1. Tim Lewis, Ph.D. & Danielle Starkey University of Missouri
PBS in the Classroom: Essential Evidence-based Classroom Strategies & Connect Points Across the Continuum     
Tim Lewis, Ph.D. & Danielle Starkey
University of Missouri

2. The Challenge
Students spend majority of their school day in the classroom
Majority of “discipline problems” originate in the classroom and often result in removal from instruction
Remaining engaged in instruction essential to student academic and social success
“Culture” of education often reinforces ineffective practices and creates barriers to implementing effective practices

3. Basic Steps
Focus on what you want students to do “instead” (replacement behaviors)
Look for patterns of behavior that suggest “functional relationships”
Teach replacement behavior and provide multiple opportunities to practice
Deliver high rates of positive feedback/same similar outcome as problem behavior when students display replacement behavior

4. Setting up the Environment
Establishing expectations (Kameenui & Simmons, 1990):
What do I want my classroom to look like?
How do I want children to treat me as a person?
How do I want children to treat one another?
What kind of information or values do I want to communicate to students about being an adult, an educator, a woman or a man in today's society?
How do I want children to remember me when the last day of school ends and I am no longer part of their daily lives?
How can I change my instruction to help pupils develop the skills I am trying to teach?
Bottom line = ask yourself if students have pre-requisite and requisite skills to succeed based on each of your answers – if not, teach and practice

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

6. A Classroom Example…
Stichter, J. P., Lewis, T. J., Johnson, N., & Trussell, R. (2004). Toward a structural assessment: Analyzing the merits of an assessment tool for a student with E/BD. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 30,

7. Study Basics Subject: Setting Concern Seven years old
Identified with EBD and ADHD
Setting
General education 2nd grade classroom with 19 other students
One licensed teacher and one student teacher
Concern
Student exhibits high rates of off-task
Student shouts out answers and questions and comments at high rates and often inappropriate

8. “Function of Behavior”
Descriptive (interviews and teacher reported ABC/ Scatterplot data)
Function identified as Attention
Significant antecedents: multiple step direction and group settings
Very High rates of both problem behaviors reported/ inconsistency in accuracy of data collection

9. “Environment Assessment”
Significant variables:
clarity of expectations & directions
consistency of expectations
accessibility of class schedules
lack of enforced procedures (especially regarding to hand raising and verbalizations or entire class)

12. Challenge: How to Insure All Staff Are Using Effective Practices

13. Systems Teach Brief in-service, single topic focus
Practice (performance feedback)
Peer coaching
Principal “walk throughs” 13

14. Effective Professional Development
OUTCOMES
(% of Participants who: Demonstrate Knowledge, Demonstrate New Skills in a Training Setting, and Use New Skills in the Classroom)
Training Components
Demonstrate Knowledge
Demonstrate New Skill in Training
Use New Skills in Classroom
Theory & Discussion
10% 5% 0%
Plus Demonstration in Training
30%
20%
Plus Practice and Feedback
60%
Plus Coaching in the Classroom
95%
Joyce and Showers, 2002

15. Effective Classroom Practices: Mini Modules
MO SW-PBS
pbismissouri.org
Center for PBS
College of Education
University of Missouri

16. Typical School Day
17% Direct Instruction 33% Seatwork 20% Transitions 30% Discipline & Other Non-Instructional Activities
Note to Presenter: See page 324 in the MO SW-PBS Team Workbook for further explanation of academic learning time.
When the amount of time spent in various classroom activities was researched only 17% was spent in instruction and 33% in seatwork.
Transitions take 20% of the school day. The typical elementary classroom loses 7-10 minutes each transition from one subject to another; with a typical day including at least 10 transitions, 70 minutes are lost each day; almost one day per week lost to transitions alone.
Unfortunately discipline and other non-instructional activities such as taking attendance, announcements, etc, accounted for 30% of the school day.
Think about your typical day and the time you spend in various activities. How does it compare to these statistics?
Why is this information relevant to us? (discipline takes away from time to teach academic curriculum)
Conclusion: We want to implement effective classroom practices to prevent and decrease interruptions caused by discipline problems and increase the amount of time we have to teach.
Cotton, 1995; Walberg, 1988
MO SW-PBS
324

17. Discussion: Importance of expectations & behaviors?
Pair Up
2-Minute Frenzy – Discuss:
How has clarifying schoolwide/non-classroom setting behaviors/rules impacted student behavior in our school?
Why do you think it is important to clarify classroom behaviors/rules?
Take 2 minutes and talk to someone near you.
Discuss the impact of schoolwide and non-classroom behaviors/rules in your building.
Talk about how this relates to classroom behaviors/rules.

