bully prevention using positive behavioral interventions & supports

Bully Preventionusing

Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports

Purpose• Define why bullying is worth

addressing• Provide a comprehensive model

for bully preventions• Provide a description of core

elements of universal level bully prevention

Violence Prevention• Positive, predictable schoolwide climate• High rates of academic & social success• Formal social skills instruction• Positive active supervision & reinforcement• Positive adult role models• Multi-component, multi-year school, family, &

community effort

The Logic:Why Invest in Bully Prevention?

• The National School Safety Center (NSSC) called bullying the most enduring and underrated problem in U.S. schools.

(Beale, 2001)


• Nearly 30 % of students have reported being involved in bullying as either a perpetrator or a victim.

(Nansel et al., 2001; Swearer & Espelage, 2004)


• Victims and perpetrators of bullying are more likely to skip and/or drop out of school.

(Bethold & Hoover, 2000; Neary & Joseph, 1994)


• 84.6% of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed, 40.1% reported being physically harassed and 18.8% reported being physically assaulted at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.

(GLSEN, 2009)


• Students on the autism spectrum are more likely to be victimized than their non-disabled peers.

(Little, 2002)


• Victims and perpetrators of bullying are more likely to suffer from underachievement and sub-potential performance in employment settings.

(Carney & Merrell, 2001; NSSC, 1995))


• Involvement in bullying is a cross-cultural phenomenon.

(Jimerson, Swearer, Espelage, 2010)


• Bullying is NOT done by a small number of students who are socially and emotionally isolated. Bullying is common across socio-economic status, gender, grade, and class.

(Bradshaw et al., 2010)


• Many bully prevention programs are either ineffective, only show change in verbal behavior, or inadvertently result in increases in relational aggression and bullying.

(Merrell et al., 2008)

What is Bullying?

Bullying is repeated aggression, harassment, threats, or intimidation when one person has greater status, control, or power over the other.

Why invest in schoolwide bully prevention?

• Most bully prevention programs focus on the bully and the victim.Problem #1: Inadvertent “teaching of

bullying”Problem #2: Blame the bullyProblem #3: Ignore the role of “bystanders”Problem #4: Initial effects without sustained

impactProblem #5: Expensive effort

Why invest in schoolwide bully prevention?

• What do we need?Bully prevention that “fits” with existing

behavior support effortsBully PREVENTION, not just remediationBully prevention that is SUSTAINABLE

Bully Prevention in PBIS: The Foundation

• Bullying occurs in many forms, and locations but typically involves student-student interactions.oBullying is seldom maintained by

feedback from adults.


• What rewards Bullying Behavior?o Likely many different rewards are

effectiveoMost common rewards are:

• Attention from bystanders• Attention and reaction of “victim”• Self-delivered reward


• Consider the smallest change could make the biggest impact on Bullying…oRemove the “pay off” (e.g. praise,

attention, recognition) that follows bullying

oDo without:• Teaching bullying• Denigrating children who engage in

bullying

Academic Systems Behavioral Systems

1-5% 1-5%

5-10% 5-10%

80-90% 80-90%

Intensive, Individual InterventionsIndividual StudentsAssessment-basedHigh Intensity

Intensive, Individual InterventionsIndividual StudentsAssessment-basedIntense, durable procedures

Targeted Group InterventionsSome students (at-risk)High efficiencyRapid response

Targeted Group InterventionsSome students (at-risk)High efficiencyRapid response

Universal InterventionsAll studentsPreventive, proactive

Universal InterventionsAll settings, all studentsPreventive, proactive

Idaho’s Tiered Instructional and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS)

Framework

Science of Human Behavior• Behavior is learned• All behavior has a purpose• Behavior occurrences are linked to

environmental factors• Behavior change occurs through

manipulation of environmental factors

Schoolwide Systems1. Common purpose & approach to discipline2. Clear set of positive expectations &

behaviors3. Procedures for teaching expected behavior4. Continuum or procedures for encouraging

expected behavior5. Continuum of procedures for discouraging

inappropriate behavior6. Procedures for on-going monitoring &

evaluation

Core Features of an Effective Prevention EffortFive Student Skills For Faculty/Staff

• Schoolwide behavioral expectations (respect)

• Stop routine when faced with disrespectful behavior

• Bystander stop routine when observing disrespectful behavior

• Stopping routine if someone tells you to “stop”

• A recruit help routine to recruit adult help if you feel unsafe

• Agreement on logic for bully prevention effort

• Strategy for teaching students core skills

• Strategy for follow-up and consistency in responding

• Clear data collection and data use process

• Advanced support options

Expectations are…Overarching character traits you

want to build into all studentsDriven by your local dataFocused in the areas of Respect,

Responsibility, and SafetyThe start of the to-do’s (end of the

don’ts)

Defining Expectations

Expec

tatio

ns

global

char

acte

rist

ics

Rulesspecific skills & routines

School Rules

NO FoodNO Weapons

NO Backpacks

NO Drugs/Smoking

NO Bullying

Redesign Learning & Teaching Environment

26

Teaching Matrix

SETTING

All Settings

Hallways Playgrounds CafeteriaLibrary/

Computer Lab

Assembly Bus

Respect Ourselves

Be on task.

