Beyond Classroom Management: Implementing School-wide Positive Behavioral Supports George Sugai OSEP Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports Maryland February 2,

My job today… To describe definition & features of systems approach to positive behavioral interventions & supports…..moving beyond classroom & behavior management –Context –Definition & elements –Implementation features

Acknowledgements Students, Educators, administrators, staff, families Community of researchers, personnel preparers, staff developers,…. Offices of Special Education Programs & Drug Free Schools, US Dept. of Ed. C

Themes…. Consider school as unit of analysis Emphasize behavior of educators individually & collectively Build multi-level behavioral supports Give priority to agenda of primary prevention

“Big Idea” Goal is to establish host environments that support adoption & sustain use of evidence-based practices (Zins & Ponte, 1990)

Schools are important & good! Regular, predictable, positive learning & teaching environments Positive adult & peer models Regular positive reinforcement Academic & social behavior development & success

However,.. context examples…. Intermediate/senior high school with 880 students reported over 5,100 office discipline referrals in one academic year.

Elementary school principal reported that over 100% of her office discipline referrals came from 8.7% of her total school enrollment, & 2.9% had 3 or more.

Middle school principal must teach classes when teachers are absent, because substitute teachers refuse to work in a school that is unsafe & lacks discipline.

Middle school counselor spends nearly 15% of his day “counseling” staff members who feel helpless & defenseless in their classrooms because of a lack of discipline & support.

Elementary school principal found that over 45% of their behavioral incident reports were coming from the playground.

At beginning of year, 31% of entering 6th graders read at fluency levels significantly below grade level.

In one school year, 13 year old Jason received 87 office discipline referrals.

In one school year, a sixth grade teacher processed 273 office discipline referrals.

A principal indicates that 40% of kindergarteners are at serious risk for reading failure because they lack knowledge of the alphabet & are unable to produce individual sounds that make up a word.

In one school, family members are requesting school transfers because their children are being verbally harassed by other students.

At an elementary school with 750, less than half of third graders could read at grade level.

A middle school leadership team discovered that nearly half of the school’s office discipline referrals in one year came from about 6% of the total student enrollment.

What is our “common” response? Clamp down on rule violators. Review rules & sanctions Extend continuum of aversive consequences Improve consistency of use of punishments Establish “bottom line”

Reactive responses are predictable…. We experience aversive situation So, we select interventions that –Produce immediate relief from aversive –Modify physical environment –Assign responsibility for change to student &/or others

But….false sense of safety/security! Zero tolerance policies Security guards, student uniforms, metal detectors, video cameras Suspension/expulsion Exclusionary options (e.g., alternative programs)

2001 Surgeon General’s Report Decreases in youth violence? –Yes, for homicide –No, for assaults & other antisocial behavior Risk factors –Antisocial peer networks –Reinforced deviancy

Recommendations (rearrange contingencies) –Break up antisocial networks –Increase academic success –Create positive school climates –Adopt primary prevention agenda

Challenge…how do schools achieve capacity to… Respond effectively, efficiently, & relevantly to range of behavioral challenges observed in schools Engage in team-based problem solving Adopt, fit, & sustain research-based behavioral practices Give priority to unified agenda of prevention

“Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports” Systematic organization of school environments & routines so educators have increased capacity to adopt, use, & sustain effective behavioral practices & processes for all students.

3 Main PBIS Elements

SYSTEMS PRACTICES DATA Supporting Staff Behavior Supporting Decision Making Supporting Student Behavior Positive Behavior Support

6 PBIS Goals 1.Select & adapt technologies that are more effective, efficient, & relevant than reactive practices 2.Arrange opportunities to teach & practice evidence-based technologies

3.Remove conditions that occasion & maintain undesirable practices 4.Increase conditions that occasion & maintain desirable practices

5.Remove aversives that inhibit desirable practices 6.Establish systems & routines that support continuum of positive behavior supports

Implementation Features 1.Establish EBS leadership team 2.Secure SW agreements & supports 3.Establish data-based action plan 4.Arrange for high fidelity implementation 5.Conduct formative data-based monitoring

1. Establish EBS Leadership Team Establish membership that enhances –Behavioral capacity –Efficient communications & staff development –Opportunities for administrative leadership –Data-based decision making & problem solving

Initiative, Project, Committee PurposeOutcomeTarget Group Staff Involved SIP/SID/e tc Attendance Committee Character Education Safety Committee School Spirit Committee Discipline Committee DARE Committee EBS Work Group Working Smarter

2. Secure SW Agreements & Supports Agreements –Prioritized data-based need & action –3-4 year commitment –Proactive instructional approach

Supports –Administrative leadership –Prioritized resources Materials, personnel, etc. –Time

3. Establish Data-based Action Plan Review data –EBS Survey –Behavioral incident data Consider multiple systems Adopt evidence-based practices

Systems Approach

School-wide & Classroom Systems 1.Common purpose & approach to discipline 2.Clear set of positive expectations & behaviors 3. Procedures for teaching expected behavior 4. Continuum of procedures for encouraging expected behavior 5. Continuum of procedures for discouraging inappropriate behavior 6. Procedures for on-going monitoring & evaluation

Effective Classroom Management Behavior management –Teaching routines –Ratio of 6-8 positive to 1 negative adult- student interaction Instructional management –Curriculum & Instructional design Environmental management

Nonclassroom Systems Teaching expectations & routines Active supervision –Scan, move, interact Precorrections & reminders Positive reinforcement

Individual Student System Behavioral competence Function-based behavior support planning Comprehensive person-centered planning & wraparound processes Targeted social skills instruction –Self-management Individualized instructional & curricular accommodations

4. Arrange for High Fidelity Implementation Team-based leadership & implementation Use of research-validated practices Overt supports for staff implementation –Natural & systematic staff development –Instructional scripts/prompts –Positive reinforcement

5. Conduct formative data- based monitoring “Good” data for input Efficient data manipulation & summarization – SWIS.org Guided data-based decision making

Creating positive school climates: Some features Create continuum of behavior supports from a systems perspective Focus on behavior of adults in school as unit Establish behavioral competence

Utilize effective, efficient, & relevant data-based decision making systems Give priority to academic success Invest in research validated practices Arrange environment for “working smarter”

“Working Smarter” means… Do less, but better Do it once, but for a long time Invest in clear outcomes Invest in sure thing C

EBS Process

PIBS Goals Arrange opportunities to teach & practice desirable technologies Remove discriminative stimuli that occasion & reinforcers that maintain undesirable practices Increase discriminative stimuli that occasion & reinforcers that maintain desirable practices Remove aversives that inhibit desirable practices Establish systems & routines that support continuum of behavior supports