Discussion should centre on how �stepping back� allows us the opportunity to broaden the lens through which we view a problem, to decentre the child or something �in� the child as the cause of the problem, and to consider the role of other factors which combine to contribute to the problem. 1-2 minutes discussion only.

51. SWPBS: Four Elements SWPBS builds from a focus on student Outcomes: academic achievement, social competence, and safety. SWPBS �Practices� are the behaviours of adults that affect how students perform. These are the daily, classroom, and on-going discipline practices of the school SWPBS �Systems� are the organizational decisions and structures that support effective STAFF behaviour. A major strength of SWPBS is the emphasis on practices delivered WITH the systems needed to support the practices. The use of data for decision-making is the single most important system within SWPBS. This element is used both to ensure the SWPBS practices are tailored to the local context/culture, and to benefit the continuous regeneration needed for sustained implementation.SWPBS: Four Elements SWPBS builds from a focus on student Outcomes: academic achievement, social competence, and safety. SWPBS �Practices� are the behaviours of adults that affect how students perform. These are the daily, classroom, and on-going discipline practices of the school SWPBS �Systems� are the organizational decisions and structures that support effective STAFF behaviour. A major strength of SWPBS is the emphasis on practices delivered WITH the systems needed to support the practices. The use of data for decision-making is the single most important system within SWPBS. This element is used both to ensure the SWPBS practices are tailored to the local context/culture, and to benefit the continuous regeneration needed for sustained implementation.

52. Summary of SWPBS �BIG IDEAS� 52 Systems (How things are done) Team based problem solving Data-based decision making Long term sustainability

53. Summary of SWPBS �BIG IDEAS� 53 Data (How decisions are made) On going data collection & use ODR�s (# per day per month, location, behaviour, student) Suspension/expulsion, attendance, verbal abuse

54. Summary of SWPBS �BIG IDEAS� 54 Practices (How staff interact with students) Direct teaching of behavioural expectations On-going reinforcement of expected behaviours Functional behavioural assessment

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56. Poverty and Language Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experiences of Young American Children Betty Hart and Todd Risley Over a year (11-18 months) Children in poverty - hear 250,000 words Children in homes of professionals - hear 4 million words

58. Specific setting systems Positive expectations & routines taught & encouraged Active supervision by all staff Scan, move, interact Pre-corrections & reminders Positive reinforcement

59. Invest in Prevention (Schoolwide)Build a Culture of Competence Define behavioural expectations Teach behavioural expectations Monitor and reward appropriate behaviour Provide corrective consequences for behavioural errors. Information-based problem solving Do not expect school-wide efforts to affect students with chronic problem behaviour.

60. Activity Define three-five core behavioural expectations you would recommend for your school. Core value Positive � Short Memorable How would you include families, students, community members in the process? How would you assess if the teaching had been effective?

61. Activity: Teaching Matrix Define your school-wide expectations Define a set of possible locations Select 1 location: Define the best example of behaving appropriately. Identify the most common behavioural error in that location, and identify the positive alternative. Write these two positive behaviours in each cell of the matrix.

63. Teaching Matrix Activity

65. Teaching Matrix Activity(Identify cells that you would change)

66. Teaching Matrix Activity(Identify cells that you would change)

68. Teaching behavioural expectations Teach behaviour the same way you teach other subjects Define the concept to be learned (the label) Provide rationale/ logic Provide positive examples, and emphasize the key features of the positive examples Juxtapose positive examples with negative examples to build precision Practice positive performance with recognition

69. Teach behavioural expectations Transform broad school-wide Expectations into specific, observable behaviours. Use the Expectations by Settings Matrix Teach in the actual settings where behaviours are to occur Teach (a) the words, and (b) the actions. Build a social culture that is predictable, and focused on student success.

70. Teaching guidelines Define, show, tell, describe. Practice frequently in context. Monitor/supervise. Acknowledge/recognize. Adjust & enhance

71. Continuum of consequences for behavioural errors Do not ignore problem behaviour. (unless ignoring is part of a specific program) Define specific teacher responses for �minor� and �major� problem behaviour. Define a general �rule� for when a teacher should send a student to the office. Do NOT expect office referrals to change behaviour. Use office referrals to (a) prevent problem behaviour from being rewarded, (b) prevent escalation, and (c) prevent problem behaviour from interrupting on-going instruction. Use teaching to change behaviour

74. On-going reward of appropriate behaviour Every faculty and staff member acknowledges appropriate behaviour. 5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative contacts System that makes acknowledgement easy and simple for students and staff. Different strategies for acknowledging appropriate behaviour (small frequent rewards more effective) Beginning of class recognition Raffles Social acknowledgement

75. Efficient systems of support Combine rather than add initiatives Never stop doing what works Look for smallest change that produces largest effect Different systems for different challenges The need for continuous self-assessment Link behavioural and academic outcomes No new resources required for school-wide

76. Summary Invest in prevention Build a social culture of competence Focus on different systems for different challenges Build local capacity through team processes, and adaptation of the practices to fit the local context Use data for decision-making Begin with active administrative leadership

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78. Functions

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82. Why should we be committed to implementation of SWPBS? SWPBS benefits children Reduction in problem behaviour Office discipline referrals Suspensions Expulsions Improved effectiveness for intensive interventions Increased student engagement Risk and protective factors improve Students perceive school as a safer, more supportive environment Improved academic performance When coupled with effective instruction Improved family involvement

