Introduction to School-wide Positive Behavior Support: Rationale and Basic Logic

Tim Lewis, Ph.D.University of Missouri

OSEP Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

pbis.org

Starting Point….

• Educators cannot “make” students learn or behave

• Educators can create environments to increase the likelihood students learn and behave

• Environments that increase the likelihood are guided by a core curriculum and implemented with consistency and fidelity

ContextThe School Environment Must Support

Appropriate Social & Academic Behavior

School-Wide Positive Behavior Support

Response to Intervention

Typical responses to students• Increase monitoring for future problem behavior• Re-review rules & sanctions• Extend continuum of aversive consequences• Improve consistency of use of punishments• Establish “bottom line” • Zero tolerance policies• Security guards, student uniforms, metal detectors, video

cameras• Suspension/expulsion• Exclusionary options (e.g., alternative programs)

However…

• “Punishing” problem behaviors (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)

Consider….

If antisocial behavior is not changed by the end of grade 3, it should be treated as a chronic condition much like diabetes. That is, it cannot be cured but managed with the appropriate supports and continuing intervention (Walker, Colvin, & Ramsey, 1995).

Contributing Factors

• Home– Poverty- Language– Parent/Child interactions

• Community• School

Contributing Factors - Poverty & Language

Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children

Betty Hart & Todd Risley

Contributing Factors -Parent/Child Social Interactions

• Common Patterns of early learning found in homes of children at-risk for anti-social behavior– Inconsistent discipline– Punitive management– Lack of monitoring

Contributing Factors -Parent/Child Social Interactions

Social Learning• Coercion/Negative Reinforcement (Patterson et

al.)– Present an aversive, remove aversive once the person

complies– “Social skills” to get need met

Parent Discipline & Monitoring

Antisocial Behavior

Deviant Peer Group

Social Skills Deficts

Parent Discipline & Monitoring

Parent Discipline & Monitoring

Antisocial Behavior

Delinquency & Antisocial Behavior

Criminal & Antisocial Behavior

Deviant Peer Group

Social Skills Deficts

Social Skills Deficts

Grades 1-3 Grades 4-6 Grades 7-12 Adult

Patterson, Capaldi, & Bank (1991)

Contributing Factors

Community (Biglan, 1995)

– lack of pro-social engagement–antisocial network of peers

Contributing Factors

School (Mayer, 1995)

• punitive disciplinary approach• lack of clarity about rules, expectations, and

consequences• lack of staff support• failure to consider and accommodate individual

differences• academic failure

The Good News…

Research reviews indicate that the most effective responses to school violence are (Elliot, Hamburg, & Williams, 1998 Gottfredson, 1997; Lipsey, 1991; 1992; Tolan & Guerra, 1994)

– Social Skills Training– Academic Restructuring– Behavioral Interventions

Toward a Solution

The answer is not the invention of new solutions, but the enhancement of the school’s organizational capacity to:– Accurately adopt and efficiently sustain their use

of research-validated practices– Provide a Seamless continuum of behavioral and

academic support for all students– Adopt an instructional focus that accounts for

student prior “learning history”

School-wide Positive Behavior Support

SWPBS is a broad range of systemic and individualized strategies for achieving important social and learning outcomes while preventing problem behavior

OSEP Center on PBIS

SWPBS is not...• Not specific practice or curriculum…it’s a

general approach to preventing problem behavior

• Not limited to any particular group of students…it’s for all students

• Not new…its based on long history of behavioral practices & effective instructional design & strategies

SYST

EMS

PRACTICES

DATASupportingStaff Behavior

SupportingDecisionMaking

SupportingStudent Behavior

PositiveBehaviorSupport OUTCOMES

Social Competence &Academic Achievement

Academic Systems Behavioral Systems

1-5% 1-5%

5-10% 5-10%

80-90% 80-90%

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

Continuum of Supports

Reading

Science

Math

Soc skills

Horses

Spanish

Universal School-Wide Features

• Clearly define expected behaviors (Rules)– All Settings– Classrooms

• Procedures for teaching & practicing expected behaviors

• Procedures for encouraging expected behaviors• Procedures for discouraging problem behaviors• Procedures for data-based decision making• Family Awareness and Involvement

I am…. All Settings Classroom Hallways Cafeteria Bathrooms Playground Assemblies

Safe •Keep bodies calm in line•Report any problems•Ask permission to leave any setting

Maintain personal space

WalkStay to the right on stairsBanisters are for hands

•Walk•Push in chairs•Place trash in trash can

Wash hands with soap and waterKeep water in the sinkOne person per stall

Use equipment for intended purposeWood chips are for the groundParticipate in school approved games onlyStay in approved areasKeep body to self

•Walk•Enter and exit gym in an orderly manner

Respect-ful

•Treat others the way you want to be treated•Be an active listener•Follow adult direction(s)•Use polite language•Help keep the school orderly

Be honestTake care of yourself

Walk quietly so others can continue learning

Eat only your foodUse a peaceful voice

Allow for privacy of othersClean up after self

•Line up at first signal •Invite others who want to join in•Enter and exit building peacefully•Share materials•Use polite language

