How do we deal with behavior issues?

 Students know the right way to behave and are merely choosing to be defiant or insubordinate.  At risk students have a strong desire to be in school; the threat of exclusion deters misbehavior.  Discipline and punishment are the same thing. Students will not behave unless we “get tough”. 

Activity 1

 FBA (Functional Behavior Assessment)  Frequency  Intensity  Duration

Avoid something  Work  Environment  Interaction  Frustration  Negative personal feelings Get something  Attention  Control  Power  Relieve feelings of inadequacy

 Poverty  Drug Use  Diminished Supervision  Diminished Respect for Role-bound Authority  Higher Incentives for Negative Behavior  Increased Exposure to Violence  Limited Value for Education  Loss of Relational Security

 Clear Expectations  Strategies to teach those expectations to all students  High visibility of all staff, supervising and watching for expected behaviors  Strategies to provide frequent feedback – both positive and corrective  Positive relationships between adults and students 

 Definitions of problem behavior  Develop behavior tracking forms  Clearly defined behavior expectations  Teach appropriate behaviors  School-wide reward system  Decision making points clearly defined

Activity 2

 Functional behavior assessments  ABC’s of behavior Setting events Antecedents Behavior Consequences Extinction burst- behavior gets worse before it gets better  Instructional issues and strategies  Behavior support options outlined—next steps

Activity 3

 Support for Classroom Disruptions  Team-based Planning and Problem Solving  Individual Behavior Plans  School, Home and Community Collaboration

 What is the intensive behavior support plan?  How do I write an individual behavior plan?  How do I know if the plan is working?

Smart Goals:  S—specific, clearly stated, simple (1-3 behaviors)  M—measurable based on quantifiable data  A—Attainable and realistic  R—Related to student performance and achievement  T—Time bound (6-8 weeks)

 Baseline: Data before interventions are put in place  Aimline or goal: How much you want to achieve  Graph the data to determine whether or not progress is being made.

 Key features of effective formative evaluation systems  Student performance is measured frequently (e.g., once/week) and results in quantitative data  Progress is monitored toward an observable, measurable, and ambitious goal  Progress is graphed and viewed regularly  Data decision rules are used to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and determine when modifications to interventions are needed

 Valid  Reliable  Fidelity of data

 Comparison  What are you comparing?  What is the standard for comparison?  How do you know if you are making progress?

Activity 4

Activity 5

 Needs  What type of professional development do we need?  Who is going to do it?  When are we going to do it?  Length of time needed  Follow-up/Accountability  Options

For more information on MTSS, contact HPEC For additional information on MTSS visit