1. MTSS/PBIS: Positive Learning Learning Environments for All
George Sugai
OSEP Center on PBIS
Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports
University of Connecticut
29 July 2015

2.
Presentations

3. Three Questions
Why is MTSS/PBIS important?
What are core features of PBIS
What is required to implement PBIS with fidelity?

4. Action Steps - Homework
SWPBS Feature
Action
1. What is 1 thing you learned that you did not know before?
2. What 3 “big ideas” will you take back to your colleagues?
3. What is 1 practice you will do tomorrow that you have not done before?
4. What is 1 practice you will consider not doing tomorrow?
5. What is 1 enhancement you can make in your teaching environment to increase likelihood of doing above?

5. Why MTSS/PBIS?

6. School Climate & Discipline
School Violence & Mental Health
Disproportionality & School-Prison Pipeline

7. US Depart of Health & Human Serv.
US Depart. of Educ.
OSEP & OSHS
US Depart. of Just.
OJP & OJJDP
US Depart of Health & Human Serv.
SAMHSA
Multi-Agency Effort
School Climate Transformation Grant (SCTG)
12 SEA sites
71 LEA sites (23 states)
National Youth Forum
10 large cities
Project Prevent
22 dist.
AWARE Grant
20 SEA sites
100 LEA sites
9 also SCTG sites

8. School Discipline Challenge:
Nov 1985 Kappan
Getting Tough
School Discipline Challenge:
Academic & behavior success (failure) are linked!
Teaching to Corner

9. MTSS
RtI
MTBF
RtI-B
PBIS
SWPBS
MTSS-B

10. MTSS/PBIS aka SWPBS, MTSS-B, MTBF, RtI-B…
for enhancing adoption & implementation of
of evidence-based interventions to achieve
& behaviorally important outcomes for
students
Framework
Continuum
Academically
All

11. IMPLEMENTATION W/ FIDELITY
CONTINUUM OF EVIDENCE-BASED
INTERVENTIONS
CONTENT EXPERTISE & FLUENCY
TEAM-BASED
IMPLEMENTATION
CONTINUOUS
PROGRESS MONITORING
UNIVERSAL SCREENING
DATA-BASED
DECISION MAKING & PROBLEM SOLVING
CORE FEATURES
MTSS/PBIS

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

13. Continuum of Support for All
Universal
Targeted
Intensive
Few
Some
NOTICE GREEN GOES IS FOR “ALL”
All
Dec 7, 2007

14. SWPBS: Core Practice Features
Precision
TERTIARY PREVENTION
Multi-disciplinary team w/ behavior expertise
Function-based behavior support
Wraparound, culture-driven, person-centered supports & planning
School mental health
Continuous monitoring of progress & implementation fidelity
Increased precorrection, supervision, reinforcement
Engagement
Feedback
Practice
Teamwork
SECONDARY PREVENTION
Team-led implementation w/ behavior expertise
Increased social skills instruction, practice
Increased supervision & precorrection
Increased opportunities for reinforcement
Continuous progress monitoring
This TIERED LOGIC can be illustrated by a schools that has ALIGNED its BEHAVIOR SUPPORT INTERVENTIONS OR PRACTICES BY THREE GENERAL TIERS
TIER 1 PRACTICES ARE FOR ALL STUDENTS ACROSS ALL SCHOOL SETTINGS
TIER 2 PRACTICES ARE FOR STUDENTS WHO REQUIRE SUPPLEMENTAL SPECIALIZED (SMALL GROUP) SUPPORTS
TIER 3 PRACTICES ARE HIGHLY SPECIALIZED AND INTENSIVE FOR INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS.
It is important to notice that these practices are
SMALL IN NUMBER
CONCEPTUALLY ALIGNED
AND WOULD HAVE DATA RULES FOR MOVEMENT UP AND DOWN THE CONTINUUM
PRIMARY PREVENTION
Team-led implementation
Behavior priority
Social behavior expectations
SW & CW teaching & encouraging of expectations
Consistency in responding to problem behavior
Data-based decision making

15. PBIS emphasis
Supporting Important Culturally Equitable Academic & Social Behavior Competence
OUTCOMES
Supporting Culturally Valid Decision Making
Supporting Culturally Knowledgeable Staff Behavior
DATA
SYSTEMS
CULTURE is one our major considerations, and CULTURAL INFLUENCE is reflected in high attention toward
CULTURAL EQUITY of expectations
CULTURAL VALIDITY of data
CULTURAL RELEVANCE of practices
CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE of implementers
PRACTICES
Vincent, Randall, Cartledge, Tobin, & Swain-Bradway 2011; Sugai, O’Keeffe, & Fallon, 2012ab
Supporting Culturally Relevant Evidence-based Interventions

