Supporting Positive Behavior in the Classroom:
Discussion
Recently, disruptive, antisocial, and even violent behavior in the classroom has
become a significant concern (Sprague et al., 2002; Walker & Shinn, 2002). Despite
these concerns, many programs of teacher preparation do not include specific courses on
the topic of effectively addressing the behavioral needs and challenges of students. Thus,
the purpose of this section is to outline and describe essential components of effective
classroom behavior support strategies. Additionally, supplemental and expanded
resources on effective behavior support approaches will be included in order to further
assist faculty in teacher preparation programs in supplementing their own instruction in
this important area.
Overview
Due to the alarming increase in dangerous and disruptive behaviors in schools,
many districts have resorted to “zero tolerance” and other punitive practices (LewisPalmer, Sugai & Larson, 1999). However, rather than reducing these behaviors, such
negative approaches have frequently resulted in an actual increase in problem behavior
(Lewis & Garrison-Harril, 1999; Turnbull et al., 2002). As an alternative, schools have
begun to increasingly make use of Positive Behavior Supports (PBS; OSEP Technical
Assistance Center on PBS, 2006).
The PBS model indicates that students may have academic and/or behavioral
needs displayed at one of three levels, and that schools should provide a continuum of
academic and behavior supports that match these three levels (see Figure 1). While
ultimately the response to these behaviors are the responsibility of the entire school,
classroom teachers play an integral role in the development, implementation and ongoing
monitoring of strategies at each level of the Positive Behavior Support process (George,
Harrower & Knoster, 2003). Thus the remainder of this section will be organized to
describe the specific strategies and supports that are available to, and can most effectively
be provided by, classroom teachers at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of PBS.
Figure 1. Continuum of Behavioral Support
From OSEP Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support, Technical Assistance Guide
Version 1.4.4 (12/01/99), Applying Positive Behavioral Support and Functional Behavioral Assessment in
Schools.
Students with
Chronic/Intense
Problem Behavior
(1 - 7%)
Tertiary Prevention
Secondary Prevention
Students At-Risk
for Problem
Behavior
(5-15%)
Students without
Serious Problem
Behaviors
(80 -90%)
Primary Prevention
All Students in School
Specialized Individual
Interventions
(Individual Student
System)
Specialized Group
Interventions
(At-Risk System)
Universal Interventions
(School-Wide System
Classroom System)
What is Primary Prevention?
Primary Prevention involves system-wide efforts to prevent new cases of a
condition or disorder. For example, giving children vaccinations against common
diseases such as measles and chicken pox prevents initial occurrences of these diseases.
As a system-wide Primary Prevention effort in schools, positive behavior support consists
of rules, routines, and physical arrangements that are developed and taught by school
staff to prevent initial occurrences of problem behavior. For example, to prevent injuries
to students caused by running in hallways, schools may develop Primary Preventions by
1) establishing and teaching the rule, “walk in the hallways;” 2) creating a routine in
which staff station themselves in the hallways during transition times to supervise the
movement of pupils; or 3) altering the physical arrangement, such as making sure that an
adult is with any group of students when they are in the hallways (From www.pbis.org).
What are we trying to prevent?
It goes without saying that we want to prevent the major “behavioral earthquakes”
that we hear about in the news: violent acts against teachers or other students, theft,
bullying behavior, drug use, and the like. However, research has taught us that efforts to
prevent these serious problems are more successful if the “host environment”—the
school as a whole—supports the adoption and use of evidence-based practices. Practices
that meet these criteria include teaching and rewarding students for complying with a
small set of basic rules for conduct, such as “be safe,” be responsible,” and “be
respectful.” These rules translate into sets of expectations that differ according to various
settings in the school. Thus, on the playground “be safe” means stay within boundaries
and follow the rules of the game. In hallways and on stairs, it means to keep your hands
and feet to yourself and to walk on the right side. Some parents and educators believe that
students come to school knowing these rules of conduct, and that those who don’t follow
them simply should be punished. However, research and experience has taught us that
systematically teaching behavioral expectations and rewarding students for following
them is a much more positive approach than waiting for misbehavior to occur before
responding. It also establishes a climate in which appropriate behavior is the norm.
