1. 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

2. 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

3. Behavioral Expectations
Be present
Engage
Support each other
Team solutions and ideas

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

5. 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

6. Why PBS - 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!

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

8. Ineffective Responses to Problem Behavior
Get Tough (practices)
Train-&-Hope (systems)
Old tools

9. 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

10. 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
Zero tolerance policies – punitive, Increased surveillance – remove ourselves, Increased suspension & expulsion – remove student, In-service training by expert & Alternative programming – shifts responsibility, …..Predictable systems response!

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

12. “Train & Hope”

13. 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?
Doesn’t know how to swim – what do we do?
Doesn’t know how to drive – what do we do?
When a student doesn’t know how to behave – what do we do?

14. 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

15. Positive Behavioral Supports -
Integrate academic and behavioral success.
Bring school teams, parents and communities together.
They design and implement a broad range of systemic and individualized strategies -
for teaching, encouraging, reinforcing, & generalizing social & behavioral competence.
PBS → EBS → PBIS
School-wide positive behavior supports leads to effective behavior support which leads to Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.
Core principle –
smallest change for greatest positive impact

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

17. 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 20 17

18. 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

19. Teaching Behavioral Expectations: An Instructional Approach
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 27

20. 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.

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

22. PDSA Cycle Act Plan Study Do Team Agreements Data-based Evaluation
Dean A. Fixsen and Karen A. Blasé, 2006
Team
Agreements
Act
Plan
Data-based
Action Plan
Evaluation
SAY: In general, the implementation of a school-wide PBS approach at the school level is built around five main implementation steps.
Study Do
Implementation

23. Non-Teaching Family Behavioral Capacity Priority & Status
Representation
Specialized Support
Administrator
Team
Community
Data-based
Decision
Making
Administrator
Student
One of the most important steps is to establish or identify an existing group of individuals who can lead the establishment of a school-wide PBS approach. This team must be made of school staff who are respected, have effective communication skills and means, and can influence school policy, organization, and operations.
An important factor in effective leadership teaming is ensuring that members of the team agree on how they will conduct business (e.g., agenda, problem solving, voting, etc.). The Conducting Leadership Team Meetings Checklist (see Appendix.1) can be used to assess for and establish agreements about how team meetings will be conducted.
Teaching
Communications

24. Secure SW Agreements & Supports
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

25. PDSA Cycle Act Plan Study Do Team Agreements Data-based Evaluation
Dean A. Fixsen and Karen A. Blasé, 2006
Team
Agreements
Act
Plan
Data-based
Action Plan
Evaluation
SAY: In general, the implementation of a school-wide PBS approach at the school level is built around five main implementation steps.
Study Do
Implementation

26. 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

27. Example Committee Review Form
Initiative, Committee
Purpose
Outcome
Target Group
Staff Involved
School Action Plan
Attendance Committee
Increase attendance
Increase % of students attending daily
All students
Eric, Ellen, Marlee
Goal #2
Character Education
Improve character
Marlee, J.S., Ellen
Goal #3
Safety Committee
Improve safety
Predictable response to threat/crisis
Dangerous students
Has not met
School Spirit Committee
Enhance school spirit
Improve morale
Discipline Committee
Improve behavior
Decrease office referrals
Bullies, antisocial students, repeat offenders
Ellen, Eric, Marlee, Otis
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
Eric, Ellen, Marlee, Otis, Emma

28. 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

29. Activity
Talk to the person next to you at your table about different types of data you already have or might be interested in collecting at your school.
Think of at least one thing that gets in the way of collecting and reviewing this information.

30. PDSA Cycle Act Plan Study Do Team Agreements Data-based Evaluation
Dean A. Fixsen and Karen A. Blasé, 2006
Team
Agreements
Act
Plan
Data-based
Action Plan
Evaluation
SAY: In general, the implementation of a school-wide PBS approach at the school level is built around five main implementation steps.
Study Do
Implementation

31. Research to Practice Classroom Setting Systems Nonclassroom
Individual Student
Systems
In collecting data, making decisions, implementing systems – consider all environments – classroom, non-classroom, individual students, home, community and school-wide environments/influences.
School-wide
Systems

32. Teaching Matrix Expectations SETTING All Settings Hallways Playgrounds
Cafeteria
Library/
Computer Lab
Assembly
Bus
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 32

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

34. Few positive SW expectations defined, taught, & encouraged

35. PDSA Cycle Act Plan Study Do Team Agreements Data-based Evaluation
Dean A. Fixsen and Karen A. Blasé, 2006
Team
Agreements
Act
Plan
Data-based
Action Plan
Evaluation
SAY: In general, the implementation of a school-wide PBS approach at the school level is built around five main implementation steps.
Study Do
Implementation

36. Is PBS creating success for students in your school?
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
How is PBS changing the culture of your school?

39. 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.
Is the social and behavioral climate/culture of the school affecting academic outcomes for students?

40. Are the Components you Worked on Actually In Place?
Are the systems in place that you thought were in place?

41. Are they staying in place over time?
Are you able to sustain the implementation over time?

42. 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

43. 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

44. Vermont Data

45. How to find out more - Nationally - www.pbis.org www.apbs.org
In Vermont –

46. Activity
What further questions do you need answered to better understand any aspect of PBS?
Post them on the flipchart and note common themes.
Someone from the management team will record questions and organize into common themes for the whole group – this information can be used to differentiate the training and provide targeted technical assistance to teams.