16. Positive School Climate
Did you feel that!

17. VIOLENCE PREVENTION VIOLENCE PREVENTION
Positive predictable school-wide climate
High rates academic & social success
Formal social skills instruction
Positive active supervision & reinforcement
Positive adult role models
Multi-component, multi-year school-family-community effort
Surgeon General’s Report on Youth Violence (2001)
Coordinated Social Emotional & Learning (Greenberg et al., 2003)
Center for Study & Prevention of Violence (2006)
White House Conference on School Violence (2006)
VIOLENCE PREVENTION

18. Establish positive school climate Maximizing academic success
Biglan, Colvin, Hoagwood,
Mayer, Patterson,
Reid, Walker
HOW?
Establish positive school climate
Maximizing academic success
Teaching important social skills
Recognizing good behavior
Modeling good behavior
Supervising actively
Communicating positively

19. Effective Organizations & Positive Classroom & School Climates
GOAL: “Big Outcome”
Common Language
Effective Organizations & Positive Classroom & School Climates
Common Experience
Common Vision/Values
Quality
Leadership

20. Teaching social skills explicitly
Works for me!

21. Social Skills Misrules
Punishment teaches
Punishment signals error.
Punishment does not teach SS.
Teach “1 hour every Monday”
SS are needed all day.
SS are prompted & practiced all day.
Not my responsibility
SS are needed to learn.
SS are needed to teach.
Bad behavior is trait
SS (good/bad) learned & taught.
Teaching SS should be formal.

22. School-Wide PBS (Tier 1) Leadership team
Behavior purpose statement
Set of positive expectations & behaviors
Procedures for teaching SW & classroom-wide expected behavior
Continuum of procedures for encouraging expected behavior
Continuum of procedures for discouraging rule violations
Procedures for on-going data-based monitoring & evaluation

23. “Power of Habits” Charles Duhigg, 2012
CUE
HABIT
REWARD
CHALLENGE: Replacing current behavior (strong habit) with new behavior (weak habit)
Dessert
Wait
Eat
Satisfied?!
Satisfied
TV remote
Walk
Sit & watch
Entertained?!
Entertained
Teased
Ignore
Hit
Teasing stops?!
Teasing stops
Difficult work
Try
Destroy work
Work removed?!
Work removed
Subtitle: “Why We Do What We Do in Life & Business”

24. Establishing/Replacing Habit Charles Duhigg (2014)
CUE
Remove competing cue
Add desired cue
HABIT
Teach acceptable alternative
Teach desired alternative
REWARD
Remove reward for old habit
Add reward for new habit
All three elements are addressed in SSI

25. Generic Teaching Approach
DEFINE simply
MODEL w/ range examples
PRACTICE in natural setting
Supervise, ACKNOW-LEDGE, reteach
ADJUST based on progress
Generic Teaching Approach

26. Teaching calculating hypotenuse of triangle57
DEFINE
Simply
MODEL
PRACTICE
In Setting
ADJUST for
Efficiency
MONITOR &
ACKNOWLEDGE
Continuously
“C2 = A2 + B2 where C is side opposite right angle….”
“Work w/ another partner & do these 4 examples….”
“I noticed that everyone got #1 & #3 correct. #2 was tricky because no right angle….”
“Watch me,…If A = 3 & B = 4, then C2 = 25, & C = 5….”
“Work w/ your partner & calculate hypotenuse of triangle for these 3 examples……”

27. Teaching social behaviors like academic skills57
DEFINE
Simply
MODEL
PRACTICE
In Setting
ADJUST for
Efficiency
MONITOR &
ACKNOWLEDGE
Continuously
“If someone won’t stop teasing your friend, you should look cool & walk away w/ your friend…”
“You got it. Tomorrow let’s figure out how to handle cyber-teasing.”
“That was great. What would that look like if you were stuck on the bus? In the classroom?”
“Watch. This is how I would do it at a concert.”
“Tell me how you would do it if you were in hallway.” “At school dance.”

29. Emphasizing & Teaching Positive Expectations

30. 2. NATURAL CONTEXT 1. SOCIAL SKILL 3. BEHAVIOR EXAMPLES
Teaching Matrix
SETTING
All Settings
Hallways
Playgrounds
Cafeteria
Library/
Computer Lab
Assembly
Bus
Respect Ourselves
Be on task.
Give your best effort.
Be prepared.
Walk.
Have a plan.
Eat all your food.
Select healthy foods.
Study, read, compute.
Sit in one spot.
Watch for your stop.
Respect Others
Be kind.
Hands/feet to self.
Help/share with others.
Use normal voice volume.
Walk to right.
Play safe.
Include others.
Share equipment.
Practice good table manners
Whisper.
Return books.
Listen/watch.
Use appropriate applause.
Use a quiet voice.
Stay in your seat.
Respect Property
Recycle.
Clean up after self.
Pick up litter.
Maintain physical space.
Use equipment properly.
Put litter in garbage can.
Replace trays & utensils.
Clean up eating area.
Push in chairs.
Treat books carefully.
Pick up.
Treat chairs appropriately.
Wipe your feet.
Sit appropriately.
2. NATURAL CONTEXT
1. SOCIAL SKILL
Expectations
3. BEHAVIOR EXAMPLES

