School-wide
Positive Behaviour
Support
[name]
[organization]
Website: http://bcpbs.wordpress.com
Goals of this Session
1.
2.
3.
Describe the reason for approaching
student behaviour from a systems level
Explain the essential elements of
School-wide PBS
Show some school outcomes
The New Yorker
The “Get Tough” approach:
Assumption that “problem” student…
Is inherently “bad”
 Will learn more appropriate behaviour
through increased use of aversives
 Will be better tomorrow…
…after the suspension

Science and our experiences have
taught us that students….


Are NOT born with “bad behaviours”
Do NOT learn when presented with
increasing levels of punishment
…Do
learn better ways of
behaving by being taught directly &
receiving positive feedback
Positive
Behaviour
Support
Social Responsibility &
Academic Achievement
OUTCOMES
Supporting
Decision
Making
Supporting
Staff Behaviour
PRACTICES
Supporting
Student Behaviour
Social Responsibility &
Academic Achievement
Positive
Not specific practice or
Behaviour
curriculum…it’s a
general approach OUTCOMES
Support
to preventing
problem behaviour
and encouraging
prosocial behaviour
Supporting
Staff Behaviour
Not limited to any
particular group of
students…it’s
for all students
PRACTICES
Supporting
Student Behaviour
Supporting
Decision
Making
Not new…based on
a long history of
effective educational
practices & strategies
CONTINUUM OF
SCHOOL-WIDE
INSTRUCTIONAL &
POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR
SUPPORT
Universal Interventions:
School-/ClassroomWide Systems for
All Students,
Staff, & Settings
Intensive Individual
Interventions:
Specialized
Individualized
Systems for Students
with High-Risk Behaviour
Targeted Interventions:
Specialized Group
Systems for Students
with At-Risk Behaviour
What does PBS
look like?
CONTINUUM OF
SCHOOL-WIDE
INSTRUCTIONAL &
POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR
SUPPORT
~5%
~15%
Intensive Individual
Interventions:
Specialized
Individualized
Systems for Students
with High-Risk
Behaviour
Targeted Interventions:
Specialized Group
Systems for Students
with At-Risk Behaviour
Universal Interventions:
School-/ClassroomWide Systems for
All Students,
Staff, & Settings
~80% of Students
School-wide & Class-wide
Systems
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Define school-wide expectations
(i.e., social competencies)
Teach and practice expectations
Monitor and acknowledge prosocial
behaviour
Provide instructional consequences
for problem behaviour
Collect information and use it for
decision-making
Critical Features of Effective
School-wide Expectations

Small number
2

to 5
Broad
 Cover
all expected behaviours
Memorable
 Positively stated

Bernard Elementary
Chilliwack School District
Positive Behaviour Support Program
On-going Acknowledgement
of Appropriate Behaviour

Every faculty and staff member
acknowledges appropriate behaviour

5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative contacts
System that makes acknowledgement
easy and simple for students and staff
 Different strategies for acknowledging
appropriate behaviour (small frequent
incentives more effective)

Are “rewards” dangerous?
“Our research team has conducted a series of
reviews and analysis of the literature; our
conclusion is that there is no inherent negative
property of reward. Our analyses indicate that
the argument against the use of rewards is an
overgeneralization based on a narrow set of
circumstances.”
 Cameron, 2002
See also:
 Cameron & Pierce, 1994, 2002
 Cameron, Banko & Pierce, 2001
Discourage Problem Behaviours
Do not ignore problem behaviour
 Provide clear guidelines for what is
handled in class vs. sent to the office
 Use mild, instructional consequences
 Remember the PURPOSES of negative
consequences

 Provide
more practice
 Prevent escalation of problem behaviours
 Prevent/minimize reward for problem
behaviours
CONTINUUM OF
SCHOOL-WIDE
INSTRUCTIONAL &
POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR
SUPPORT
~5%
~15%
Intensive Individual
Interventions:
Specialized
Individualized
Systems for Students
with High-Risk
Behaviour
Targeted Interventions:
Specialized Group
Systems for Students
with At-Risk Behaviour
Universal Interventions:
School-/ClassroomWide Systems for
All Students,
Staff, & Settings
~80% of Students
Targeted Interventions

Efficient systems for students who need
additional support beyond universal
programs
 Continuously
available
 Rapid access (within 72 hrs.)
 Consistent with school-wide system
 All school staff have access/knowledge

Should work for most (but not all) students
CONTINUUM OF
SCHOOL-WIDE
INSTRUCTIONAL &
POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR
SUPPORT
~5%
~15%
Intensive Individual
Interventions:
Specialized
Individualized
Systems for Students
with High-Risk
Behaviour
Targeted Interventions:
Specialized Group
Systems for Students
with At-Risk Behaviour
Universal Interventions:
School-/ClassroomWide Systems for
All Students,
Staff, & Settings
~80% of Students
Intensive Individual Interventions
Individualized, function-based behaviour
support
 Identify what basic need students are
trying to meet with problem behaviour

 Teach
adaptive, prosocial skills to meet those
needs
 Change environments to make problem
behaviour less likely
 Stop inadvertently making problem behaviour
worse
Does PBS make a
difference in
Canada?
Kelm, J. L., McIntosh, K.,& Cooley, S. (under review). Effects of
implementing school-wide positive behaviour support on social and
academic outcomes.
Good, C., McIntosh, K., & Gietz, C. (2011). Integrating bullying prevention
into School-wide Positive Behaviour Support. Teaching Exceptional
Children, 44(1), 48-56.
McIntosh, K., Bennett, J. L., & Price, K. (2011). Evaluation of social and
academic effects of school-wide positive behaviour support in a Canadian
school district. Exceptionality Education International, 21, 46-60.
BC Elementary School Example:
Office Discipline Referrals
What does a reduction of 266 discipline
referrals mean?
Kay Bingham Elementary

Savings in School
Staff time

(ODR = 15 min)
3,990 minutes
 67 hours
 8 8-hour days

Savings in Student
Instructional time
(ODR = 30 min)
7,980 minutes
 133 hours
 17 6-hour school
days

Get the cost-benefit calculator at: www.pbismaryland.org!
BC Elementary School Example:
Out of School Suspensions
Student Satisfaction Survey:
Grade 4
At school, are you bullied, teased or picked on?
100
90
% many times or all of the time
80
70
60
2008
50
2009
40
30
20
10
0
School
District
FSA Results 2008-09: Grade 4
Reading Comprehension
100
90
% meeting or exceeding
80
70
60
2008
50
2009
40
30
20
10
0
School
District
How do we
implement PBS?
Needs of PBS

Staff Support



Resources



3-4 year commitment
Proactive instructional approach
Administrative leadership
Time (FTE)
Monitoring

Data systems


Office discipline referral systems
Implementation surveys (e.g., pbisassessment.org)
Where can I learn
more about PBS?
Resources

Websites:
 bcpbs.wordpress.com
 promisingpractices.research.educ.ubc.ca
 pbis.org

Making Connections Conference
 Richmond,
BC
Nov. 1 – 2, 2012
Contact Information

Name
email
address
Website: http://bcpbs.wordpress.com