Why is it
so important to focus on teaching positive social behaviors?
In the past, school-wide discipline has focused mainly
on reacting to specific student misbehavior by implementing
punishment-based strategies including reprimands, loss
of privileges, office referrals, suspensions, and expulsions.
Research has shown that the implementation of punishment,
especially when it is used inconsistently and in the
absence of other positive strategies, is ineffective.
Introducing, modeling, and reinforcing positive social
behavior is an important of a student’s educational
experience. Teaching behavioral expectations and rewarding
students for following them is a much more positive
approach than waiting for misbehavior to occur before
responding. The purpose of school-wide PBS is to establish
a climate in which appropriate behavior is the norm.
What is
a systems approach in school-wide PBS?
An organization is a group of individuals who behave
together to achieve a common goal. Systems are needed
to support the collective use of best practices by individuals
within the organization. The school-wide PBS process
emphasizes the creation of systems that support the
adoption and durable implementation of evidence-based
practices and procedures, and fit within on-going school
reform efforts. An interactive approach that includes
opportunities to correct and improve four key elements
is used in school-wide PBS focusing on:
- Outcomes: academic and behavior targets that
are endorsed and emphasized by students, families,
and educators.
- Practices: interventions and strategies that
are evidence based.
- Data: information that is used to identify
status, need for change, and effects of interventions.
- Systems: supports that are needed to enable
the accurate and durable implementation of the
practices of PBS.
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What are
the steps involved in setting up a school-wide system
of discipline?
An effective school-wide system of discipline or positive
behavioral interventions and supports is only as good
as the structures and processes that are in place to
support their sustained use. When setting up a school-wide
system of discipline or positive behavioral interventions
and supports, the following steps should be followed:
- Establish a school-wide leadership or behavior
support team to guide and direct the process. This
team should be made up of an administrator, grade
level representatives, support staff, and parents.
- Secure administrator agreement of active support
and participation.
- Secure a commitment and agreement from at least
80% of the staff for active support and participation.
- Conduct a self assessment of the current school-wide
discipline system.
- Create an implementation action plan that is based
data based decision making.
- Establish a way to collect office referral and
other data on a regular basis to evaluate the effectiveness
of school-wide PBS efforts.
What are
the components of a comprehensive school-wide system
of discipline or positive behavioral interventions and
supports?
All effective school-wide systems have seven major
components in common a) an agreed upon and common approach
to discipline, b) a positive statement of purpose, c)
a small number of positively stated expectations for
all students and staff, d) procedures for teaching these
expectations to students, e) a continuum of procedures
for encouraging displays and maintenance of these expectations,
f) a continuum of procedures for discouraging displays
of rule-violating behavior, and g) procedures for monitoring
and evaluation the effectiveness of the discipline system
on a regular and frequent basis.
How do
we know if a school-wide system of discipline or positive
behavioral interventions and supports is effective?
Many schools make the mistake implementing a school-wide
system of discipline or positive behavior support without
monitoring its effectiveness on a regular and frequent
basis. Regular monitoring and evaluation are needed
to a) prevent ineffective practices from wasting time
and resources, b) improve the efficiency and effectiveness
of current procedures, c) eliminate elements of the
system that are ineffective or inefficient, and d) make
modifications before problem behavior patterns become
too durable and unmodifiable.
Can a school
buy a ready-made or published school-wide discipline
curriculum?
Many published school-wide discipline programs that
can be purchased have the necessary features. However,
every school has its unique features (for example: students,
size, staff composition, geographic location) that must
be taken into account when any discipline program is
selected. The best approach is to assess what is currently
in place in your school, whether it is effective, and
what needs to be added or improved. Once this assessment
is completed, a program that best addresses the features
of your school can be selected.
What relationship
does a school-wide system of discipline or positive
behavioral interventions and supports have with other
school initiatives, like safe and drug-free schools,
IDEA97, character education, early literacy?
School-wide positive behavior support is not considered
a new initiative. Instead, it is a set of problem solving
strategies and processes that can be used to build upon
a school’s existing strengths. However, school-wide
PBS has a lot of characteristics that overlap with other
initiatives. Proactive school-wide discipline systems
create environments in which: a) learning and teaching
are valued, and aggressive, unsafe behavior are discouraged;
b) respect, responsibility, cooperation, and other highly
valued character traits are taught and encouraged; c)
individual differences are valued rather than criticized;
d) educating students with disabilities can be supported
more effectively and efficiently, and e) teaching fundamental
skills like reading and math can be maximized.
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