83. Data Collection Need to evaluate program effectiveness Has there been a real change and development of schools� systems of behaviour support? Have students and staff benefited from any changes? Is this change sustainable over time? While it has been encouraging to see the emergence of a program that now has district-level impact in two regions, an important question for us is whether the effort has resulted in real change in the behaviour support systems and positive outcomes for students and staff within participating schools. To address this question we used an instrument developed collaboratively in the United States by the University of Oregon and the Eugene education district, the School-Wide Evaluation Tool (SET). The SET (Sugai, Lewis-Palmer, Todd and Horner, 1999) is a direct observation instrument that measures the degree to which features of schoolwide positive behaviour support systems have been implemented. While it has been encouraging to see the emergence of a program that now has district-level impact in two regions, an important question for us is whether the effort has resulted in real change in the behaviour support systems and positive outcomes for students and staff within participating schools. To address this question we used an instrument developed collaboratively in the United States by the University of Oregon and the Eugene education district, the School-Wide Evaluation Tool (SET). The SET (Sugai, Lewis-Palmer, Todd and Horner, 1999) is a direct observation instrument that measures the degree to which features of schoolwide positive behaviour support systems have been implemented.

84. Schoolwide Evaluation Tool (SET) Purpose of the SET The SET results are used to: assess features that are in place, determine annual goals for schoolwide effective behaviour support, evaluate on-going efforts toward schoolwide behaviour support, design and revise procedures as needed, and compare efforts toward schoolwide effective behaviour support from year to year. Coaches collect data at the school by observing the physical setting, examining permanent products such as school improvement goals and discipline policies and procedures. Coaches randomly interview staff and students as well as the school principal and examine office behaviour referral outcome data.Coaches collect data at the school by observing the physical setting, examining permanent products such as school improvement goals and discipline policies and procedures. Coaches randomly interview staff and students as well as the school principal and examine office behaviour referral outcome data.

85. Higher SET Score is Related to Lowered Behaviour Referrals This medium sized state school described itself as serving a difficult demographic with historically high levels of problem behaviour frequency and intensity. The school joined the Education Queensland SWPBS program in 2005. This graph compares SET average implementation data with behaviour office discipline referral data pre-SWPBS and Post SWPBS. Baseline (no SWPBS) indicates an average of 167 ODR per 25 students in 2004. In 2005 a SET score of 48 is correlated to an average of 47 ODR per 25 students. And in 2006 a SET score of 88 is correlated to and average of 27.8 referrals per 25 students. This medium sized state school described itself as serving a difficult demographic with historically high levels of problem behaviour frequency and intensity. The school joined the Education Queensland SWPBS program in 2005. This graph compares SET average implementation data with behaviour office discipline referral data pre-SWPBS and Post SWPBS. Baseline (no SWPBS) indicates an average of 167 ODR per 25 students in 2004. In 2005 a SET score of 48 is correlated to an average of 47 ODR per 25 students. And in 2006 a SET score of 88 is correlated to and average of 27.8 referrals per 25 students.

86. Higher SET Score is Related to Lowered Behaviour Referrals Example 2: Medium Sized rural State School. 90% Reduction over 2 years. Example 2: Medium Sized rural State School. 90% Reduction over 2 years.

87. Higher SET Score is Related to Lowered Behaviour Referrals

88. All schools in the SWPBS program are expected to conduct an Effective Behaviour Supports (EBS) survey at least annually, for submission to the coordinators. The EBS Survey was originally developed as an action-planning document for schools teams leading the implementation of SWPBS. There are four sections to the survey: Schoolwide Systems, Non-classroom Settings Systems (e.g. playground), Classroom Systems and Individual Student Systems. Each of these sections contains a series of items, and respondents are directed to complete two ratings per item. All schools in the SWPBS program are expected to conduct an Effective Behaviour Supports (EBS) survey at least annually, for submission to the coordinators. The EBS Survey was originally developed as an action-planning document for schools teams leading the implementation of SWPBS. There are four sections to the survey: Schoolwide Systems, Non-classroom Settings Systems (e.g. playground), Classroom Systems and Individual Student Systems. Each of these sections contains a series of items, and respondents are directed to complete two ratings per item.

89. First participants are directed to evaluate the CURRENT STATUS of a specific support ( whether it is in place, not in place or partially in place). This question measures the extent to which staff members think specific behaviour supports are currently in place at their school. The second rating for each item focuses on IMPROVEMENT PRIORITY (high, medium, or low), a measure of social validity to ascertain how important a specific behaviour support is. All responses are expressed as calculated as percentages and graphed. No other instrument has been identified in the literature that measures constructs similar to those measured by the EBS Survey. First participants are directed to evaluate the CURRENT STATUS of a specific support ( whether it is in place, not in place or partially in place). This question measures the extent to which staff members think specific behaviour supports are currently in place at their school. The second rating for each item focuses on IMPROVEMENT PRIORITY (high, medium, or low), a measure of social validity to ascertain how important a specific behaviour support is. All responses are expressed as calculated as percentages and graphed. No other instrument has been identified in the literature that measures constructs similar to those measured by the EBS Survey.

90. Behaviour DataEducation QueenslandSWPBS Program 

91. Case StudyQueensland State School

92. Administrator Cost Benefit2004-2006 Office referral reduction across 23 months= 1228 If one office referral = 15 minutes of administrator time, then 1228 x 15 = 18420 minutes = 307 hours or 51 Days Of Administrator time recovered and reinvested