Vermont Positive Behavior Supports Bringing out the BEST in all of us. Presented by: Rae Ann Knopf VTPBS State Coordinator VTDOE Assistant Division Director The Vermont PBS State-wide Leadership Team The Vermont State BEST Team University of Vermont Center on Disability & Community Inclusion

PBS Implementation Coaches Rae Ann Knopf, State-wide Coordinator Richard Boltax, BEST Co-coordinator Sherry Schoenberg, BEST Co-coordinator Ken Kramberg, BEST consultant Ruth Hamilton, BEST consultant Carol Randall, DOE Education Consultant Lisa Mazzitelli, DOE Education Consultant

Behavioral Expectations B B e present E E ngage S S upport each other T T eam solutions and ideas

So What is PBS? Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) is a proactive, school-wide, systems approach to improving social and academic competence for all students.

Big Idea Educational leaders must strive to lead and support development of sustainable and positive school climates The goal is to establish school communities that support adoption and sustained use of evidenced-based practices (Zins & Ponte, 1990)

Challenge #1 – Rigid, Inflexible Systems

Challenge #2 – Someone Else’s Problem

Why PBS? Do the math... Competing Pressures in Schools + Conflicting Priorities + Competing for limited resources = Diminished capacity to focus on the needs of students & staff

Positive School Climates... Maximize academic engagement & achievement Minimize rates of rule violating behavior Encourage respectful & responsible acts Facilitate more efficient, effective & relevant school functioning Improve supports for students with disabilities & greater risk of educational failure

Examples…. In one elementary school in Vermont – one student received 91 office discipline referrals, another 87 One teacher processed 283 referrals Middle school with ~ 500 students, reported over 1400 office discipline referrals in one academic year = Average of 2.4 ODR’s per student!

Instructional Time Lost 1400 referrals = 21,000 mins= 350 hrs = 44 teaching days 59 administrative days 131 instructional days for students

Ineffective Responses to Problem Behavior Get Tough (practices) Train-&-Hope (systems)

Immediate & seductive solution….”Get Tough!” Clamp down & increase monitoring Re-re-re-review rules Extend continuum & consistency of consequences Establish “bottom line”... Predictable, reactive individual response

But….false sense of safety/security! Fosters environments of control Triggers & reinforces antisocial behavior Shifts accountability away from school Devalues child-adult relationship Weakens relationship between academic & social behavior programming

Based on Erroneous assumption that student… Is inherently “bad” Will learn more appropriate behavior through increased use of “aversives” Will be better tomorrow…….

“Train & Hope” REACT to Problem Behavior Select & ADD Practice Hire EXPERT to Train Practice Expect, But HOPE for Implementation WAIT for New Problem

When a student Doesn’t know how to read – what do we do? WE TEACH. Doesn’t know how to add – what do we do? WE TEACH. Doesn’t know how to swim – what do we do? WE TEACH. Doesn’t know how to drive – what do we do? WE TEACH. When a student doesn’t know how to behave – what do we do? When a student doesn’t know how to behave – what do we do?

Research on behavior has taught us that people…. …… can learn better ways of behaving by being taught directly & receiving positive feedback…..... Especially when function is considered - Sugai and Horner, 2003

What PBS does - PBS identifies a set of science-based behavior support practices that are proactive, instructive and inclusive. PBS integrates academic and behavioral success. PBS brings school teams, parents and communities together to design and implement a broad range of systemic and individualized strategies for teaching, encouraging, reinforcing, and generalizing social and behavioral competence. PBS → EBS → PBIS Core principle - make the smallest environmental change necessary in order to facilitate the greatest positive change in behavior.

Transforming Practices Reactive Proactive (Focus on Prevention) Punitive Instructive (Teach and recognize appropriate skills) Exclusionary Inclusionary (Keep students in school and in class)

Implementing and Sustaining School-wide Positive Behavior Supports is School teams coming together to – Create a common purpose Define 3-5 positively stated behavioral expectations Develop systems for teaching, encouraging, and reinforcing expectations Develop systems for discouraging negative behaviors Develop function based systems for supporting students and responding to behavior patterns

DEFINE expectations for behavior TEACH the expected behavior REVIEW expectations regularly MONITOR performance of expected behaviors RECOGNIZE individuals when expected behaviors are demonstrated CORRECT individuals when expected behaviors are not demonstrated Teaching Behavioral Expectations: An Instructional Approach

Public Health & Disease Prevention Kutash et al., 2006; Larson, 1994 Tertiary (FEW)  Reduce complications, intensity, severity of current cases Secondary (SOME)  Reduce current cases of problem behavior Primary (ALL)  Reduce new cases of problem behavior

Activity Turn to the person next to you at your table and take turns teaching each other the triangle. Try to cover the key concepts in two minutes or less.

