Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

Creating safer and more effective schools

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) enhances the ability of schools to educate all children while using research-based, schoolwide, and classroom discipline systems. The process focuses on improving a school’s ability to teach and support positive behavior for all students. Rather than a prescribed program, PBIS provides systems for schools to design, implement, and evaluate effective schoolwide, classroom, and student-specific discipline plans. PBIS includes schoolwide procedures and processes intended for:

  • All students, all staff, and in all settings.
  • Non-classroom settings within the school environment.
  • Individual classrooms and teachers.
  • Individual student supports for the estimated 1-5 percent of students who present the most challenging behaviors.

PBIS is a team-based process that creates an environment in which school-based teams of educators are trained in:

  • Systems change.
  • Effective behavior management principles and practices.
  • Applications of research-validated instruction and practices.

Each school develops their own overarching expectations, routines, and procedures to reflect the essential elements of PBIS within their school culture.