Give your best effort.

Be prepared.

Walk. Have a plan.

Eat all your food.Select healthy foods.

Study, read,

compute.

Sit in one spot.

Watch for your stop.

Respect Others

Be kind.Hands/feet

to self.Help/share

with others.

Use normal voice

volume.Walk to right.

Play safe.Include others.Share

equipment.

Practice good table manners

Whisper.Return books.

Listen/watch.Use

appropriate applause.

Use a quiet voice.

Stay in your seat.

Respect Property

Recycle.Clean up after self.

Pick up litter.

Maintain physical space.

Use equipment properly.

Put litter in garbage can.

Replace trays &

utensils.Clean up

eating area.

Push in chairs.Treat books

carefully.

Pick up.Treat chairs appropriately

.

Wipe your feet.Sit

appropriately.

Exp

ect

ati

on

s 1. SOCIAL

SKILL

2. NATURAL

CONTEXT

3. BEHAVIOR

EXAMPLES

Eber & Sugai, 2009

Element of Bully Prevention with SWPBIS

1. Getting student buy-in2. Teaching students how to respond3. How adults should respond4. Effective delivery of instruction5. Using data6. Advanced supports

1. Getting Student Buy-in• Getting older students to buy into

schoolwide behavioral intervention is half the battle (or more than half!)

• Have students involved in every phase of the interventiono Create student focus group prior to implementationo Consider schoolwide surveys to allow all students to give inputo Students can be involved in teaching the curriculumo They can also help collect data

2. Teaching Students How to Respond

• Teach schoolwide expectations first!o Teach students to recognize “respectful” versus “non-respectful”

behavior.o Discuss examples (and non-examples) of following schoolwide rules

in specific settings.o Use non-examples (e.g. problem behaviors) from outside the

classroom:• Basketball, four square, between classes, hanging out in the parking lot.• The word “bully” is never used.

Peer attention comes in many forms: Arguing with someone that teases you Laughing at someone being picked on Watching the problem behavior and doing

nothing

Stop RoutineTeach a clear, simple, and easy way to remove the peer attention maintaining problem behavior.

• If someone does something disrespectful to you or someone else, tell them to “stop.”

• Because talking is tough in emotional situations…always include a physical “signal” to stop that students can use as well.

• Firm hand signal• Clear voice

Teach “Walk Away”Often, even when students tell others to “stop,” problem behaviors continue. When this happens, students are to “walk away” from the problem behavior (remove themselves from the situation).

• Students should help others walk away too.

• Students can also be taught that they can comfort victims after helping them walk away.

Teach “Getting Help”Even when students use “stop” and “walk away” from the problem, sometimes others will continue to behave inappropriately toward them. When that happens, students should “talk” to an adult.

• Report problems to adultso Where is the line between snitching/tattling, and reporting?

• “Talking” is when you have tried to solve the problem by staying “stop,” or “walk away” steps.

• Snitching or tattling is when you do not try the “stop” or “walk away” steps.

• Snitching or tattling is when your goal is to get the other person in trouble.

An exception to the rule: If students are in significant fear for their safety, they should skip the “stop” and “walk away” steps, and go immediately to an adult.

Discussing the “What Ifs”

• When teaching the new response, it is important to discuss the “what ifs.”o What if the person being disrespectful is your

best friend? How can you still support the student who is being treated disrespectfully without jeopardizing your friendship?

o What if the non-respect is gossip when I’m not around?

o What if the disrespect is done online or through a text?

o What if the persona being disrespectful retaliates later?

Teaching a Reply: The Stopping Routing

What to do when YOU are asked to “stop”• Eventually, every student will be told to stop.• Here is the rule: If someone asks you to stop

doing something that they think is disrespectful, you stop – whether you were doing it on purpose or not.

• When you are asked to stop, do the following:o Stop what you are doingo Take a deep breatho Go about your day (no big deal)

• At this point, students can problem-solve, apologize, or just drop it

Practice with Students• The majority of the instructional time is spent

modeling effective responses, followed by guided practice.

• Use student examples of disrespect to model how to respond. Then, give students the opportunity to pair up and practice the effective response.

• Review the logic of the stop routine: Saying “stop” is a way to stop the oxygen fueling disrespectful behavior.

• Be prepared for students to use the “stop” response with too much gusto.

• Demonstrate non-examples of inappropriate ways to deliver the stop sequence.

