What is a school-wide PBS approach?
PBS is a systems approach to creating safer and more effective schools. PBS focuses on improving a school's ability to teach and support the positive behavior of all students. Each school’s PBS Leadership Team designs, implements, and evaluates specific school-wide practices that are for ALL students and ALL staff in non-classroom settings. PBS IS NOT a program or curriculum. It is a team-based process for systemic problem-solving, planning, and evaluation.
What are the critical elements of PBS?
Systems: Supports that are needed to enable the accurate and durable implementation of the practices of PBS.
* Active leadership and ongoing participation by administrators
* Staff commitment for consistent implementation
* Team-based planning and problem-solving
Practices: Collection of intervention strategies that are evidence-based
* An instructional approach to behavior support and classroom management
* School-wide discipline practices and procedures
* Behaviorally-based interventions for non-responders
* Functional assessment-based behavior support planning
* Comprehensive plans for individual students with intensive needs
* Integration with mental health and other community supports
Data: Information that is used to identify status, need for change, and effects of interventions
* Efficient data collection system
* Data to make school-wide decisions and to progress monitor
What are the desired outcomes of a PBS approach?
For a school to determine the effectiveness of its practices, a data collection system must be designed that is easy, efficient, and relevant. Historically, most schools track student outcomes (e.g., the frequency of disruptive behaviors) through some form of an office discipline referral (ODR) to determine effectiveness. Data, however, needs to extend beyond outcomes for students to determine how well universal intervention is being implemented and maintained. An evaluation plan for school-wide PBS uses multiple data sources and measurement tools.
General outcomes include:
*Reduction in ODR, suspensions, expulsions while increasing academic performance.
*Increase in positive teaching and acknowledgement strategies among all school staff.
*Increase in data-based decision-making relative to behavior and/or academic skills.
So what does PBS look like at WSES?
We have incorporated the PBS approach into our Community of Caring character education program with great success. Students may earn individual Mighty Mustang tickets for meeting and exceeding the behavioral expectations as outlined in the PBS school-wide matrix and for exhibiting the character education qualities of caring, respect, responsibility, trust, fairness, citizenship, perseverance, self-discipline and cooperation. Once a student earns 10 tickets, he or she gets to sign the Book of Honor located in the Main Office. Students also work together as a class to earn tickets and incentives in the cafeteria and with specialists (PE, Music, Library and Art).