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

32. Acknowledge & Recognize
Behaviors that represent those THOSE EXPECTATOINS are RECOGNIZED
On a DAILY, WEEKLY, AND MONTHLY BASIS
In ways that DEVELOPMENTALLLY AND CULTURALLY MEANINGFUL AND RELEVANT

33. Consider culture & context
Where’d you learn that?

34. Potential for cultural exchange & conflict
Student
Teacher
Administrator
Family
Community

35. Concluding Comments
Big Ideas & Homework

36. General Implementation Process
Team
State/Country
District
School
General Implementation Process
Agreements
Students
Staff
Principal, Superintendent
Data-based
Action Plan
“Plan”
= Coaching
Evaluation
“Check”
Implementation
“Do”
All Staff, Students,
Administrators

37. Implementation Drivers
PBIS Implementation Blueprint (2015 rev, pbis.org)

38. Basic MTBF Implementation Framework
SWPBS practices, data, systems
Policy, funding, leadership, priority, agreement
District Behavior Team
2 yr. action plan
Data plan
Leadership
Team meeting schedule
School Behavior Team
SWPBS
CWPBS
Small group
Individual student
School Staff
Academic
Expectations & routines
Social skills
Self-management
Student Benefit
Regional/State Leadership
Internal Coaching Support
External Coaching Support
Team Support

39. RCT & Group Design PBIS Studies
2014
RCT & Group Design PBIS Studies
Bradshaw, C.P., Koth, C. W., Thornton, L. A., & Leaf, P. J. (2009). Altering school climate through school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: Findings from a group-randomized effectiveness trial. Prevention Science, 10(2),
Bradshaw, C. P., Koth, C. W., Bevans, K. B., Ialongo, N., & Leaf, P. J. (2008). The impact of school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) on the organizational health of elementary schools. School Psychology Quarterly, 23(4),
Bradshaw, C. P., Mitchell, M. M., & Leaf, P. J. (2010). Examining the effects of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports on student outcomes: Results from a randomized controlled effectiveness trial in elementary schools. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 12, 
Bradshaw, C. P., Pas, E. T., Goldweber, A., Rosenberg, M. S., & Leaf, P. J. (2012). Integrating school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports with tier 2 coaching to student support teams: The PBISplus model. Advances in School Mental Health Promotion 5,
Bradshaw, C. P., Reinke, W. M., Brown, L. D., Bevans, K. B., & Leaf, P. J. (2008). Implementation of school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in elementary schools: Observations from a randomized trial. Education & Treatment of Children, 31, 1-26.
Bradshaw, C. P., Waasdorp, T. E. & Leaf, P. J. (2012). Effects of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports on child behavior problems. Pediatrics, 130(5),
Goldweber, A., Waasdorp, T. E., & Bradshaw, C. P. (in press). Examining the link between forms of bullying behaviors and perceptions of safety and belonging among secondary school students. Journal of School Psychology.
Horner, R., Sugai, G., Smolkowski, K., Eber, L., Nakasato, J., Todd, A., & Esperanza, J., (2009). A randomized, wait-list controlled effectiveness trial assessing school-wide positive behavior support in elementary schools. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 11,
Horner, R. H., Sugai, G., & Anderson, C. M. (2010). Examining the evidence base for school-wide positive behavior support. Focus on Exceptionality, 42(8), 1-14.
Waasdorp, T. E., Bradshaw, C. P., & Leaf, P. J. (2012). The impact of School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) on bullying and peer rejection: A randomized controlled effectiveness trial. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 116(2),
“Wagering next month’s salary!!”
Reduced major disciplinary infractions
Improvement in aggressive behavior, concentration, prosocial behavior, & emotional regulation
Improvements in academic achievement
Enhanced perception of organizational health & safety
Reductions in teacher reported bullying behavior & peer rejection
Improved school climate

40. Action Steps - Homework
SWPBS Feature
Action
1. What is 1 thing you learned that you did not know before?
2. What 3 “big ideas” will you take back to your colleagues?
3. What is 1 practice you will do tomorrow that you have not done before?
4. What is 1 practice you will consider not doing tomorrow?
5. What is 1 enhancement you can make in your teaching environment to increase likelihood of doing above?

41. Effective Organizations & Positive Classroom & School Climates
GOAL: “Big Outcome”
Common Language
Effective Organizations & Positive Classroom & School Climates
Common Experience
Common Vision/Values
Quality
Leadership

42. Upcoming Events www.pbis.org
PBIS Forum
Oct 22-23, 2015
Rosemont IL
SMH Conference
Nov 5-7, 2015
New Orleans, LA
New England PBIS
Nov 19-20, 2015
Norwood, MA
APBS Conf.
Mar 23-26, 2016
San Francisco, CA
Northeast SWPBS Conf.
May 19-20, 2016
Mystic, CT