Be an active listenerApplaud appropriately to show appreciation

A Learner

•Be an active participant•Give full effort•Be a team player•Do your job

•Be a risk taker•Be prepared•Make good choices

Return to class promptly

•Use proper manners•Leave when adult excuses

•Follow bathroom procedures•Return to class promptly

•Be a problem solver•Learn new games and activities

•Raise your hand to share•Keep comments and questions on topic

Benton Primary School

RAH – at Adams City High School(Respect – Achievement – Honor)

RAH Classroom Hallway/

Commons

Cafeteria Bathrooms

Respect Be on time; attend regularly; follow class rules

Keep location neat, keep to the right, use appropriate lang., monitor noise level, allow others to pass

Put trash in cans, push in your chair, be courteous to all staff and students

Keep area clean, put trash in cans, be mindful of others’ personal space, flush toilet

Achievement

Do your best on all assignments and assessments, take notes, ask questions

Keep track of your belongings, monitor time to get to class

Check space before you leave, keep track of personal belongings

Be a good example to other students, leave the room better than you found it

Honor Do your own work; tell the truth

Be considerate of yours and others’ personal space

Keep your own place in line, maintain personal boundaries

Report any graffiti or vandalism

Tier II Interventions• Social-Behavioral Concerns

– Social skills

– Self-management

• Academic Concerns– Peer Tutors

– Check in

– Homework club

• Emotional Concerns– Adult mentors

Linked to School-wide

Tier III

• When small group not sufficient

• When problem intense and chronic

• Driven by Functional Behavioral Assessment

• Linked to school-wide system

Outcomes

FRMS Total Office Discipline Referrals

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

94-95 95-96 96-97 97-98 98-99 99-00 00-01 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06

Total ODRs

Alton High SchoolAverage Referrals per Day

Other High School Outcomes….

• Triton High School– 48% Free and reduced lunch

– 59% reduction in suspension– Halved the drop out rate

• Mountain View High School– 30% free and reduced lunch

– 30% reduction in ODR– Last to first in achievement in district

Mental Health Outcomes

• Does School-wide SW-PBS fit within a comprehensive mental health model of prevention and intervention?

Minimizing and reducing “risk factors” by building “protective factors”

Correlation of Risk Variables with EBS Survey Score

N = 13 Middle SchoolsSprague, Walker, Sowards, Van Bloem, Eberhardt & Marshall, 2001

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0

0.2

Risk Variables

Pearson R

Series1 0.017896 -0.119001 0.115955 -0.291545 -0.513794 -0.376016

Free & R Acd Fail Mobiltiy A&D Crm ASB Total

A&D = Alcohol and Drug; ABS = Anti-social Behavior Scale

BALLWIN ACHIEVEMENT PBS

405

302

185

760

32.531

58.2

47.4

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

2000 2001 2002 2003

YEAR

NUMBER OF REFERRALS

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

MAP PERCENTILE

Office Referrals Proficient or Advanced on MAP

Illinois 02-03 Mean Proportion of Students Meeting ISAT Reading Standard

t test (df 119) p < .0001

46.60%

62.19%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

PBIS NOT in place N = 69 PBIS IN place N = 52Mean Percentage of 3rd graders meeting ISAT Reading Standard

Group Cost Benefit

Office Referral Reduction Across

12 PBIS schools= 5,606 If one Office Referral=15 minutes of

administrator time, then 5,606 x 15=84,090 minutes

1401.15 hours or

233 days of administrator time recovered and reinvested.

Group Cost BenefitOffice Referral Reduction

Across 12 PBIS Schools =5,606 If students miss 45 minutes of instruction for each Office

Referral, 5,606 X 45=252,270 minutes4204.50 hours or

700 days of instructional time recovered!!!!!

Bradshaw, C.P., Koth, C.W., Thornton, L.A., & Leaf, P.J. (2009). Altering school climate through school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: Findings from a group-randomized effectiveness trial. Prevention Science, 10(2), 100-115

Bradshaw, C.P., Koth, C.W., Bevans, K.B., Ialongo, N., & Leaf, P.J. (2008). The impact of school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) on the organizational health of elementary schools. School Psychology Quarterly, 23(4), 462-473.

Bradshaw, C. P., Mitchell, M. M., & Leaf, P. J. (2010). Examining the effects of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports on student outcomes: Results from a randomized controlled effectiveness trial in elementary schools. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 12, 133-148.

Bradshaw, C.P., Reinke, W. M., Brown, L. D., Bevans, K.B., & Leaf, P.J. (2008). Implementation of school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in elementary schools: Observations from a randomized trial. Education & Treatment of Children, 31, 1-26.

Horner, R., Sugai, G., Smolkowski, K., Eber, L., Nakasato, J., Todd, A., & Esperanza, J., (2009). A randomized, wait-list controlled effectiveness trial assessing school-wide positive behavior support in elementary schools. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 11, 133-145.

Horner, R. H., Sugai, G., & Anderson, C. M. (2010). Examining the evidence base for school-wide positive behavior support. Focus on Exceptionality, 42(8), 1-14.

RCT & Group Design SW-PBS Studies

Starting Point….

• Educators cannot “make” students learn or behave

• Educators can create environments to increase the likelihood students learn and behave

• Environments that increase the likelihood are guided by a core curriculum and implemented with consistency and fidelity