Finally, the use of Primary Prevention strategies has been shown to result in dramatic
reductions in the number of students being sent to the office for discipline in elementary
and middle schools across the United States and Canada. In effect, by teaching and
encouraging positive student behavior (i.e., positive behavior support), we reduce the
“white noise” of common but constant student disruption that distracts us from focusing
intervention expertise on the more serious problems mentioned above (From
www.pbis.org).
Primary Prevention Strategies for Classroom Teachers
Supports and strategies at the Primary Prevention level are designed to be applied
to all students, in hopes of meeting the needs of the majority of those students. Examples
of primary support strategies include teaching and acknowledging school or classroom
rules and procedures. Recent research has demonstrated that approximately 80% of
students will need no further interventions and supports when strategies at this level are
positive and consistently in place (Horner & Sugai, 2002).
Strategies might include:
Assessing and Adapting the Classroom Environment
Lesson Design and Implementation
Teaching Rules and Procedures
Encouraging Appropriate Behavior
Discouraging Inappropriate Behavior
Student Motivation
Teacher Expectations
Addressing Cultural Issues
Teacher-Student Relationships
(Note: Detailed information about these strategies can be found in the Primary
Prevention PowerPoint slide sets.)
What if primary prevention doesn’t work?
Primary Prevention through positive behavior support does work for over 80% of
all students in a given school (based on a criterion of the number of students who have
one or fewer office discipline referrals per month). But obviously, it will not work for
everyone. For a variety of reasons, some students do not respond to the kinds of efforts
that make up Primary Prevention, just as some children are not completely protected by
vaccinations. Putting into place systematic Primary Prevention strategies offers two
advantages: First, it reduces the “white noise” caused by large numbers of office
discipline referrals for minor problems. As we suggested earlier, this volume of referrals
obscures and distracts our attention from more serious problems. Second, having a
system for documenting the occurrence of problem behaviors (e.g., office discipline
referrals) provides a way to determine which students need more intensive intervention.
For example, the criterion for considering the need for moving into secondary prevention
for a student or group of students might be four or more office discipline referrals in a
month. Without Primary Prevention, of course, the number of students meeting this
criteria and needing additional help will be much larger (From www.pbis.org).
IRIS Center for Faculty Enhancement materials for Primary Prevention
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html
Star Legacy Modules (Behavior) Who’s in Charge? And You’re in Charge!
Case Study: Norms and Expectations
Additional Primary Prevention resources can be found at the end of this section and in the
following PowerPoint slide sets:
Primary Prevention in the Classroom – Introduction
Primary Prevention in the Classroom – Guidelines for Setting up a Classroom
Prevention System
Primary Prevention in the Classroom – Teaching Classroom Rules
Primary Prevention in the Classroom – Teaching Classroom Procedures
Primary Prevention in the Classroom – Evaluating Effectiveness
What is Secondary Prevention?
Secondary Prevention is designed to provide intensive or targeted interventions to
support students who are not responding to Primary Prevention efforts. Interventions
within Secondary Prevention are more intensive since a smaller number of students
within the yellow part of the triangle are at risk for engaging in more serious problem
behavior and need a little more support. Common Secondary Prevention practices involve
small groups of students or simple individualized intervention strategies. Secondary
Prevention is designed for use in schools where there are more students needing behavior
support than can be supported via intensive and individual tertiary support, and for
students who are at risk of chronic problem behavior, but for whom high intensity
interventions are not essential. Secondary prevention often involves targeted group
interventions with ten or more students participating. Targeted interventions are an
important part of the continuum of behavior support needed in schools, and there is a
growing literature documenting that targeted interventions can be implemented by typical
school personnel, with positive effects on up to 67% of referred students. Targeted
interventions also are recommended as an approach for identifying students in need of
more intensive, individualized interventions. Specific Secondary Prevention interventions
include practices such as “social skills club,” “check in/check out” and the Behavior
Education Plan.
