School-wide Positive Behavior Support: Linking Social and Academic Gains Washington Association of School Administrators Rob Horner University of Oregon

Main Messages Social behavior is central to achieving academic gains. School-wide PBS is an evidence-based practice for building a positive social culture that will promote both social and academic success. Implementation of any evidence-based practice requires a more coordinated focus than typically expected.

What is School-wide Positive Behavior Support? School-wide PBS is:  A systems approach for establishing the social culture and individualized behavioral supports needed for schools to be effective learning environments for all students. Evidence-based features of SW-PBS  Prevention  Define and teach positive social expectations  Acknowledge positive behavior  Arrange consistent consequences for problem behavior  On-going collection and use of data for decision-making  Continuum of intensive, individual interventions.  Administrative leadership – Team-based implementation (Systems that support effective practices)

Establishing a Social Culture Common Vision/Values Common Language Common Experience MEMBERSHIP

Primary Prevention: School-/Classroom- Wide Systems for All Students, Staff, & Settings Secondary Prevention: Specialized Group Systems for Students with At-Risk Behavior Tertiary Prevention: Specialized Individualized Systems for Students with High-Risk Behavior ~80% of Students ~15% ~5% SCHOOL-WIDE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT Nation Wash

(n = 201) Michigan: Distribution of Elementary Reading Intervention Level Reading Intervention Level (based on DIBELS) 24% 33% 43% 56% 24% 20% (n = 4074) Dr. Steve Goodman Kent Miora Amanda Jorge Goodman

A link between SWPBS and Improved Academic Achievement Randomized Control Trial RCT

Consideration David Tilly/ Hill Walker ▫Development of Science to Practice Efforts  Identification of basic principles of behavior  Development of evidence-based practices  Development of implementation technology

The current technology of Implementation and IDEA ▫Focus on Access to Education ▫Access to services NCLB and RtI ▫Focus on Outcomes ▫Shift to Implementation of Effective Practices

© Dean Fixsen, Karen Blase, Robert Horner, George Sugai, 2008 Implementation An effective intervention is one thing Implementation of an effective intervention is a very different thing Dean Fixsen

Implementation Systems "All organizations [and systems] are designed, intentionally or unwittingly, to achieve precisely the results they get." R. Spencer Darling The single most efficient strategy for changing an organization/system is to define, measure and repeatedly report the outcomes most valued by that organization/system. Thomas Gilbert, 1978

Unintended Effects Too often our systems are organized to meet administrative requirements, not achieve student outcomes Conflicting programs Conflicting funding streams Redundancy Lack of coordination across programs Nonsensical rules about program access Extreme complexity and fiscal inefficiency

Our education system has grown up through a process of “disjointed incrementalism” (Reynolds, 1988 ) K-12 Education SPED Migrant ELL At-Risk Title I Gifted

Proposed Solution Combine Response to Intervention with Conventional Problem Solving Model Define Problem Develop Plan Implement Data Used for Evaluation

Define Problem Develop Plan Implement Data Used for Evaluation

© Dean Fixsen, Karen Blase, Robert Horner, George Sugai, 2008 Scale Up Innovative practices do not fare well in old organizational structures and systems Organizational and system changes are essential to successful implementation ▫Expect it ▫Plan for it

Final Consideration Never initiate change without: 1. Linking change to valued student outcomes 2. Documenting conceptual logic and empirical foundation for change 3. Defining iterative measures for BOTH implementation fidelity and student impact.

Leadership Team Funding Visibility Political Support TrainingCoachingEvaluation Local Demonstration Schools Active Coordination Behavioral Expertise

Implementation is not linear Capacity development must often lead implementation

Schools adopting SWPBIS in Illinois Lucille Eber

Valued Outcomes Implementation Identifying & Modifying Practices Efficiency EffectivenessPriority Continuous Regeneration Continuous Measurement Data- Based Prob. Solving Capacity Building

Implementation for “emerging” versus “established” practices It is not just the “practice” but the “implementation protocol” that need to be developed. “Emerging” practices should be implemented in small contexts  Learn the implementation elements needed

Main Messages for Implementation Start with the outcomes Practices are ready for TA when they are (a) focused on highly valued outcomes (comprehensive), (b) defined with precision, (c) evidence-based, (d) compatible with existing practices, (e) efficient (relative/absolute), (f) socially valid, (g) adaptable, and (h) generalizable Implementation is a unique technology  NIRN Phases of Implementation  Scaling Up The process of TA for effective implementation is non-linear and iterative. ▫Plan for continuous improvement

Scaling “Scaling up is defined as having enough of something so that it is useful. Scaling up is the process of moving from “exemplars” to the “typical.” The process of scaling involves the development of organizational capacity to move from exemplars sustained by extra-ordinary supports, to typical application with typical supports. While there is no firm agreement about the level at which “scaling” is achieved, we hypothesize that an organization (district, state) has reached the “tipping point” for functional scaling when approximately 40% of the units in the organization are implementing a practice with fidelity. At that point, the education system would have changed to provide typical supports for evidence-based practices across the state.” Fixsen et al 2008

Lessons Learned from School-wide Positive Behavior Support Invest in state, district, building capacity Local leadership team The role of evaluation The role of coaching The shift from centralized demonstrations to regional scaling. Continuous improvement for sustainability

Summary Effective technical assistance begins by understanding the core outcomes valued by an organization/system. New practices need to be effective, efficient, acceptable, and substantively better than what we already do. Implementation is a new technology ▫Implementation will occur in stages ▫Implementation will require iterative change ▫Implementation will focus as much on sustainability as on initial fidelity. Scaling up requires becoming the “norm”