1. Michael J. Orosco University of Colorado at Boulder
Positive Behavior Support Systems: The Need for Developing Culturally Responsive Systems
Michael J. Orosco
University of Colorado at Boulder

2. A Thought
If a school is culturally responsive do we need a specialized behavioral program?

3. PBS: The Basics An Important School Idea:
The objective of any school is to establish
and develop host environments that
support adoption & sustain use of
evidence-based practices (as cited by Sugai & Horner, 2005)

4. Some Thoughts (Sugai & Horner, 2005)
“School environments that are positive, preventive, predictable, & effective (a) are safer, healthier, & more caring; (b) have enhanced learning & teaching outcomes; & (c) can provide continuum of behavior support for all students
Learning & teaching environments must be redesigned to increase the likelihood of behavior intervention plan success”

5. Features of a Positive School Climate

6. Problem Behaviors
“Insubordination, noncompliance, defiance, late to class, nonattendance, truancy, fighting, aggression, inappropriate language, social withdrawal, excessive crying, stealing, vandalism, property destruction, tobacco, not ready to learn, drugs, alcohol, failure to turn in homework, bullying, unsafe on bus, minor, repeated minor, unresponsive, teasing, not following directions, disrespectful of authority, contraband, not prepared, inappropriate use of school materials, weapons, harassment 1, harassment 2, harassment 3, unprepared to learn, parking lot violation, inappropriate use of school property, irresponsible, trespassing, disrespectful, disrupting teaching, uncooperative, violent behavior, disruptive, verbal abuse, physical abuse, dress code, other1, other2, other3, etc., etc., etc “(Sugai & Horner, 2005).

7. Problem Behaviors (Sugai & Horner, 2005)
Exist in every school
May vary in intensity
May be associated with a variety of contributing variables
Are a concern in every community regardless of race, class, or gender

8. Response Context #1 (Sugai & Horner, 2005)
I’ll be tough as Rhino Hide:
But….false sense of safety/security!
Promotes environments of control with no trust (authoritative society)
Triggers &reinforces antisocial behavior
Shifts accountability away from
School
Develops poor teacher-student relationships
Weakens relationships between academic &
social behavior programming

9. Response Context #2 (Sugai & Horner, 2005)
Old ABA: Train and Hope Approach to systems change
React to identified problem
Hire Expert to assess and develop a solution
Select a practice and then train
Implement, Wait and then Hope
Wait for a new problem

10. Along comes PBS…
Through the developing science of ABA, human behavior has taught us that students learn better ways of behaving by being taught directly and receiving informative & positive feedback on their performance (Sugai & Horner, 2005).

11. PBS: A Systematic Approach (Sugai & Horner, 2005)
Organize Team
Review data
Analyze, describe, & prioritize problem within context
Specific measurable outcomes
Select evidence based practice
Provide supports for accurate sustained adoption & implementation
Monitor practice implementation & progress toward outcome

12. The PBS Approach (Sugai & Horner, 2005)
PBS is a systems approach to enhancing the capacity of schools to educate all students, especially students with challenging social behaviors, by establishing (a) clearly defined outcomes that relate to academic and social behavior, (b) systems that support staff efforts, (c) practices that support student success, and (d) data utilization that guide decision making (Sugai & Horner, 2005).

13. PBS Elements (Sugai & Horner, 2005)

14. PBS Features (Sugai & Horner, 2005)
It is a proactive systems approach to school-wide discipline designed to be responsive to current social and educational challenges.
It is based on three levels of prevention (a) primary, (b) secondary, and (c) tertiary.
It is not a curriculum, discipline package, or product,….but a process for individualized and sustained decision making, planning, and problem solving.
It has an instructional focus where emphasis is placed on teaching behavioral expectations directly.

15. PBS Features (cont.) Teaching social behaviors like academic skills.
Maximizing academic engagement and success.
Considering the influence of instructional support.
It is based on empirically sound practices and applications in schools. Research that is trustworthy, accessible, and usable.
It uses data to guide intervention and management decisions.
It increases the contextual fit between the problem context and what we know works.
It establishes a continuum of behavior support.

16. PBS Features Model (Sugai & Horner, 2005)

17. School’s Reaction to Behavior (Sugai & Horner, 2005)
“The challenge isn’t that we don’t have the technology to respond to the challenges of problem student behavior. “
“The problem is that we have been unable to “fit” the technology to the problem context....we lack a clear understanding of the process for implementing effective behavior support.”
“The “Challenge” is creating “host environments” to support the use of preferred/effective practices”

18. Part II: Current State of PBS

19. Transitioning Period
PBS is moving from a case study approach to that of developing school and systematic wide models that provide students with universal support (tier 1), group support (tier 2), and individual support (tier 3).
Culturally Linguistically Diverse Populations?

