Review of School-wide Positive Behavior Support

1. Review of School-wide Positive Behavior Support Maryland PBIS Summer Institute July 13,2004 Teri Lewis-Palmer

2. Purpose • To describe features of a systems approach to positive behavior support

3. Themes • Consider school as unit of analysis • Emphasize role of educators individually and collectively • Build multi-level continuum of behavior support • Give priority to agenda of primary prevention

4. Big Idea • Goal is to establish host environments that support the adoption and sustained used of evidence-based practices (Zins & Ponte, 1990).

5. Why are school important places for investing? • Regular, predictable, positive learning & teaching environments • Positive adult & peer models • Regular positive reinforcement • Academic & social behavior development & success

6. Four Challenges • Educating increasing numbers of students who are more different than similar from each other • Educating students with severe problem behavior • Doing more with less • Creating “host environments” or systems that enable adoption & sustained use of effective practices.

7. “141 Days!” Intermediate/senior high school with 880 students reported over 5,100 office discipline referrals in one academic year. Nearly 2/3 of students have received at least one office discipline referral.

8. 5100 referrals = 51,000 min @10 min = 850 hrs = 141 days @ 6 hrs

9. “Works for me” In one school year, Jason received 87 office discipline referrals.

10. “Works for me” In one school year, a teacher processed 273 behavior incident reports.

11. “Da place ta be” During 4th period, in-school detention room has so many students that overflow is sent to counselor’s office. Most students have been assigned for being in hallways after the late bell.

12. Typical responses • “Get Tough” • “Train-n-Hope”

13. Individual response..Get Tough • Increase monitoring for future problem behavior • Clamp down on rule violators • Re-re-re-review rules & sanctions • Extend continuum of aversive consequences • Improve consistency of use of punishments • Establish “bottom line”

14. System’s response…Get tougher • Zero tolerance policies • Security guards, student uniforms, metal detectors, surveillance cameras • Suspension/expulsion • Exclusionary options (e.g., alternative programs)

15. Reactive responses are predictable When we experience aversive situation, we select interventions that produce immediate relief by • Removing student • Removing ourselves • Modifying physical environment • Assign responsibility for change to student &/or others

16. But….false sense of safety & security! • Fosters environments of control • Triggers & reinforces antisocial behavior • Shifts accountability away from school • Devalues child-adult relationship • Weakens relationship between academic & social behavior programming

17. 2001 Surgeon General’s Report • Risk factors associated with increasing # of antisocial behaviors • Antisocial peer networks • Reinforced deviancy

18. Recommendations (rearrange contingencies…..prevention) • Establish “intolerant attitude toward deviance” • Break up antisocial networks…change social context • Improve parent effectiveness • Increase “commitment to school” • Increase academic success • Create positive school climates • Teach & encourage individual skills & competence

19. “Train & hope”…..NO! • React to identified problem • Select & add practice • Hire expert to train practice • Expect & hope for implementation • Wait for new problem….

20. What is the greater challenge? • The greater challenge is arranging opportunities for schools to achieve the ability to... • Respond efficiently, effectively, and relevantly to range of problem behaviors observed in schools • Engage in data-based problem solving • Adopt, fit, & sustain empirically-based practices • Give priority to unified agenda of activities/initiatives

21. What is PBS? PBS is a broad range of systemic & individualized strategies for achieving important social & learning outcomes while preventing problem behavior. PBS is the integration of (a) valued outcomes,(b) science of human behavior,(c) validated procedures, and (d) systems change.

22. Social Competence & Academic Achievement Positive Behavior Support OUTCOMES Supporting Decision Making Supporting Staff Behavior DATA SYSTEMS PRACTICES Supporting Student Behavior

23. School-wide Positive Behavior Support Systems Classroom Setting Systems Nonclassroom Setting Systems Individual Student Systems School-wide Systems

24. Academic Systems Behavioral Systems • Intensive, Individual Interventions • Individual Students • Assessment-based • High Intensity • Intensive, Individual Interventions • Individual Students • Assessment-based • Intense, durable procedures • Targeted Group Interventions • Some students (at-risk) • High efficiency • Rapid response • Targeted Group Interventions • Some students (at-risk) • High efficiency • Rapid response • Universal Interventions • All students • Preventive, proactive • Universal Interventions • All settings, all students • Preventive, proactive Designing School-Wide Systems for Student Success 1-5% 1-5% 5-10% 5-10% 80-90% 80-90%

25. Implementation Levels State District School Classroom Student

26. Goals of PBS • Select & adapt technologies that are most effective, efficient, & relevant than reactive practices • Arrange opportunities to teach & practice evidence-based practices • Remove conditions that occasion & maintain undesirable outcomes

27. Increase conditions that occasion & maintain desirable practices • Remove aversives that inhibit desirable practices • Establish environments & routines that support continuum of positive behavior supports

28. Features • Create continuum of behavior supports from a systemic perspective • Focus on behavior of adults in school as unit • Utilize effective, efficient, relevant data-based decision making

29. Give priority to achievable success • Invest in research validated practices • Arrange environments for “working smarter” • Do less, but better • Do it once, but for a long time • Invest in clear outcomes • Invest in a sure thing