1. SWPBS Overview: Establishing Continuum of Support for All
George Sugai
Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports
Center on Behavioral Education & Research
University of Connecticut

3. Purpose Provide overview of SWPBS w/ focus on….. Rationale
Guiding principles
Implementation features
Outcome data
Q&A

4. 2001 Surgeon General’s Report on Youth Violence: Recommendations
Change social context to break up antisocial networks
Improve parent effectiveness
Increase academic success
Create positive school climates
Teach & encourage individual social skills & competence

5. School-based Prevention & Youth Development Programming Coordinated Social Emotional & Academic Learning Greenberg et al. (2003) American Psychologist
Teach children social skills directly in real context
“Foster respectful, supportive relations among students, school staff, & parents”
Support & reinforce positive academic & social behavior through comprehensive systems
Invest in multiyear, multicomponent programs
Combine classroom & school- & community-wide efforts
Precorrect & continue prevention efforts

6. Lessons Learned: White House Conference on School Safety
Students, staff, & community must have means of communicating that is immediate, safe, & reliable
Positive, respectful, predictable, & trusting student-teacher-family relationships are important
High rates of academic & social success are important
Positive, respectful, predictable, & trusting school environment/climate is important for all students
Metal detectors, surveillance cameras, & security guards are insufficient deterrents

7. Characteristics of Safe School Center for Study & Prevention of Youth Violence
High academic expectations & performance
High levels of parental & community involvement
Effective leadership by administrators & teachers
A few clearly understood & uniformly enforced, rules
Social skills instruction, character education & good citizenship.
After school – extended day programs

8. SWPBS is about…. Improving classroom & school climate
Decreasing reactive management
Maximizing academic achievement
Improving support for students w/ EBD
Integrating academic & behavior initiatives

9. Quotable Fixsen “Policy is “Training does not predict action”
allocation of limited resources for unlimited needs”
Opportunity, not guarantee, for good action”
“Training does not predict action”
“Manualized treatments have created overly rigid & rapid applications”

10. SWPBS Logic
Successful individual student behavior support is linked to host environments that are redesigned & supported to be effective, efficient, durable, & relevant for all students
(Zins & Ponte, 1990)

11. Implementation Levels
State
District
School
Classroom
Student

12. Systems for Students with High-Risk Behavior CONTINUUM OF SCHOOL-WIDE
Tertiary Prevention:
Specialized
Individualized
Systems for Students with High-Risk Behavior
CONTINUUM OF
SCHOOL-WIDE
INSTRUCTIONAL &
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR
SUPPORT
~5%
Secondary Prevention:
Specialized Group
Systems for Students with At-Risk Behavior
~15%
Primary Prevention:
School-/Classroom-
Wide Systems for
All Students,
Staff, & Settings
~80% of Students

13. Designing School-Wide Systems for Student Success
Academic Systems
Behavioral Systems
Intensive, Individual Interventions
Individual Students
Assessment-based
High Intensity
Intensive, Individual Interventions
Individual Students
Assessment-based
Intense, durable procedures
1-5%
1-5%
Targeted Group Interventions
Some students (at-risk)
High efficiency
Rapid response
5-10%
5-10%
Targeted Group Interventions
Some students (at-risk)
High efficiency
Rapid response
Universal Interventions
All students
Preventive, proactive
80-90%
Universal Interventions
All settings, all students
Preventive, proactive
80-90%

14. RtI: Defining Features
IMPLEMENTATION W/ FIDELITY
CONTINUUM OF EVIDENCE-BASED
INTERVENTIONS
STUDENT
PERFORMANCE
CONTINUOUS
PROGRESS MONITORING
DATA-BASED
DECISION MAKING & PROBLEM SOLVING

15. Identify existing efforts by tier Specify outcome for each effort
CONTINUUM of SWPBS
Tertiary Prevention
Function-based support
Audit
Identify existing efforts by tier
Specify outcome for each effort
Evaluate implementation accuracy & outcome effectiveness
Eliminate/integrate based on outcomes
Establish decision rules (RtI)
~5%
~15%
Secondary Prevention
Check in/out
Primary Prevention
SWPBS
~80% of Students