20. Three Tier Approach
Primary Phase (Universal Support): This phase provides school-wide PBS support to all students
Secondary Phase: Focuses on providing prevention on reducing the number of existing cases of problem behavior
Tertiary Phase: Is for students who continue to pose challenges even after the primary and secondary phases

21. Research Synthesis
My synthesis included 14,373 students (w & w/o disabilities) in grades pre-K through 12
A cross study analysis was conducted to find any type of studies on a School Wide Positive Behavior System (SW-PBS): Qualitative and Quantitative

22. Findings
Out of the 25 studies that were reviewed less than 5% of the participants were culturally linguistically diverse students
However, these PBS research studies showed significant improvements in school based behavioral outcomes by establishing a climate for all students that provided a long term supportive environment

23. Findings (cont.)
I’m encourage by the certain aspects that the SW-PBS model provides:
-The emphasis of early behavioral intervention (First Tier): Preventative Medicine
-The continued push to work with a child’s behavior needs based on ongoing assessment
-Shift away from focusing on finding a behavior disability or within child deficits to providing the best behavioral support for all

24. PBS Challenges
Majority of studies that have been conducted are on monolingual populations: We have very few research studies done on CLD populations
Because of this we are not capitalizing/developing on appropriate behavior assessments and interventions for CLD students
One size fits all approach

25. PBS Challenges (cont.)
Schools with CLD populations implementing the PBS model will use the one size fits all approach and therefore presume that if a CLD child does not make adequate behavior progress , he or she may have a deficit of some kind….

26. Part III: Developing a Culturally Responsive PBS System (CRPBS)

27. A Premise
A Culturally Responsive PBS system is one that specifically acknowledges the presence of culturally linguistically diverse students and the need for these students to find relevant connections among themselves and with the behavioral goals and objectives that school ask them to perform.

28. Tools Needed Self-Assessment Identification Instructional Materials
Establishing a School wide atmosphere
Developing an Interactive Classroom
Ongoing Culturally Aware Assessments
Collaboration

29. Self Assessment
Test teachers understanding of cultures other than their own
-Will this assessment show the possibility of a teacher limitation that will negatively affect their students’ ability to develop successful behavior habits

30. Questions to Think About
What is my definition of diversity?
Do the children in my school come from diverse cultural backgrounds?
What are my perceptions of students from different racial or ethnic groups?
How do I respond to my students, based on these perceptions?
How well does my school incorporate the CLD child’s community?

31. Self Assessment Thoughts
Remember many times decisions to refer students for behavioral reasons rely on the observations of teachers who themselves may not have the social and cultural contexts to translate and respond to student behavior in their classrooms based on their own personal views and biasness…

32. Identification
What identification process or procedures do you have in place so that the process of identifying students to target for behavioral interventions itself does not become problematic based on descriptions of cultural and linguistic differences?

33. Identification Thoughts
In a CRPBS system cultural and linguistic differences are not variables in problematic behavior….
Cultural and linguistic differences are part of the solution and not the deficit….

34. Instructional Materials
A CRPBS system will have the use of a broad range of instructional tools to develop behavioral methods
Teachers need to use behavioral methods and materials that are tailored to suit the student
-behavioral scaffolding
-behavioral units (tied into academic learning: e.g. journals)
By being able to adapt these methods and materials teachers can increase the changes that their students will have positive behavioral outcomes

35. Instructional Thoughts
Has the school developed any materials and methods in the student population’s native language?
Community based practices?

36. Establishing a SW Atmosphere
A CRPBS system will enhance students behavioral development by constructing a learning environment that reflects their cultural membership in the class and throughout the school.
We must go from beyond mere school slogans to developing a proactive environment

37. Establishing a SW Atmosphere (cont.)
Teachers must attend to all students behavioral needs and try to incorporate them within the classroom and not in the office
It’ll give students a positive feeling about their worth as individuals and as productive members in their classroom

38. Developing an CRPBS classroom
Behavioral Groups
-The use of this kind of learning group allows all children to see the benefits of bringing together students with diverse backgrounds with problem solving tasks relevant to behavior concerns
-Guided and Informal Groups discussions: Allows for students to work towards developing positive behavioral goals and objectives

39. Ongoing Behavioral Assessments
In a CRPBS system teachers employ ongoing and systematic assessment of student abilities, interests, attitudes, and social skills.
-daily observation of students social and learning behaviors
-student self assessment
This information provides a basis for behavioral decision making and offers insights into what behaviors they may need to address

40. Collaboration
Schools must work with communities to examine issues related to classroom discipline, cultural and linguistic differences, and teaching practices to further developing successful approaches for teaching proactive behavioral skills

41. CRPBS Challenges Teachers beliefs and attitudes
Culturally Linguistically Diverse Populations
Resource Allocations
Community Based Practices

42. Final Thoughts
Primary importance of any CRPBS system is the teacher’s belief that CLD children want to learn and improve their behavior but at times may need guidance due different cultural norms
Secondly, teachers must use instructional behavioral strategies and specific teaching behaviors that have been proven to work on that given population
Finally, the development of CRPBS system will not only improve behavioral outcomes for all but also the academic outcomes as well

43. Reference School-wide Positive Behavior Support: Basics
George Sugai & Robert Horner
Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and
Supports
University of Connecticut & University ofOregon
(Ver. September 24, 2005)
See “Selected PBS Related References” at