Maximizing Effectiveness Using Positive Behavior Support Methods in the Classroom: Establishing a Foundation

2 PBS Project Mission Enhance knowledge and skills in order to build capacity of school districts to address challenging behavior. Provide training and technical assistance to support the use of positive behavior support at the: –School-wide Level –Classroom Level –Individual Student Level

3 What is PBS? A team-based process for creating proactive, educative and functional support systems used in the development of effective interventions for problem behavior. Aim is to build effective environments in which positive behavior is more effective than problem behavior.

4 Critical Themes in Positive Behavior Support Research based Consideration of real life settings or events Support provided within typical environments Respect for persons, values, feelings, and beliefs Value of families, friends, and support providers Educational approach to problem behavior Positive changes in overall quality of life

5 Positive Behavior Support (Horner, 1999) Involves the assessment and reengineering of environments Has a goal for people with problem behaviors to experience: –reductions in their problem behaviors –increase social, personal, and professional quality in their lives Desired outcome is to enhance quality of life for individuals and their support providers in home, school, and community settings

Adapted from the Center for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (2002) Designing a Comprehensive PBS System CONTINUUM OF SCHOOL-WIDE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT

7 Fact or Fiction… Approximately one-half of all classroom time is taken up with activities other than instruction, and discipline problems are responsible for a significant portion of this lost instructional time (Cotton 1990).

8 Educating Students with Problem Behavior Challenges are increasing Students at the top of the triangle represent only 1-5% of the school enrollment they account for over 50% of behavioral incidents they consume significant amounts of time these students require comprehensive behavioral supports that involve family, school, and community participation

9 Positive Behavior Support and Classroom Management Decrease in problem behavior = increase in academic time Preventative approach to addressing problem behavior Should result in greater academic success

10 Focus on the student as the problem Reactive in nature Focus on topography, or form of behavior Separation between instruction and behavioral issues Oriented toward short-term changes Punishing students without a school-wide positive support system results in increased aggression, vandalism, truancy, dropouts (Mayer & Sulzer-Azaroff, 1999) Traditional Discipline Strategies

If a child doesnt know how to read, we teach. If a child doesnt know how to swim, we teach. If a child doesnt know how to multiply, we teach. If a child doesnt know how to drive, we teach. If a child doesnt know how to behave, we… …teach? …punish? Why cant we finish the last sentence as automatically as we do the others? Tom Herner (NASDE President ) Counterpoint 1998, p.2

12 Philosophical Shift… Educators now recognize that some students DO NOT have the skills and behavioral repertories necessary to cope with the many academic and social expectations in schools Researchers have determined that careful examination of curriculum may identify academic, social, and behavioral expectations that are associated with occurrences and nonoccurrence's of problem behavior in students Kern, Delaney, Clark, Dunlap, and Childs (2001)

13 Classroom-Based Indicators Disruptive behaviors Interfere with teaching/learning Occur more than once per hour More than 2-3 students off-task at one time More than 10% students have incomplete assignments Students need constant reminders to follow classroom rules