PBIS

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports - PBIS

PBIS is a way to promote desired student behavior. In the past, school discipline has often focused on reacting to misbehavior by using punishment, loss of privileges, sending students to the office, suspensions, and alternative placements. Research has shown that these approaches by themselves are not effective in creating a school environment in which appropriate behavior is the norm. PBIS creates this positive environment through a behavior framework that is used by every student and staff member.

There are four integrated elements: data for decision making, measurable outcomes, practices that outline appropriate behavior and support students who need interventions, and systems that hold staff accountable for implementing the practices. Instead of a reactive and punitive response to behavior, PBIS stresses a proactive and positive one, which can help boost student achievement and play a role in overall school improvement. Schools that use the PBIS framework are expected to incorporate schoolwide expectations, procedures and routines, and acknowledgment/reward systems. JCPS requres all schools to be implementing PBIS.

a circle with a venn diagram in the circle. The 3 elements of the venn diagram are systems, data, and practices. by data it says supporting decision making. by practices it says supporting student beahvior. by systems it says supporting staff behavior. at the top it says social competence and academic achievement.

Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a framework with the aim of improving student academic and social outcomes by implementing behavior systems with fidelity. This diagram represents the essentials in the PBIS framework. In the framework, systems, data, and practices work together to create the desired outcomes in students. These desired outcomes are the skills and qualities they should possess when they move from grade to grade or graduate—social competence and academic achievement outcomes. The practices in PBIS are directly related to the outcomes desired and are selected and used at a high level of fidelity. These practices are designed to support student behavior. The systems in PBIS support staff behavior by enabling adults to use the practices with high levels of fluency through resources, professional development, planning time, PLCs, etc. Finally, the use of various sources of data helps schools understand how they are doing and if they are achieving their desired outcomes.

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)

PBIS addresses behavior from a tiered perspective, also sometimes referred to as Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).

Tier 1—These are the interventions that all students in the building receive. These include the proactive classroom strategies of explicit instruction, praise, correction, and re-teaching among others. Eighty percent of the students in the building are usually able to meet the schoolwide expectations though Tier 1 interventions.
Tier 2—Some students may need additional supports beyond Tier 1 to meet expectations. These students may need additional group interventions or specialized classroom strategies. Fifteen percent of the students in the building will likely need Tier 2 interventions.
Tier 3—Students needing Tier 3 supports, generally only 5 percent of the students in a building, need even more support. This may come from a behavior plan, interventions, specific classroom supports, and wrap-around services.

At all levels, students still receive the interventions from the previous level. For example, a student receiving Tier 3 supports, still receives Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports as well.

The tiered approach is modeled in a pyramid, and schools identify their specific interventions for each of the tiers on the pyramid.

PBIS Resources

For strategies and interventions for specific misbehaviors, go to

PBIS World

PBIS Year-at-a-Glance

PBIS Implementation Guide

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