Six Components of SW Discipline (SW-BSP) 1.Statement of purpose (Common approach to discipline) 2.Clearly defined expected behavior 3.Procedures for teaching expected behavior 4.Continuum of procedures for encouraging expected behavior 5.Continuum of procedures for discouraging problem behaviors 6.Procedures for record-keeping & decision making

Team Agreements Data-based Action Plan Implementation Evaluation Plan Act StudyDo PDSA Cycle Dean A. Fixsen and Karen A. Blasé, 2006

Behavioral Capacity Priority & Status Data-based Decision Making Communications Administrator Team Administrator Specialized Support Student Community Non-Teaching Teaching Family Representation

Secure SW Agreements & Supports Agreements At least 80% of staff Prioritizing use of data- base for informed decision making (e.g., EBS Staff Survey, ODR’s) 3-4 year commitment Proactive instructional approach Supports Administrative leadership Prioritized resources  Materials, personnel On-going coaching Time

Team Agreements Data-based Action Plan Implementation Evaluation Plan Act StudyDo PDSA Cycle Dean A. Fixsen and Karen A. Blasé, 2006

4 Elements of Data-based Decision Making Use data to answer questions and verify outcomes Describe in measurable terms Specify realistic & achievable criterion for success Identify priorities for action High quality data from clear definitions, processes, & implementation (e.g., sw behavior support) Efficient data storage & manipulation system (e.g., SWIS) Process for using data to make decisions & take action

Initiative, Committee PurposeOutcomeTarget Group Staff Involved School Action Plan Attendance Committee Increase attendance Increase % of students attending daily All studentsEric, Ellen, Marlee Goal #2 Character Education Improve character All studentsMarlee, J.S., Ellen Goal #3 Safety Committee Improve safety Predictable response to threat/crisis Dangerous students Has not met Goal #3 School Spirit Committee Enhance school spirit Improve morale All studentsHas not met Discipline Committee Improve behavior Decrease office referrals Bullies, antisocial students, repeat offenders Ellen, Eric, Marlee, Otis Goal #3 DARE Committee Prevent drug use High/at-risk drug users Don EBS Work Group Implement 3- tier model Decrease office referrals, increase attendance, enhance academic engagement, improve grades All studentsEric, Ellen, Marlee, Otis, Emma Goal #2 Goal #3 Example Committee Review Form

Kinds of Data Office discipline reports Out of classroom referrals Behavioral incidents Attendance Suspension/Detention Special education referrals Observations Self-assessments – PBS Surveys, Youth Risk Behavior Surveys

Team Agreements Data-based Action Plan Implementation Evaluation Plan Act StudyDo PDSA Cycle Dean A. Fixsen and Karen A. Blasé, 2006

Nonclassroom Setting Systems Classroom Setting Systems Individual Student Systems School-wide Systems Research to Practice

School Rules NO Food NO Weapons NO Backpacks NO Drugs/Smoking NO Bullying Redesign Learning & Teaching Environment

Few positive SW expectations defined, taught, & encouraged

Teaching Matrix SETTING All SettingsHallwaysPlaygroundsCafeteria Library/ Computer Lab AssemblyBus Respect Ourselves Be on task. Give your best effort. Be prepared. Walk.Have a plan. Eat all your food. Select healthy foods. Study, read, compute. Sit in one spot. Watch for your stop. Respect Others Be kind. Hands/feet to self. Help/share with others. Use normal voice volume. Walk to right. Play safe. Include others. Share equipment. Practice good table manners Whisper. Return books. Listen/watch. Use appropriate applause. Use a quiet voice. Stay in your seat. Respect Property Recycle. Clean up after self. Pick up litter. Maintain physical space. Use equipment properly. Put litter in garbage can. Replace trays & utensils. Clean up eating area. Push in chairs. Treat books carefully. Pick up. Treat chairs appropriately. Wipe your feet. Sit appropriately. Expectations

Team Agreements Data-based Action Plan Implementation Evaluation Plan Act StudyDo PDSA Cycle Dean A. Fixsen and Karen A. Blasé, 2006

After PBS Implementation – the middle school above reduced office discipline referrals by 64% A 64% reduction of 1324 referrals recaptures – 26 – 8 hour days of teaching time 35 – 8 hour days of administrative time 70 – 8 hour days of student instruction Is PBS creating success for students in your school?

4J School District Eugene, Oregon Change in the percentage of students meeting the state standard in reading at grade 3 from to for schools using PBIS all four years and those that did not.

Are the Components you Worked on Actually In Place?

Are they staying in place over time?

What should I expect to see/hear in a PBS school? SW-PBS (primary) >80% of students can tell you what is expected of them & give behavioral example because they have been taught, actively supervised, practiced, & acknowledged. Positive adult-to-student interactions exceed negative Function based behavior support is foundation for addressing problem behavior. Data- & team-based action planning & implementation are operating. Administrators are active participants. Full continuum of behavior support is available to all students Secondary & Tertiary Team-based coordination & problem solving Local specialized behavioral capacity Function-based behavior support planning Person-centered, contextually & culturally relevant District/regional behavioral capacity Instructionally oriented Linked to SW-PBS practices & systems School-based comprehensive supports

What’s the Status in Vermont? State-wide Leadership Team – 34 members Training of External Implementation Coaches – 6 state-wide coaches, 3 district coaches Established priority for Act 230 spending 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 spending Training and Implementation in Schools Over 900 educators & mental health personnel – introductory training 34 schools engaged in implementing SW-PBS

Vermont Data

How to find out more - Nationally In Vermont –

Activity What further questions do you need answered to better understand any aspect of PBS? Post them on the flipchart and note common themes.