Positive Behavior Support in Early Childhood Settings Tim Lewis, Ph.D. & Sarah Moore University of Missouri OSEP Center on Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports pbis.org

Big Ideas Program-wide vs. school-wide Primary focus at classroom level Data collection challenges Developmentally appropriate / need for direct instruction of social behavior Intensity match intensity of challenges across the continuum Apply basic logic of PBS across – Data, practices, systems

Starting Point We cannot “make” students learn or behave We can create environments to increase the likelihood students learn and behave Environments that increase the likelihood of social and academic success are guided by a core curriculum, adapted to reflect student need, and implemented with consistency and fidelity

Essential Features at the School Level Teams of educators within the school (administrator) Data-based decision making Instructional Focus – Teach & Practice Acknowledge student mastery of social skills – Positive Feedback

Universal School-Wide Features Clearly define expected behaviors (Rules) – All Settings – Classrooms Procedures for teaching & practicing expected behaviors Procedures for encouraging expected behaviors Procedures for discouraging problem behaviors Procedures for data-based decision making Family Awareness and Involvement

Area/Activity Expectation Be SafeBe ResponsibleBe Respectful Suggestions for arrival and departure Stay with adult Stop and watch for vehicles Hold adult’s hand in parking lot Use walking feet on stairs, ramp, and sidewalks Hold onto railing Follow the safety rules Ask/sign for help if needed Listen to adults Use good greeting words Use good manners words Classroom entry and welcome Keep entryway clear for others Use walking feet Keep hands to self Go to cubby Remove and hang up coat in cubby Go to sink and wash hands Choose activity and join friends Ask/sign for help if needed Use good greeting words Use good manners words Share and take turns Use indoor voice Bathroom Walk up and down stairs Hold onto railing Keep hands to self Go potty, wipe, and flush Wash hands with soap and water Turn off faucet Use three turns of paper towels Dry hands Ask/sign for help if needed Return to activity Indicate need to go potty by telling teacher Wait turn Use good manners words Classroom Use walking feet Keep feet on the floor Touch friends gently Use materials only for intended purpose Cough/sneeze in elbow Listen Wait and take turns Share Clean up Ask/sign for help if needed Follow instructions Use inside voice Use good talking words Take care of classroom property Be a good friend to everyone

Group Contingency for Appropriate Behavior (Beehive)

WE ARE: BEING SAFE, KIND AND RESPONSIBLE WE FILLED OUR BEE HIVE TODAY! Do You Like to Buzz? (sung to the tune of ‘Do Your Ears Hang Low?’) Do you like to buzz? Are you covered in fuzz? Do you call a hive a home In the garden where you roam? Do you know how to make honey? Are your stripes a little funny? Do you like to buzz?

Social Skills Lesson Plan Classroom Skill: Be Safe – Use Walking Feet Steps: Introduce Skill – A way to be safe is to use walking feet in the classroom Teach the Expected Behavior Discuss with students why it is safe to use walking feet instead of running in the classroom. Ask students: When do we need to use our walking feet? (possible answers: when we are inside, when going to the playground, going to the bus, going home, etc…) Demonstrate – Show the children what using your walking feet looks like (thumbs up) – Show the children what using your running feet looks like (thumbs down) – Show the children what using your walking feet looks like (thumbs up) – Model walking, marching, stomping -e.g., “walking feet go 1and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5” Practice – Different opportunities through out the day – Have students practice walking softly, loudly, quickly, slowly, forward, backward – “We walk, we walk, we walk, and we stop” (repeat) Review/Re-teach – Use pre-corrects before “walking” activities begin—“We are getting ready to go outside for recess. What do we need to do with our feet?” – Re-teach the skill as needed Reinforce – Specific praise—“You are using your walking feet while walking to recess! Good job!” – Other reinforcers

Turn and Talk What have you implemented in your settings to date?

Classroom Supports

Essential 1.Classroom expectations & rules defined and taught (all use school- wide, create classroom examples) 2.Procedures & routines defined and taught 3.Continuum of strategies to acknowledge appropriate behavior in place and used with high frequency (4:1) 4.Continuum of strategies to respond to inappropriate behavior in place and used per established school-wide procedure 5.Students are actively supervised (pre-corrects and positive feedback) 6.Students are given multiple opportunities to respond (OTR) to promote high rates of academic engagement 7.Activity sequence promotes optimal instruction time and student engaged time 8.Instruction is differentiated based on student need

Systems Teach – Brief in-service, single topic focus Practice (performance feedback) – Peer coaching pbismissouri.org

Turn and Talk What are some of the challenges you have had to date?

Assessment Tools PBIS.org Pre-School-wide Evaluation Tool (SET) Pre- Self Assessment Survey (SAS) Benchmarks Of Quality Team Implementation Checklist Other Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool Inventory of Practices for Promoting Social Emotional Competence

Needs Assessment Pre-school SAS Pre-school SET

Pre-school SAS

PRE-SET (Horner, Benedict, & Todd, 2005) Adaptation of an assessment tool called the School-wide Evaluation Tool (SET) used in K-12 educational settings to measure critical features of school-wide PBS. The Pre-SET assesses classroom and program-wide variables across 9 categories: A. Expectations Defined B. Behavioral Expectations Taught C. Appropriate Behavior Acknowledged D. Organized and Predictable Environment E. Additional Supports F. Family Involvement G. Monitoring & Decision-Making H. Management I. Program & District-Wide Support

Pre-SET Administration Information necessary for completion of the Pre-SET is gathered from multiple sources including review of permanent products, observations, and staff and child interviews. A Pre-SET should be conducted for each classroom within an early childhood program if the implementation status or practices (e.g., classroom rules) are different for each classroom. The Pre-SET may be conducted at the program level if all classrooms within the early childhood program are at the same implementation status and use the same practices (e.g., have same classroom rules).

System/Intervention Evaluation Pre-school ODRs?

EC Behavioral Report

Turn and Talk What solutions have worked to resolve some of the challenges to date?

Positive Behavior Support in Early Childhood Settings Tim Lewis, Ph.D. & Sarah Moore University of Missouri OSEP Center on Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports pbis.org