Safe and supportive school climates don't emerge and sustain themselves by accident. They're developed and maintained through leadership and deliberate, coordinated efforts. Learn how to effectively implement positive behavior strategies.
When new teachers, paraprofessionals, etc. join the district, their onboarding training should familiarize them with the fundamental strategies that all staff in the district are expected to understand, recognize, and apply.
The training materials we've shared cover the fundamentals:
Expectations, Rules, and Procedures
Preventative Reminders
Effective Commands
Opportunities to Respond (OTRs)
Affirmative Attention
Continuum of Response Strategies
Work with your experienced staff to ensure that your customized training materials are a good fit for your school.
The example above is designed for school staff. Here's an 🚌 example for bus drivers.
On a monthly or quarterly schedule, gather all staff, either on a PD day or during a staff meeting.
Share macro-level behavior data: This is just a quick snapshot to level-set on current needs. Explain the data and then shift to the "Now what?" Example data sources:
Bar charts that indicate trends in discipline referrals over the past month or quarter (e.g., type of behavior, time of day, location, etc.)
Assessment data (e.g., mySAEBRS screener)
Anonymous fidelity data (e.g., from your walkthroughs)
"Now what?" — Take action: Learn and problem solve together. For example:
Refresh staff on basic procedures and fundamental strategies by talking through relevant scenarios.
Share tips and tools about a large variety of strategies (check out prepped examples).
There are district-specific templates for 🟡🔴🟢🔵 Chisago Lakes, East Central, Hinckley-Finlayson, North Branch, Pine City, and Rush City.
The coach tallies behavior strategies as they are used. This can be completed in as little as 5 minutes. It's almost impossible to tally yourself while teaching—it is so helpful to have another pair of eyes for a quick observation!
Coaching form for data collection
Tracking spreadsheet to capture progress
Self-nomination form allowing teachers to request coaching
Post-observation, the coach shares areas of success and suggestions for growth during a brief chat.
Before coaching solo, new coaches should receive training and then co-observe with an experienced user to ensure reliability. If one is not available in your building, reach out to your MTSS & School Climate Specialist.
An objective reading on how behavior strategies are actually being applied across the school building equips leaders to effectively support staff.
Methods for collecting fidelity data include walkthroughs (admin/specialist-led) or learning walks (teachers are involved). The purpose is to obtain a quick, non-evaluative system check across the whole school.
We recommend using the same observation form that instructional coaches use; however, when data is entered into a spreadsheet, teacher names are not recorded. The data is anonymous.
Develop a schedule for walkthroughs at regular intervals (e.g., quarterly). When you share the anonymous fidelity data with staff, this is an opportunity for teachers to request coaching.
Walkthrough Data - Core Behavior Strategies (Template)This example walkthrough spreadsheet is designed to align with the progress tracking spreadsheet that coaches use.
This makes it easy for these two systems to work in concert—e.g., coaches can take their data and anonymously add it to the walkthrough spreadsheet.
In order to truly "bake in" core behavior strategies, these techniques should be clearly represented in the district's Teacher Development & Evaluation (TD&E) Rubric.
This keeps expectations clear and consistent for teachers — without alignment, your PD and coaching work can feel like "one more thing." The TD&E rubric serves as the foundation for PBIS Instructional Coaching, and it keeps these core strategies consistently centered in conversations with mentor teachers and administrators.
The best route is to truly embed this language when the TD&E rubric is being officially revised. If this isn't possible at the moment, a temporary solution could be to annotate the existing rubric (see Danielson example).
Example Teacher Development & Evaluation Rubric Language — PBIS Core StrategiesTeacher Observation Rubric (Danielson-Based)
Building support for core behavior strategies requires more than just good technical implementation — it requires winning hearts and minds across your school and community.
To help leaders navigate this complex change process, we've organized resources into Aristotle's good ol' rhetorical triangle:
Pathos: Tapping into emotions by painting a picture of the need and the potential impact. Examples include explaining the effects of trauma and how these strategies can support those students.
Ethos: Establishing credibility by sharing the testimonies of experts in the field, guidance from professional frameworks, and hearing from staff who have implemented the strategies and experienced benefits.
Logos: Sharing data and research that make the rational case for change. This could also include logical theories of action.
Different stakeholders will respond to different approaches, which is why having a variety of tools at your disposal is crucial for success. Check out the slideshow of ideas intended to support leaders and influencers in a school. You can embed them into staff presentations or lean on them during chats between staff members.
Ennis, R. P., Royer, D. J., Lane, K. L., & Dunlap, K. D. (2019). The Impact of Coaching on Teacher-Delivered Behavior-Specific Praise in Pre-K–12 Settings: A Systematic Review. Behavioral Disorders, 45(3), 148–166. https://doi.org/10.1177/0198742919839221
These methodologies include "Bug-in-Ear" (BIE), gestures or signal cards, etc.
Hemmeter, M. L., Hardy, J. K., Schnitz, A. G., Adams, J. M., & Kinder, K. A. (2015). Effects of Training and Coaching With Performance Feedback on Teachers’ Use of Pyramid Model Practices. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 35(3), 144–156. https://doi.org/10.1177/0271121415594924
Horn, A. L., Layden, S. J., Roitsch, J., & Karadimou, O. (2020). Providing performance-based feedback to teachers in real-time using Bug-in-Ear technology. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice, 1–10s. https://doi.org/10.1080/17521882.2020.1784972
Sinclair, A. C., Gesel, S. A., LeJeune, L. M., & Lemons, C. J. (2019). A Review of the Evidence for Real-Time Performance Feedback to Improve Instructional Practice. The Journal of Special Education, 54(2), 90–100. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022466919878470
Suhrheinrich, J., & Chan, J. (2016). Exploring the Effect of Immediate Video Feedback on Coaching. Journal of Special Education Technology, 32(1), 47–53. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162643416681163
Classroom Check-Up is a PBIS-aligned model that influenced many aspects of our implementation of PBIS instructional coaching.
Kleinert, W. L., Silva, M. R., Codding, R. S., Feinberg, A. W., & Paula St. James. (2017). Enhancing Classroom Management Using the Classroom Check-up Consultation Model with In-Vivo Coaching and Goal Setting Components. 11(1), 5–19.
Pas, E. T., Larson, K. E., Reinke, W. M., Herman, K. C., & Bradshaw, C. P. (2016). Implementation and Acceptability of an Adapted Classroom Check-Up Coaching Model to Promote Culturally Responsive Classroom Management. Education and Treatment of Children, 39(4), 467–491. https://doi.org/10.1353/etc.2016.0021
Reinke, W. M., Lewis-Palmer, T., & Merrell, K. (2008). The Classroom Check-Up: A Classwide Teacher Consultation Model for Increasing Praise and Decreasing Disruptive Behavior. School Psychology Review, 37(3), 315–332. https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2008.12087879
Center on PBIS ("Supporting and Responding to Students' Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Needs") — On page 21, Table 3.1 of this document, you'll find an explanation of how training, coaching, and fidelity data should interact to establish teacher proficiency in classroom behavior strategies.
Florida PBIS Project ("PBIS Classroom Practices") — Explanation of how training, coaching, and fidelity data should interact to establish teacher proficiency in classroom behavior strategies.
Classroom Check-Up ("Classroom Check-Up") — A program that uses reflective coaching (post-observation performance feedback) to establish teacher proficiency in classroom behavior strategies.
