PBIS OVERVIEW

What is PBIS?

PBIS is an acronym for Positive Behavior and Intervention Supports. It is a school-wide integration of:

• A systems and process approach for teaching behavior

• A continuum of behavioral supports

• Prevention focused efforts to reduce behavioral problems

• Specific instruction of academic and personal/social behavior

• Research-based practices

• Ongoing use of data to make decisions regarding needs and successes at the building level

What are the three tiers of intervention? 

PBIS offers three tiers of behavioral supports to students. In the first tier, behavioral expectations are established and taught to all students. In the second tier, students needing additional support are offered group level interventions. Students needing significant support for behavioral challenges are provided evidence-based interventions tailored specifically to their needs in the third tier.

Why is it important to teach positive social behaviors?

In the past, school-wide discipline has focused mainly on reacting to the specific student misbehavior by implementing punishment-based strategies including reprimands, loss of privileges, office referrals, suspensions, and expulsions. Research has shown that the implementation of punishment, especially when it is used inconsistently and in the absence of other positive strategies, is ineffective. Teaching, modeling, and reinforcing positive social behavior is an important step of a student’s educational experience. The purpose of a school-wide PBIS is to establish a climate in which appropriate behavior is the norm.

Benefits of PBIS

• Increased classroom instruction time, which leads to increased academic performance

• Decreased behavioral disruptions

• Improved school climate

• Increased consistency of expectations being taught and reinforced for all students in all school settings

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What are the core principles of PBIS? 

1. Intervene early.

It is best practice to intervene before problem behaviors occur. Universal teaching of expected behaviors allows for early and effective intervention. 

2. Use of a multi-tier model. 

PBIS uses an efficient system to match behavioral resources with student need. To achieve high rates of student success for all students, instruction in the schools must be differentiated. To efficiently differentiate behavioral instruction for all students, PBIS uses tiered models of service delivery. 

3. Use research-based interventions. 

Research-based interventions provide our best opportunity to implement strategies that will be effective for a large majority of students. 

4. Use data to make decisions. 

A data-based decision regarding student response to the interventions is central to PBIS practices. Decisions in PBIS practices are based on student Office Discipline Referral (ODR) and performance data. School-Wide Information System (SWIS) is used to make informed planning decisions for individual students and to determine building needs. 

5. Monitor student progress to make data-based decisions about interventions. As in academics, the best method to determine if a student is improving is to monitor the student’s progress. The use of assessments that can be collected frequently and that are sensitive to small changes in student behavior are used. Determining the effectiveness (or lack of) an intervention early is important to maximize the impact of that intervention for the student.

What is included in Tier 1 supports?

Tier 1- Universal Level

Tier 1 interventions and supports are intended for all students in the school.  The core components of prevention include setting clear behavioral expectations, creating an acknowledgement system to reinforce desired behaviors, and developing a system for addressing behavior.  

Universal Team

Cleveland’s Universal Team includes the principal, school counselor (PBIS Internal Coach), school psychologist, teachers, educational assistants, and a parent representative.  The Universal Team guides the school in implementing PBIS to fidelity by meeting monthly and using data to drive conversations. The Universal Team creates school-wide action plans based on data from Skyward.  The team also develops and maintains school-wide expectations, the school’s behavioral matrix, behavioral lesson plans (Cool Tools), and a system for communicating information to staff, students, parents, and the community.

Behavioral Expectations

Creating clear expectations is the first step in developing a school-wide PBIS program.  The Universal System consists of rules, routines, and physical arrangements that are developed and taught by school staff to prevent problem behavior.  

Cleveland’s Behavioral Expectations for students, staff, and visitors include:

• Be Safe
  
  

• Be Respectful
  
  

• Be Responsible
  
  

A School-Wide Matrix

A school-wide matrix lists the specific behavioral expectations for each setting within the school.  The settings chosen for the matrix are areas where the behaviors can be taught, modeled, practiced, and observed.  The matrix provides a clear visual of all school-wide behavioral rules/expectations.

Teaching Appropriate Behavioral Expectations

It is necessary to teach the school-wide expected behaviors to all students.  The following practices are used at Cleveland:

Kick-Off and Booster Events- The Universal Team designs a kick-off and booster event to teach the expected behaviors to staff, students, and families.  Cleveland hosts a kick-off event for all students during the first week of school and a booster event at the beginning of the second semester.

Cool Tool Lessons- There are behavioral lessons that define, teach, model, and practice desirable behaviors.  At Cleveland, the Cool Tool lessons are selected based on school-wide data. Weekly lesson plans are provided to staff.  Teachers are responsible for teaching the lessons to the students, and all staff teach the same lesson every other week.

