Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a systems approach to preventing and responding to school and classroom discipline problems. PBIS develops school-wide systems that support staff to teach and promote positive behavior in all students. Schools that implement PBIS focus on taking a team-based system approach and teaching appropriate behavior to all students in the school.  The purpose of PBIS is to create an environment where everyone feels welcome, promote unity, and maximize learning.

 

Schools that have been successful in implementing school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports describe the following benefits:

 

• Increases in attendance.

• Student self-reports of a more positive and calm environment.

• Teacher reports of a more positive and calm environment.

• Reduction in the proportion of students who engage in behavioral disruptions.

• Reduction in the number of behavioral disruptions.

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Why PBIS? 

Previously, school-wide discipline has focused mainly on reacting to 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. Introducing, modeling, and reinforcing positive social behavior is an important aspect of a student’s educational experience. Teaching behavioral expectations and recognizing students for following them is a much more positive approach than waiting for misbehavior to occur before responding. The purpose of school-wide PBIS is to establish a climate in which appropriate behavior is the norm.

 

 

Wayne High School

Building-Wide Expectations – Warrior PRIDE

In accordance with PBIS universal guidelines, the PBIS expectations at Wayne High School are designed to (1) provide a clear understanding of expected student behavior, (2) be few in number, (3) be positively stated and structured, (4) use familiar language, and (5) include example behaviors defined for purposes of instruction. These expectations are:

Be Respectful, Be Responsible and Be Safe.  These three general expectations are uniform among all Huber Heights City School buildings.  However, the behavior matrixes developed by each building’s PBIS Committee are unique to that individual school.  So while you might see Be Respectful, Be Responsible and Be Safe listed as expectations at Charles Huber, the matrix that staff utilizes is tailored to the needs of their students in respect to age/competency levels and differs from what we use at Wayne. 

 

The PBIS Process

 

1. Establish Commitment and Maintain Team - establish PBIS Committee; attend training; get school-wide agreement and support (need at least 80% staff buy in to be successful).

 

Where We Are: A PBIS Universal Team was established during the 2016-2017 school year. Four members of the team attended three district-wide trainings during the winter and spring of last school year.  These members then presented their findings to the whole building teams during two summer trainings.  The committee will meet periodically throughout the school year to monitor data and make adjustments accordingly.

 

2. Establish an On-Going System of Reward - acknowledge expected behavior and use tangible rewards and acknowledgements and social recognition.

 

Where We Are:  Teachers submit positive referrals for students who show their Warrior Pride.  Students then receive a certificate based upon the positive referral.  Students are also entered into weekly and monthly prize drawings.  Finally, all students who receive a positive referral are invited to our Warrior Pride Ice Cream Social at the end of the year.

 

3. Establish a System for Responding to Behavioral Challenges - each teacher develops a system/plan outlining which behaviors are handled in the classroom and which result in an office referral; use pre-correction and restatement of expected behaviors when negative behaviors are repeated .

 

Where We Are: Teachers use their own system of consequences for those behaviors that are not referral-worthy.  Referrals will be handled as they always have been by building principals.

 

4. Establish a Data System to Monitor Progress & Aid in Decision Making - Develop a system to review the office discipline data to make decisions during implementation of PBIS.

 

Where We Are: We have implemented an online referral system through Public School Works.  The system allows the PBIS Committee and administration to examine discipline data and provide appropriate interventions.

 

5. Encourage Family Involvement - Building a strong and caring partnership between schools and parents/guardians/community.

 

Where We Are: We have not yet incorporated families and/or the community into our PBIS implementation.