2. Beginning to Embed CR in Your Universal System
Michelle Belnavis
Wisconsin RtI Center
Kent Smith
Wisconsin RtI Center
@MichelleBelnav2 (Twitter)
@Kent1915 (Twitter)

3. Agenda Introductions and “Things to know” Necessity of Identity work
Places where Universal system can create barriers and examples
Getting Started and Resources

5. Things to Know Identity work is critical
The available resources helps build CR Systems, are not CR guides
Use with coaches to guide the work. Too overwhelming for whole team.
When looking at data, preface the risk ratio conversation with National to state to district to building to show how systems have been built; not a racist building thing.
Risk ratio identifies SOMETHING is going on but is not diagnostic. Dig deeper.

6. May be easier to start with gender or poverty, but teams should not “hang out” there having addressed those.
Poverty and race will come up. Skiba study (Race is not neutral) isolated race in terms of poverty and found race is a much bigger predictor of success than poverty.
Systems and practices are of equal importance and to be effective both areas must be addressed.

7. Turn and Talk
Thinking about these things, what concerns do you have about your current systems starting to use this resource?

8. Identity Development
Identity development work must be systemic This work will not occur or sustain unless staff are provided support regarding when and how it can best happen

9. Identity Development Practitioners
Practitioners must examine and understand:
How and why they perceive the world the way they do
Their own comfort level with issues of race, ethnicity, and educational and social disparities
The background from which they develop and apply their expectations, procedures, routines, and practices
The purpose of their expectations, procedures, and practices

10. It is imperative that staff examine their beliefs about what is “normal,” “appropriate,” or “acceptable” behavior. These notions are culturally defined and can vary greatly from person to person, thus providing the basis for disproportionate correction.

11. We see the world not as it is, but as we are…
These men both did ground breaking work. They died on the same day. They had different backgrounds, both faced struggles, both by any measure were successful at the time of their deaths. Who are they? Why is it that we know one of them on sight and the other we don’t?
Derrick Bell and Steve Jobs
We pay attention to those things familiar to us and that resonate with us. Technology is a daily presence, but how many people know what critical race theory is? CRT is no less important than technology, but the things we know are the things we see.
It is imperative that staff examine their beliefs about what is “normal,” “appropriate,” or “acceptable” behavior.
These notions are culturally defined and can vary greatly from person to person, thus providing the basis for disproportionate correction.

12. Identity Development Student & Family and School & Community
Student and Family Identity:
Student and family backgrounds, cultures, and values
Students understanding their own identity
School and Community Identity:
People of the community; their beliefs, values, and expectations
Shared experiences that shape the behaviors of community members
The school’s place in the community: Source of pride? Source of conflict?
Connections between the school and community agencies/organizations
Visibility of the school at community events
School and/or district teams should use student and system data along with community feedback to guide decision-making.

13. SWPBIS Cultural Responsiveness
Teams are encouraged to:
Complete the Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI), found at
Identify areas of priority from the TFI
Refer to related resources (see end slides)
Develop an action plan
Consider use of Culturally Responsive SWPBIS Self Assessment for progress monitoring

14. Technical & Adaptive Change
Technical Change
Supports actual practices or instruction, involve learning and implementing new strategies or tools.
Adaptive Change
Requires changes in values, beliefs, roles, relationships, & approaches to work.
Essential components
Steps in the process
Intervention tools
How can PBIS help our school reach more students?
How can we be more responsive to the
students we serve?
These two types of change may occur in sequence or simultaneously. In general, research on change in educator attitudes and behaviors indicates that adaptive change may be more likely to occur after technical change, as a result of experiencing successes and seeing the potential for equitable outcomes through using effective strategies (Guskey, 1986).
Changes you SEE
Changes you FEEL
Helfetz and Lusky, 2002

15. Places to Start Looking Organized by the TFI
Team Composition
Team Operating Procedures
Behavioral Expectations
Teaching Expectations
Problem Behavior Definitions
Discipline Policies
Professional Development
Classroom Procedures
Feedback and Acknowledgement
Faculty Involvement
Student/Family/Community Involvement
Discipline Data
Data-based Decision Making
Fidelity Data
Annual Evaluation

16. Validate – Affirm – Build – Bridge
To make legitimate that which the institution (academia) and mainstream has made illegitimate.
Build –
Making the connections between the home culture and language with the school culture and language through instructional strategy and activity.
Affirm –
To make positive that which the institution (academia) and mainstream media has made negative.
Bridge –
Giving opportunities for situational appropriateness or the utilization of the appropriate cultural or linguistic behavior.
All of the previous strategies should be aimed at VABBing with stakeholders. We want to:
Validate and Affirm concerns
And Build and Bridge to the purpose of implementation

17. Problem Behavior Definitions

18. Behavior Definitions
Research indicates that subjective behaviors more often result in disproportionate discipline for students of color (e.g., defiance, disrespect)
McIntosh, Girvan, Horner, & Smolkowski, 2014 Skiba et al., 2011

19. Engagement Defined Engaged Stakeholders demonstrate ownership through:
Investment in Purpose
Commitment to Common Goal/Vision
Active and Continued Participation
Interactive Communication
Internal/External and two way

20. Discipline Data

24. Turn and Talk
Of the concepts highlighted, what parts do you think would be easily received in your building or district? What will be the most difficult? How can you begin to address the difficult pieces?

25. How to…
Teams may use the CR Field guide and other tools either before initial SWPBIS implementation to build cultural responsiveness into systems from the beginning or after initial SWPBIS implementation to enhance equity of existing systems. To use this resource, we suggest the following steps:

26. Step 1
Complete the TFI. Teams can first complete the SWPBIS Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI; available at a fidelity of implementation measure for SWPBIS. This measure allows teams to rate their implementation of the critical features of SWPBIS and identify next steps for implementation.

27. Step 2
Use the TFI. After completing the TFI, teams can use the companion guide and/or other resources to assess and improve the cultural responsiveness of their SWPBIS systems. Teams may choose to: (a) review resources available, (b) consult items from the TFI that are in place (to build on strengths), or (c) assess items where the TFI indicates need for improvement or other information indicates the need for enhanced cultural responsiveness.

28. Step 3
Create an action plan. Use the information from the TFI and this resource to develop a detailed action plan for implementing core components of cultural responsiveness within SWPBIS.

29. Getting Started
Establish the need in local terms – mismatch between mission and outcome
Begin Identity Development work
Move into the CR specific development

30. Turn and Talk
When considering the “Getting Started” information, where is the biggest challenge going to come from? How can you begin to neutralize those challenges?

31. PBIS Disproportionality Resources
BCRS Training in Wisconsin
CR Classroom Modules
DTAN Offerings
Equity in PBIS website from OSEP PBIS Technical Assistance Center
Data Guidebook
Policy review Guide
CR Companion to TFI
Implicit Bias material
WI Risk Ratio Tool

33. asession.questionpro.com