16. 4 PBS Elements Supporting Social Competence & Academic Achievement
OUTCOMES
Supporting
Decision
Making
Supporting
Staff Behavior
DATA
SYSTEMS
PRACTICES
Supporting
Student Behavior

17. DATA Clear definitions Efficient procedures Easy input/output
OUTCOMES
DATA
Clear definitions
Efficient procedures
Easy input/output
Readable displays
Regular review
SYSTEMS
DATA
PRACTICES

18. OUTCOMES Data-based Relevant/valued Measurable OUTCOMES SYSTEMS DATA
PRACTICES

19. Cultural/contextual adjustments Integrated w/ similar initiatives
OUTCOMES
PRACTICES
Evidence-based
Outcome linked
Cultural/contextual adjustments
Integrated w/ similar initiatives
Doable
SYSTEMS
DATA
PRACTICES

20. Continuous evaluation Team-based action planning
SYSTEMS
Training to fluency
Continuous evaluation
Team-based action planning
Regular relevant reinforcers for staff behavior
Integrated initiatives
OUTCOMES
SYSTEMS
DATA
PRACTICES

21. School-wide Positive Behavior Support Systems Classroom
Setting Systems
Nonclassroom
Setting Systems
Individual Student
Systems
School-wide
Systems

22. 1. Common purpose & approach to discipline
School-wide 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
SAY: Although most schools have a written conduct of conduct or discipline policy which is important, it tends to focus on procedures for processing rule violations (5.).
Effective school-wide discipline systems have a matching and strong proactive component that teaches and encourages prosocial behavior, and provides an on-going progress monitoring system.
The remaining five items are important but difficult to sustain without clear school-wide investments and structures in place.

23. Positive expectations & routines taught & encouraged
Nonclassroom
Setting Systems
Positive expectations & routines taught & encouraged
Active supervision by all staff
Scan, move, interact
Precorrections & reminders
Positive reinforcement
SAY: All teachers and educational leaders know that what happens in the non-classroom settings (e.g., hallways, cafeterias, playgrounds, parking lots, etc.) can carryover into the classroom (and vice versa). In nonclassroom settings, academic instruction isn’t available to engage students and serve as a behavior management strategy.
Educational leaders must ensure that effective practices are in place in nonclassroom settings. The most important evidence-based practice is “active supervision.”
The “Active Supervision and Nonclassroom Setting Self-Assessment” in Appendix 6 can be used by educational leaders, teams, or facilitators to assist staff in reflecting on their own teaching practices and to develop individual or group action plans for professional development.

24. Classroom-wide positive expectations taught & encouraged
Setting Systems
Classroom-wide positive expectations taught & encouraged
Teaching classroom routines & cues taught & encouraged
Ratio of 6-8 positive to 1 negative adult-student interaction
Active supervision
Redirections for minor, infrequent behavior errors
Frequent precorrections for chronic errors
Effective academic instruction & curriculum
SAY: Effective classroom environment is important because well-organized and managed classrooms provide opportunities for teachers to teach and students to learn both academic and social skills.
If you were to visit these classrooms, you would see these practices on a daily basis.
The “Classroom Practices Self-Assessment” in Appendix 5 can be used by educational leaders, teams, or facilitators to assist staff in reflecting on their own teaching practices and to develop individual or group action plans for professional development.

