The defining distinction between PBIS Tiers II and III is the individualized design of the supports provided. This level of intensity in support is needed when seeking to support the small percentage of students who demonstrate sometimes dangerous and highly disruptive behaviors, despite support from the previous two tiers. It is important to note that Tier III supports are provided in addition to, not in place of, the Tier I and II supports already being provided. In fact, the success of a Tier III support depends on the robust system of prevention provided at Tiers II and III.
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
In order to design meaningful interventions and to avoid unintentionally reinforcing maladaptive behaviors, school staff should seek to identify the “function” (similar to purpose) of the specific behaviors that need to be addressed. There are four basic functions of behavior:
Escape: the student seeks to avoid a non-preferred social or environmental situation. For example, a student might engage in disruptive behaviors in order to avoid doing work that is perceived to be too difficult or is uninteresting. In this case, removing the student from class actually reinforces the behavior.
Attention: the student engages in maladaptive behavior because it garners attention from adults and others. For example, using profanity to get a response (positive or negative) from the teacher or other students.
Tangible: the students engages in maladaptive behavior in an effort to obtain a tangible item. For example, a student refusing to close a chromebook, or negotiating for more time in a preferred task. If a student sometimes receives a tangible (i.e. a piece of candy) as a reward for calming down after engaging in disruptive behavior, that tangible reward for calming down could actually be reinforcing the previous behavior.
Sensory: the student engages in a behavior because the act of engaging in the behavior is, in and of itself, reinforcing. For example, repetitive movements, vocalizations, etc.
By approximating the function(s) of a specific behavior, school-based teams can design purposeful interventions that remove or prevent the triggers that result in a maladaptive behavior, while providing reinforcement for the desired replacement behavior. Students needing this level of support will often require ten times as much reinforcement of desired behavior in comparison to corrections for misbehaviors.
Cultural and Contextual Fit
Just as with Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Pedagogy, Tier III interventions must take into account the student’s lived experience. Culture, ethnicity, racial background, family and community history, customs, and social routines are all important influences that must be considered in the context of designing and aligning the supports needed to help a student become successful.
Multi-Disciplinary Team
An administrator, someone with applied-behavior expertise, staff members providing Tier III supports, and others with problem solving capacity form the Tier III intervention team. This team is responsible for taking referrals from the SIT, and designing and monitoring the interventions students will receive.
Intervention Options
Each of the interventions described below are available as options for students receiving Tier III interventions. It is important to note that these are not prescriptive, one-size-fits-all treatments, but rather frameworks that are highly adaptable to individual student’s needs.
Check and Connect is a mentoring program for students who show signs of disengagement at school and an increased risk of dropout. Core features of the program are the persistent support of a trained mentor over at least a two-year period, an emphasis on problem solving, consistent two-way communication with families, and a shared focus on the attainment of academic and social fluency across a variety of contexts. In simpler terms, Check and Connect mentors help students and families build the capacity to graduate from high school and pursue future life goals. Check and Connect is the only mentoring program shown by peer-reviewed research to produce statistically significant results towards its stated goals, and is the only mentoring program featured in the What Works Clearinghouse, meaning that the research supporting Check and Connect is rigorous and statistically robust.
Bethany for Children & Families offers Behavioral Health Intervention Services (BHIS), an early intervention and preventative skill building program. The service is designed to be rehabilitative while improving a child's level of functioning as it relates to mental illness. The service philosophy is to assist the child and the child’s family to learn age-appropriate skills to manage behaviors and regain or retain self-control. Areas addressed by this early intervention skill building service include, but are not limited to anger management, coping with life stressors, relationship building, problem solving, behavioral management, and self-esteem building.
Wraparound is a service delivery model for children experiencing severe behavioral or mental health concerns. In this model, a team is assembled consisting of supportive adults from both within and outside the school setting, all with the goal of aligning their efforts in the child’s best interest. By placing the child and parents at the center of this model, the family’s strengths, hopes, and ideas about how to help are placed front and center. Davenport Schools is currently building our capacity to provide this unique, research-driven, and essential support for our most struggling students.
Davenport Schools has an agreement with Family Resources to provide services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking or other violent crimes. They also provide crisis response counseling to staff, students, and families. All of this is free of charge - no insurance necessary.