“BEST PRACTICIES” IMPLEMENTATION RUBRIC
NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING
Not Addressed
 No evidence of a safe
schools committee.
 No evidence of using school
safety data to develop a
positive discipline plan.
Emergent

A Safe Schools
Committee is formed to
focus on data analysis,
strategy development based
on prioritized needs in order
to create a safe school
culture.
Operational
 A Safe Schools Committee


is formed to focus on data
analysis, strategy
development based on
prioritized needs in order to
create a safe school
culture.
The Safe Schools
Committee meets regularly
to review school safety data
(discipline, attendance,
surveys, etc.) and discusses
the best practices on
violence prevention and
school culture.
Safe schools committee
develops a positive
discipline plan to prevent
ISS and OSS referrals.
This plan contains some,
but not all elements of the
pyramid of interventions.
Fully Operational
 A Safe Schools Committee is
formed to focus on data
analysis, strategy
development based on
prioritized needs in order to
create a safe school culture.
 The Safe Schools Committee
meets regularly to review
school safety data (discipline,
attendance, surveys, etc.) and
discusses the best practices
on violence prevention and
school culture.
 The Safe Schools Committee
develops yearly outcomebased objectives based on the
needs assessed during the
data review.
 The Safe Schools Committee
develops a positive discipline
plan to prevent ISS and OSS
referrals. This plan should be
based on a pyramid of
interventions.
 Primary prevention
strategies are
implemented that target
the entire school
population to create a
school culture that
promotes pro-social
problem solving in the
context of a safe and
drug free learning
environment (i.e.,
classroom meetings,
teaching and supporting
the use of pro-social
skills such as empathy
and social problem
solving, teaching and
supporting health
promotion strategies that
support good nutrition
and exercise)
 A series of early
interventions for
students in need are
available to teachers,
students, parents and
administrators including
consultation with school
counselor, parent/teacher
conferences, tutoring,
mentoring, support
groups, etc.
 Students with chronic
behavioral problems are
provided with
increasingly structured
interventions
 The Comprehensive School
Improvement Plan includes
integration of a positive
discipline plan with the
academic curriculum.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
Not
Addressed

No evidence of a plan for
professional learning
concerning school
discipline.
Emergent
 The school is gathering
information to address
school discipline
 Training is not systematic
and used to quell crisis
Operational
 The school cultivates
knowledge of innovative
programs and services to
address school violence by
providing systematic
training/technical assistance
for the proper
implementation of
programs.
 School committee shares
school safety data and
progress towards goals with
staff and obtains feedback
and support

Fully
Operational
 The school cultivates
knowledge of innovative
programs and services to
address school violence by
providing systematic
training/technical assistance
for the proper
implementation of programs
 School committee and
administrative leadership
monitor best practices to
provide continuous
improvement in their
violence prevention plan
 School committee shares
school safety data and
progress towards goals with
staff and obtains feedback
and support
 A comprehensive training
plan is developed at the
beginning of the school year
making use of faculty
meeting times, team meeting
times, grade level meeting
times, and professional
learning days
IMPLEMENTATION
Not
Addressed
 Discipline is punitive in
nature and is inconsistent for
infractions
 School wide responses are
crisis driven rather than
proactive
Emergent
 School staff and students
are periodically instructed
and held accountable to a
common set of behavioral
management practices
 Classroom teachers facilitate
discussion with students on
school-wide rules and
behavioral expectations
 Students are given
opportunities to be
recognized for academics
 Programs are aimed at
misbehavior rather than
prevention
Operational
 Primary prevention strategies
are implemented that target
some portions of the school
population to promote prosocial problem solving in
the context of a safe and
drug free learning
environment.
 School staff and students
are periodically instructed
and held accountable to a
common set of behavioral
management practices
 Classroom teachers facilitate
discussion with students on
school-wide rules and
behavioral expectations
 Faculty and administration
administer logical
consequences for
infractions, but methods are
inconsistent and support is
not universal.
 Students are given
opportunities to be
recognized for positive
contributions to themselves
and others.
 A written list of all
prevention programs exists
with a detailed description
to include purpose, grade
level, goals and objectives
for implementation
 Programs have been
implemented to meet the
assessed needs of the school
 School staff fosters
relationships with law
enforcement, outside
clinicians and community
agencies.
Fully
Operational
 Primary prevention strategies
are implemented that target
the entire school population
to create a school culture
that promotes pro-social
problem solving in the
context of a safe and drug
free learning environment
(ie, classroom meetings,
teaching and supporting the
use of pro-social skills such
as empathy and social
problem solving, teaching
and supporting health
promotion strategies that
support good nutrition and
exercise while preventing
drug abuse and risky sexual
behavior
 School staff and students are
periodically instructed and
held accountable to a
common set of behavioral
management practices
 School-wide rules are few
(maximum of 4), clearly
stated, posted and expressed
in a positive manner
 Classroom teachers facilitate
discussion with students on
school-wide rules and
behavioral expectations
 Faculty and administration
administer immediate and
consistent logical
consequences. Logical
consequences defined as:
educational, respectful and
appropriate to the
misbehavior
 Students are given
opportunities to be
recognized for positive
contributions to themselves
and others.
 A written list of all
prevention programs exists
with a detailed description
to include purpose, grade
level, goals and objectives
for implementation
 Research-based programs

have been implemented to
meet the assessed needs of
the school
School staff fosters
relationships with law
enforcement, outside
clinicians and community
agencies to support the
positive discipline plan
EVALUATION
Not
Addressed

Reviews data for required
reports
Emergent
 Administrators review
school discipline data, but
do use the data to formulate
plans
Operational
 School monitors the
effectiveness of violence
prevention programs over
time
 Administrators and school
staff review school data
related to school climate and
discuss areas of
improvements and areas of
need.
Fully
Operational
 School monitors the
effectiveness of violence
prevention programs over
time
 Bi-annually, administrators
and school staff review
school data related to
school climate and discuss
areas of improvements and
areas of need
 Schools consult periodically
with district personnel to
determine best practices for
specific needs
 A comprehensive evaluation
report is developed that
includes all prevention
programming implemented
during the school year
 The evaluation data is
based on the
identified needs,
baseline data and
outcome goals
 Program evaluation is
based on the specific
guidelines developed
for that program
 Quantitative and
qualitative measures
are used in the
evaluation