25. Behavioral competence at school & district levels
Individual Student
Systems
Behavioral competence at school & district levels
Function-based behavior support planning
Team- & data-based decision making
Comprehensive person-centered planning & wraparound processes
Targeted social skills & self-management instruction
Individualized instructional & curricular accommodations
SAY: If we are successful in establishing effective school-wide, classroom, and nonclassroom practices and systems, we can support a majority of students and staff. However, some students will require more specialized, intensive, and possibly individualized PBS.
To be effective in supporting high-need students, behavior specialists must have access to and fluent knowledge about tertiary level interventions and systems as characterized by these 6 sample items. They also must be fluent in the use and facilitation of these skills.
One of the main objectives of school-wide PBS is to facilitate the accurate and sustained implementation of tertiary level interventions with student who display the most challenging problem behaviors.
An important element of individual student systems is adopting a “function-based approach” which generally means using information about what triggers and maintains problem behaviors to build effective behavior intervention plans. Functional behavioral assessments are conducted to build and serve as the backbone of these plans. Two checklists can be used to validate the completeness and accuracy of functional behavioral assessments and behavior intervention plans (see Appendices 7 & 8, respectively).

26. Team-led Process

27. GENERAL IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS
Team
GENERAL IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS
Agreements
Data-based
Action Plan
SAY: In general, the implementation of a school-wide PBS approach at the school level is built around five main implementation steps.
Evaluation
Implementation

28. Sample Implementation “Map”
2+ years of school team training
Annual “booster” events
Coaching/facilitator school & district levels
Regular self-assessment & evaluation data
On-going preparation of trainers
Development of local/district leadership teams
Establishment of state/regional leadership & policy team

29. Redesign Learning & Teaching Environment
School Rules
NO Food
NO Weapons
NO Backpacks
NO Drugs/Smoking
NO Bullying

30. Few positive SW expectations defined, taught, & encouraged

31. Expectations & behavioral skills are taught & recognized in natural context

32. Acknowledge & Recognize

33. PBS Systems Implementation Logic
Visibility
Funding
Political
Support
Leadership Team
Active Coordination
Training
Coaching
Evaluation
Local School Teams/Demonstrations

34. Leadership Team Active Coordination FUNCTIONS Implementation support
Data-based action plan
Coordination
Capacity building
Policy & funding
Communications
Training capacity
Exemplars
Evaluation
MEMBERS
Coordinator
Representation
Behavioral capacity
Agency
Parent/family
Leadership
Etc
SAY: One of the most important steps is to establish or identify an existing group of individuals who can lead the establishment of a school-wide PBS approach. This team must be made of school staff who are respected, have effective communication skills and means, and can influence school policy, organization, and operations.
An important factor in effective leadership teaming is ensuring that members of the team agree on how they will conduct business (e.g., agenda, problem solving, voting, etc.). The Conducting Leadership Team Meetings Checklist (see Appendix.1) can be used to assess for and establish agreements about how team meetings will be conducted.

35. Training Coaching Evaluation Training Coaching Evaluation Continuous
Embedded
Team-coordinated
Data-based
Local expertise
Action plan linked
Etc….
Training
Continuous
Local support
Data-based
Preventive
Positive
Competent
Etc….
Coaching
Continuous
Question-based
Academic & social
Efficient
Team-coordinated
Public
Etc….
Evaluation

36. Political Funding Visibility Support Continuous Top 3 priorities
Quarterly/annually
Policy
Participation
Etc….
General fund
3 years of support
Integrated
Data-based
Etc….
Demos & research
Multiple formats
Multiple audiences
Acknow. others
Etc….

37. Local School Teams/Demonstrations
Fidelity implementation
>80% of staff
>80% of students
Administrator leadership
Team-based
Data driven
Contextually relevant
Teaching focused
Integrated initiatives
Etc…..

38. 1. IMPLEMENTATION PHASES 2. 3.
Local
Demonstration
w/ Fidelity
Need,
Agreements,
Adoption, &
Outcomes 1.
IMPLEMENTATION
PHASES 2.
Sustained
Capacity,
Elaboration, &
Replication
4. Systems
Adoption, Scaling,
& Continuous
Regeneration 3.

39. Local Implementation Capacity
SUSTAINABLE IMPLEMENTATION & DURABLE RESULTS THROUGH CONTINUOUS REGENERATION
Continuous
Self-Assessment
Relevance
Priority Efficacy
Fidelity
Valued
Outcomes
Effective
Practices
Practice
Implementation
Local Implementation Capacity