3. How Adults Should Respond

When a student reports problem behavior, adults should follow a specific response sequence:• First, let students know that their report is important

o Reinforce the student for reporting the problem behavior (i.e. “I’m glad you told me.”)

o Use reflective statements to let the student know you are listening to them.

o Use supportive statements to let the student know that you care about what they’re saying.

• Ensure the student’s safety.o Is the behavior still happening?o Is the reporting student at risk?o What does the student need to feel safe?o What is the severity of the situation?

• “Did you tell the student to stop?” (If yes, praise the student for using an appropriate response. If no, practice.)

• “Did you walk away?” (If yes, praise the student for using an appropriate response. If no, practice.)

Extra Practice with Some Students

• For students who are chronic victims or perpetrators (physical, verbal, or social aggression):o At the beginning of unstructured times, a school adult

should check in with the student and remind them of the stop sequence and how to reply if another student uses the sequence with them.

o At the end of the unstructured time, check in again, ask about how it went, and reinforce them for their effort.• Don’t underestimate the power of this added

intervention!

4. Effective Delivery of Instruction

• Use the teaching plans in the BP-PBIS handbook• Build your own teaching plans• Develop a schedule for implementation

o Teach all students in the school within a 2 week period. How will we do this?

o Build a strategy for providing orientation to new students entering the school.

• After the initial lessons, teachers should follow up with students weekly (10-15 min.) to discuss what is working and what isn’t.o Remember the flame won’t go out immediately, so checking-in

regularly is critical.

Walking the Walk• The effectiveness of the intervention is contingent on

the ongoing coaching and practice (fidelity of implementation).

• SWPBIS teams need to ensure that implementation continues after the initial lessons.o Weekly surveys

• “I checked in with a student at the beginning of recess.”• “I praised a student for using the stop/walk/talk response.”• “I modeled the stop/walk/talk response for a student.”• “I praised a student for reporting a problem behavior.”• “I coached a student who was not respectful to others

about how to respond when others say stop.”o Daily checklists

5. Data Collection/Decision-Making

• Office Discipline Referral Datao Whole schoolo Individual students

• Staff surveyo The School Safety Survey

• Fidelityo Fidelity checklisto Are we doing the BP-PBIS program as developed?

6. Advanced Support• SWPBIS & BP-PBIS will not be sufficient for all

students.• Aggressive, bullying behaviors occur for many

reasons. o Mental Health issueso Family dynamicso Disabilities

• Use your data to identify students in need of more intense support and refer them to your team.

www.pbis.org

www.pbis.org

Elementary Middle School Curriculum

BP-PBIS Program Contents1. Student Curriculum (Part 1)

o Teaching the Social Responsibility Skills

2. Student Curriculum (Part 2)o Responding to Stop/Walk/Talk

3. Gossip4. Inappropriate Remarks5. Cyber Bullying6. Supervising Behavior7. Faculty Follow-up8. Where BP-PBIS Came From9. Citations

Implementing Bully Prevention

Phase

Exploration Does your school need a bully prevention program?

• Office discipline referrals

• Student survey• Faculty/family reports

Installation Build the foundation. Faculty orientation.

• Team developed/trained

• “Stop” signal selected• Faculty orientation

(logic)

Implement Bully Prevention within SWPBIS

Develop & deliver. Student orientation.

• Build BP curriculum and teaching plans

• Teach BP-PBIS to all students

• Schedule and conduct boosters

Full Implementation

Monitor fidelity & impact. Adapt to unique needs. Build sustainability.

• Collect and use data• Coaching and Training

capacity developed

How to Implement Bully Prevention in PBISSchool District

• Implement SWPBIS• Faculty commitment• Faculty introduced to BP• Team to implement• Student Forum• Build BP lessons for

students• Train all students• Booster/Follow-up lessons• Coaching support for

supervisors• Collect and use data

• Build expectations for all schools

• Fall orientation emphasis on social behavior

• District trainer/coordinator• District reporting of:

o Schools using BP-PBISo Fidelity of implementationo Impact on student behavior

www.idahotc.com

Find the following on the ITC:

• Statewide Calendar

• Online Training Registration

• Online Communities

• Webinars

• Resource Links

• Inservice Credit Offerings

Cari MurphyProject Director

Shawn WrightWebmaster/ISD

Jesse HewittWeb Specialist

Ben TrokaWeb Specialist

Email: [email protected] at: Center on Disabilities and Human Development, University of Idaho

Special Education Statewide Technical Assistance (SESTA) Center for School Improvement & Policy Studies, BSU

Gina HopperSESTA Director

[email protected]

Sydney Fox

SESTA Program [email protected]

Katie BubakSESTA Coordinator

[email protected]

David KlungleSESTA Program [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]







bully prevention using positive behavioral interventions & supports

Documents

schoolwide bully prevention

bully prevention programs

bully preventionsprovide

remediationbully prevention

perpetrators of bullying

lgbt students

multiyear school

small number of students