Assemblies- All-school assemblies help improve the school climate by reinforcing behavioral expectations and celebrating the positive school community.  Cleveland’s all-school assemblies are held bi-monthly on the first Friday of the month from 3:00-3:30 in the gym. During the assembly, students are recognized for positive behavior, and the Cool Tool topic for the week is highlighted through an activity.

An Acknowledgement System- An acknowledgement system is a systematic approach for observing and reinforcing expected behaviors.  The system provides for immediate (high-frequency), intermittent (unpredictable), and long-term (quarterly) ways of acknowledging desired behaviors.  Cleveland acknowledges desired behaviors in the following ways:

• PAWS Slips (Positive Attitudes Will Succeed) = Immediate Reinforcement
  
  

• Double PAWS days, Power PAWS= Intermittent Reinforcement
  
  

• Quarterly PBIS Celebrations= Long-Term Reinforcement
  
  

PAWS Slips

Staff members hand out PAWS to any student who is displaying appropriate behavior.  Staff members also verbally praise the student for the behavior, specifically stating what behavior was observed.  The verbal praise is an essential component of using PAWS as this allows students to hear what specific behavior is desirable.  Research shows that this specific, positive feedback encourages increased occurrences of appropriate behaviors.

Staff members and students record their names on the PAWS and then enter them into a PAWS drawing.  Each classroom teacher has a container in his/her classroom for the students to put their PAWS into.  Each week, all PAWS are collected from each classroom, and a student’s name from each classroom is drawn at random.  Students whose names are chosen get to pick a small, tangible prize or an intangible recognition. Intangible recognitions include: Dine-in-Style, Wear your favorite hat to school, Library assistant, Slipper day, Bring your favorite stuffed animal to school for the day, Lunch with the school counselor, Student’s name displayed on the school digital front sign for a day, Play a game with the school counselor, or get a behind-the-scenes tour of the school. 

Lunchroom & Recess PAWS

Noon hour supervisors hand out PAWS to any student who is displaying appropriate behavior in the lunchroom and at recess.  All noon hour supervisors have met with the school principal to learn about PBIS.

Double PAWS Days

Once a week, there is a Double PAWS Day.  Staff members give students two PAWS when recognizing desirable behaviors.  The day of the week changes so that the Double PAWS Days remain unpredictable.  Staff is notified on the day if it is a Double PAWS Day.

Power PAWS

Each moth, there is a cafeteria/lunch recess goal.  The grade that meets this expectation the most each week at lunch/lunch recess earns a Power PAW from the Noon Supervisors.  After 3 Power PAWS, the entire class earns a celebration.

Quarterly PBIS Celebrations

Cleveland hosts quarterly long-term reinforcement activities for all students.  The Universal Team plans the events and shares agendas with the staff at staff meetings.  Past incentives have included movie days, game days, magicians, drum lines from area high schools, and a dance party.  

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Tier 2- Secondary Interventions and Supports

Tier 2 interventions and supports are those designed for 10-15% of the students who are not responding effectively to the Universal Supports of the school.  These students need more intensive interventions to reduce problem behaviors. The Tier 2 team members determine and monitor the entrance and exit criteria for Tier 2 interventions.  

Tier 2 Team

Cleveland’s Tier 2 Team includes the principal, the school counselor (PBIS Internal Coach), the school psychologist, and the Special Education teacher.  The Tier 2 team meets monthly to review school-wide data, teacher/parent requests for assistance, and the Universal Screener results to determine which students meet intervention entrance and exit criteria.  Individual student progress is monitored and discussed. Staff is informed of student progress.

Tier 2 Interventions

Interventions are designed to be quickly accessed and highly efficient.  Cleveland’s Tier 2 Interventions include Check-In/Check-Out (CICO), Individualized Check-In/Check-Out (CICO), Social/Academic Instructional Groups (SAIG), Mentoring, and Brief Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBA).    

Check-In/Check-Out

The Check-In/Check-Out program is an intervention designed to increase the collaboration between school and home, and increase opportunities for self-management of behaviors.  Behavioral expectations are defined and written on a point sheet as a visual reminder for the student. These expectations are retaught on a frequent basis. The program builds a regular cycle of check in and out with adults.  It formalizes the consequences for problem behaviors across the home and school. Research shows that 80% of students in the CICO program are successful at increasing desired behaviors on a regular basis. The Tier 2 team identifies students who meet the entrance criteria for Check In/Check-Out.   

