Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Support

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School-wide Positive Behavioral Support

• John Umbreit, Ph.D.
• University of Arizona

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Purpose 

• History
• Approach
• Preparation for the rest of the meeting

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History

• 1992 One-shot workshops
• Long-term effort
• Effective Support Model

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Need a Proactive System for the Whole School
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Traditional Approach to School Discipline

• Too many rules
• Emphasis on nots, donts, and penalties
• Limited knowledge of rules
• Inconsistent implementation
• Students follow the real rules

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Typical Problems

• Thousands of disciplinary referrals
• Individual students with nearly 100 referrals
• Individual teachers who make hundreds of referrals

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Typical Response

• Increase monitoring of students
• Review rules and sanctions
• Extend continuum of aversives
• Improve consistency of applying aversives
• Establish bottom line

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Typical System Responses

• Zero Tolerance Policies
• Security guards, student uniforms, metal
  detectors, video cameras
• More suspension/expulsion
• Exclusionary options (e.g., alternative programs)

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The Aversives Trap

• Aversive situation ? aversive intervention
• Remove student
• Remove ourselves
• Modify physical environment
• Place burden for change on students and others

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The Real Outcomes

• Creates environments of control
• Occasions and reinforces antisocial behavior
• Shifts accountability away from school
• Leads to more of the same

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2001 Surgeon Generals Report

• Good News
• of school homicides decreasing
• Bad News
• Assaults and other antisocial behaviors are
  increasing

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Report Recommendations

• Break up antisocial networks
• Increase academic success
• Create positive school climates
• Target all students

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SWPBS Approach to School Discipline

• Goal
• To create learning environments that are both
  positive and productive

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Elements of the SWPBS Approach to School
Discipline

• Assess current environments (AzSET)
• Define appropriate behavior
• Teach appropriate behavior
• Support (reinforce) appropriate behavior
• Correct errors
• Use data for decision-making

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Goals of the School-wide Discipline Model

• Fewer behavior problems
• Better academic performance
• Better student, teacher, and family satisfaction

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Step 1 Secure Administrative Support

• Active support and involvement by administrators
• Includes providing for time, money, space, and
  other needed resources

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Step 2 Organize a Leadership Team

• 5-10 members, including administrator
• Representative of school staff
• Often includes 1 or more parents
• Why team approach?
• Ownership
• Buy-in
• sustainability

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Step 3 Define Behavioral Expectations

• Develop 3-5 inclusive expectations
• Easy to remember
• apply to all students in all settings
• Define what each expectation means (behaviorally)
  in each relevant school environment

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Step 4 Teach Behavioral Expectations

• Directly teach concrete social skills expected in
  each relevant school environment

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Step 5 Acknowledge/Reward Appropriate Behavior

• Appropriate behavior needs to payoff it needs
  to work
• Some use formal systems some rely on social
  reinforcers (e.g., praise, recognition,
  privileges)
• All students acknowledged
• Goal 4-5 positives for every aversive

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Step 6 Monitor and Correct Behavioral Errors

• Clear set of consequences for problem behavior
• Correct problem behavior quickly
• Tie correction to the school expectations (what
  to do instead next time)

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Step 7 Use Information for Decision-making

• Collect data on office referrals that require
  administrative involvement
• Provides useful information for refining
  school-wide discipline system
• Provides objective evaluation of success
• Provides positive feedback to students, staff,
  administration, and families

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Impact of SWPBS
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What Does this Mean to You?

• First year developmental (some exceptions)
• Not shotgun approach
• Takes time and commitment (3-5 yrs)
• Payoff worthwhile

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Organization of ABI

• Partners
• Partner schools
• Arizona Department of Education
• University of Arizona
• Arizona State University
• Northern Arizona University
• National Center for PBIS

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Universitys Role

• Coursework for sustainability
• NAU (Web-based school-wide PBS)
• ASU (Web-based PBIS)
• UA (3 Web-based courses/Behavioral Support
  Specialist training)

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Universitys Role

• Technical Assistance
• Orientation
• Training Conferences
• On-site visits
• Regional meetings
• Multiple contact formats

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Rest of the Training Conference

• Partner School presenters
• AzSET
• Effective Team functioning
• Data
• Quarterly Reports