18. Guidelines for Writing Classroom Behaviors or Rules
Consistent with school-wide expectations O = Observable; behaviors that we can see. M = Measureable–we could actually count the occurrence of the behavior. P = Positively stated–things to do to be successful. U = Understandable–student-friendly language. A = Always applicable.
Classroom expectations and behaviors or rules must be consistent with schoolwide expectations and rules. School rules are in effect in the classroom. What we identify as classroom rules are additional, extra or specific to the classroom setting – anything not already covered by the schoolwide rules that you want in effect in your classroom.
To enhance the effectiveness of classroom behaviors/rules, 5 guidelines need to be considered.
Classroom rules need to be written in observable measurable terms. Observable means, “I can see it”
Classroom behaviors/rules also need to be written in Measurable terms. Measurable means, “I can count it”
Third, just as we do with schoolwide and non-classroom behavior/rules… classroom rules should be positively stated. Positively stated rules encourage the desired behavior. This means telling students what we want them TO do.
Fourth, classroom rules need to be understandable. Rules are stated so students clearly understand what is meant. Vocabulary should be consistent with student’s grade and/or ability level (ie “use school appropriate language” might be ok at the middle school level, but perhaps is not understandable for a kindergarten classroom)
The last guideline for writing classroom rules is…Always applicable. Rules should be based on problems which typically occur and they should not vary or change within the same setting.
MO SW-PBS 93

19. Activity: Classroom Rule Writing Activity Option 1
List problem behaviors in your classroom
List replacement behavior (what we want kids to do instead)
List schoolwide expectations
Categorize rules within schoolwide expectations
This activity is for schools who have NOT identified classroom expectations/rules as a column on their matrix. If your school has not addressed classroom rules in any way, you should do this activity… You will need two handouts: 1) Rules Writing Worksheet Example 2) Rules Writing Activity Classroom Rules Worksheet
If your school has identified CLASSROOM expectations/rules that apply to all classrooms in the building, then you will skip Activity Option 1 and complete Activity Option 2 instead.
For Activity Option 1…
First, look at handout Rules Writing Worksheet Example. This can be used as an example while you complete your own rules on handout entitled Rules Writing Activity Classroom Rules Worksheet
Next, using handout Rules Writing Activity Classroom Rules Worksheet, list your schoolwide expectations (safe, respectful, ready)
Then list problem behaviors in your classroom. The behaviors that take time away from learning.
After you have listed problem behaviors, identify the replacement behaviors or what you want students to do instead of the problem behavior.
Remember the guidelines we shared earlier,
Observable
Measureable
Positively stated
Understandable
Always applicable – Something the teacher will consistently enforce
Finally, categorize your replacement behaviors/positively stated rules into your schoolwide expectations. It is important to make that connection.
Give participants minutes to work on this activity. Discuss when finished.

22. Elementary School Example – Encouraging Expected Behavior (Coaching in the Classroom & Observation)

23. The Beginning – Background Info.
School used a universal screening instrument in October of 2012.
Results indicated that 32.3% of students were in the at-risk or high-risk range.
Team decided to focus first efforts on implementation of Tier 1 with higher levels of fidelity.

24. Baseline Data Collection
Classroom-Level Observations of Effective Classroom Practices
Expectations & Rules
Procedures & Routines
Encouraging Expected Behavior
Discouraging Inappropriate Behavior
Active Supervision
Opportunities to Respond
Based on data, team identified 1 practice to improve upon.
Initial ratio of positive specific feedback to correctives: 1.85:1

25. Professional Development Process & Data
October 2013 – Initial Observations, Ratio at 1.85:1
January 2013 – Staff Professional Development on Positive Specific Feedback
February 2013 – Follow-up Classroom Observations, Ratio at 2.44:1
March 2013 – Additional Staff Professional Development with Increased Practice and Supports
May 2007 – Final Classroom Observations of the School Year, Ratio at 6.55:1

26. End of Year Outcomes
ODRs decreased by 39.41% from to
Minor referrals decreased by 34.8% from to
Classroom minor referrals decreased by 33.5% from to

27. Connecting Universal and Advanced Tiers of Support

28. Tier II/III Support Process
Step 1 – Insure Universals, including Classroom, in place
Step 2 – Student Identification Process
Decision Rules
Referral
Screen
Step 3 Classroom Problem Solving Team
Classroom supports (function-based)
Progress monitor
Step 4 - Tier II/III supports
Non-responders to classroom supports
Match function of student behavior to intervention
Step 5 - Evaluate Process

29. Classroom Quiz
1. When the teacher , most students stop and listen.
Yes Sometimes No
2. When class starts, the teacher has everything ready.
3. Before we start a new activity, the teacher reminds us what we are supposed to do.
4. When we are asked to work by ourselves, all students work quietly and do what they are supposed to do.
5. I often finish my work and do not know what I should be doing while others are still working.
6. Our classroom rules are:

30. 3. Classroom Problem Solving
Grade level / combinations
Once a week focus of meeting = social behavior concerns when decision rule met
Standard problem solving steps

31. Classroom Problem Solving
Student meets data decision rule
Classroom teacher completes preliminary forms (documents student progress to date)
Problem solving lead walks team through problem solving process
Tier II/III Team partner attends if team is unable to identify patterns leading to intervention or when significant concerns noted
Plan put in place
Student progress monitored and reported at weekly meetings

32. Classroom Problem Solving
Process leader
Classroom teachers, Specialist teachers
Tier II/III Team partner
School Psychologist, Counselor, Administrator
Process
Data-based decision making
Guiding questions
Function-based intervention
Teach replacement
Environmental alterations / supports
Monitor progress

33. Classroom Problem Solving Process
Develop intervention based on function of behavior
Environment changes
Student skills to teach/practice/reinforce
Monitor progress
Same data that brought them to your attention
Problem and Appropriate behavior
Teacher observations