General CICO Entry Criteria

• Student begins general CICO once he/she reaches 4 Points (this starts over every 4 weeks from when each student first gets an ODR)

• • • • • 2 points = Major ODR

        • 1 point = Minor ODR

• Teacher request for assistance (Teacher fills out initial request for assistance form found in the staff workroom- this is only for General CICO)

• Parent request

• Universal Screener

• Tier 2 team (including classroom teacher) deems that a general CICO is necessary

General CICO Exit Criteria

• Exit criteria- 80% for 80% of the time (16/20 days with no majors and 2 or fewer minors).

• • Self-Monitoring will occur after reaching the above goal if the Tier 2 team (including the classroom teacher) feels it is appropriate.  Procedure:

    • If the student reaches the above goal, the student still checks in/out with his/her CICO person.  However, the student keeps points him/herself for 10 additional school days rather than the teacher filling out the CICO sheet.  After each class period, the student has a very brief conversation with his/her teacher as to if he/she self-monitored correctly.  The teacher then initials that class period (the points can be changed if the teacher disagrees with the student’s self-monitoring points).  Self-monitoring sheets are turned into the school counselor, and this data is also kept.  For the entire time a student is on CICO (including self-monitoring), teachers and specialists should be having a positive conversation about why a student receives a certain score for that class period. 

If a student is not successful on general CICO, individualized CICO or a SAIG group is considered.  The school counselor will give the teacher a Reverse Request for Assistance form to fill out so that an appropriate intervention is chosen.    

Individualized CICO Entrance Criteria

• Student gets 1 major, or 3 or more minors (this begins after being on the general CICO intervention for a minimum of 10 days)

or  

• Student does not meet his/her goal of 80% after 10 days of being on the general CICO intervention

or

• Teacher RRFA (Reverse Request for Assistance)- forms in the staff workroom- Tier 2 consults as a team (with classroom teacher) to determine if individualized CICO is necessary if the data does not meet the entrance requirements

Individualized CICO Exit Criteria:

• Exit criteria- 80% for 80% of the time (16/20 days with no majors and 2 or fewer minors). 

• • Self-Monitoring will occur after reaching the above goal if the Tier 2 team (including the classroom teacher) feels it is appropriate.  Procedure:

    • If the student reaches the above goal, the student still checks in/out with his/her CICO person.  However, the student keeps points him/herself for 10 additional school days rather than the teacher filling out the CICO sheet.  After each class period, the student has a very brief conversation with his/her teacher as to if he/she self-monitored correctly.  The teacher then initials that class period (the points can be changed if the teacher disagrees with the student’s self-monitoring points).  Self-monitoring sheets are turned into the school counselor, and this data is also kept.  For the entire time a student is on CICO (including self-monitoring), teachers and specialists should be having a positive conversation about why a student receives a certain score for that class period.  

SAIG (Social Academic and Instructional Groups) Entrance Criteria:

• Student gets 1 major, or 3 or more points (this begins after being on the general CICO intervention for a minimum of 10 days)

or  

• Student does not meet his/her goal of 80% after 10 days of being on the general CICO intervention

or

• Teacher RRFA (Reverse Request for Assistance)-  Tier 2 consults as a team (with classroom teacher) to determine if SAIG is necessary if the data does not meet the entrance requirements.  Documentation is necessary.  

SAIG Exit Criteria:

• 80% for 80% of the time (16/20 days with no majors and 2 or fewer minors). 

Mentoring:  If the Tier 2 team feels this would be beneficial, the team will refer a student to mentoring.  The same criteria will be in place as the criteria for SAIG and CICO.  

If a student is not successful on individualized CICO or SAIG, a brief FBA/BIP begins.

Brief FBA (Brief Functional Behavioral Assessment)/BIP-6 weeks

If Brief BIP is unsuccessful, we will do a complex FBA and BIP and monitor effectiveness-6 weeks

• If the above doesn’t work, then move to Special Ed. referral.  

CALENDAR

Open House is held each August before school begins and a PBIS Parent Kick-Off is always part of Open House at Cleveland.

PBIS Assemblies are held the every other month on the first Friday in the gym from 3:00-3:30. Parents are invited to attend.

Cool Tool Time is bi-weekly in the classrooms.

Quarterly Celebrations occur at the end of each quarter to celebrate all the positive behaviors that students demonstrated during that quarter. 

For the 2021/2022 school year, Cleveland  received: 

CONTACT

Kristin Peterson, School Counselor and PBIS Internal Coach

Cleveland Elementary

411 E Washington Ave, Cleveland, WI 53015

Phone: 920-693-8243

Fax: 920-693-8357

kpeterson@sasd.net