Individual PBS plans at the Secondary Prevention level involve a simple
assessment to identify the function a problem behavior serves (Functional Behavioral
Assessment or FBA) and a support plan comprised of individualized, assessment-based
intervention strategies that include a range of options such as: (1) teaching the student to
use new skills as a replacement for problem behaviors, (2) rearranging the environment
so that problems can be prevented and desirable behaviors can be encouraged, and (3)
monitoring, evaluating, and reassessing this simple plan over time.
Secondary Prevention Strategies for Classroom Teachers
This second level of support is called Secondary Prevention, since specific
strategies and supports are provided for particular students whose behavior persists
despite the use of Primary Prevention. These students are typically considered to be at
risk for developing more significant problems, and may benefit from approaches
targeting their specific area of need. Research indicates that approximately 10 – 15% of
students will have needs at this level (Sprague, Sugai, Horner & Walker, 1999).
Strategies might include:
Social Skills Training
Check-in/Check-out, Behavior Education Program
Mentoring
Daily Point Sheets
(Note: Detailed information about these strategies can be found in the Secondary
Prevention PowerPoint slide sets.)
How do we know when a secondary intervention plan is effective?
A teacher determines when a secondary intervention plan is effective by
observing a decrease in the frequency and or intensity of inappropriate social behaviors
of the targeted at risk students. Students will respond differently to behavioral
interventions. However, a teacher needs to observe a positive effect within three to five
instructional days for most of the students in the group to consider the intervention plan
to be a success. On the other hand, if the teacher observes that the frequency and
intensity remain at the same level as before the intervention, then a decision should be
made to try a different intervention plan and or design a more focused individual positive
behavior support plan for those students who are not responding positively (see the
intensive, individual interventions section).
IRIS Center for Faculty Enhancement materials on Secondary Prevention
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html
Star Legacy Modules (Behavior) Addressing Disruptive and Non-Compliant
Behaviors (Part 1): Understanding the Acting-Out Cycle
Addressing Disruptive and Non-compliant Behaviors (Part 2): Behavioral
Interventions
Case Study: Fostering Student Accountability For Classroom Work
Through realistic classroom scenarios, this case study set introduces the five key
components of an effective accountability system and offers guidance on how to
implement these strategies in a classroom setting.
What is Tertiary Prevention?
Tertiary Prevention was originally designed to focus on the needs of individuals
who exhibited patterns of problem behavior. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness
of PBS in addressing the challenges of behaviors that are dangerous, highly disruptive,
and/or impede learning and result in social or educational exclusion. PBS has been used
to support the behavioral adaptation of students (and other individuals) with a wide range
of characteristics, including developmental disabilities, autism, emotional and behavioral
disorders, and even students with no diagnostic label.
Tertiary Prevention is most effective when there are positive primary (schoolwide) and secondary (classroom) systems in place. In addition, the design and
implementation of individualized supports are best executed when they are conducted in
a comprehensive and collaborative manner. The process should include the individual
with behavioral challenges and people who know him/her best all working together to
promote positive change all working as a behavioral support team (BST). Support should
be tailored to people's specific needs and circumstances. It should involve a
comprehensive approach to understanding and intervening with the behavior, and should
use multi-element interventions. The goal of Tertiary Prevention is to diminish problem
behavior and, also, to increase the student's adaptive skills and opportunities for an
enhanced quality of life.
Tertiary Prevention involves a process of functional behavioral assessment (FBA)
and a support plan comprised of individualized, assessment-based intervention strategies,
including a wide range of options such as: (1) guidance or instruction for the student to
use new skills as a replacement for problem behaviors, (2) some rearrangement of the
antecedent environment so that problems can be prevented and desirable behaviors can be
encouraged, and (3) procedures for monitoring, evaluating, and reassessing of the plan as
necessary. In some cases, the plan may also include emergency procedures to ensure
safety and rapid de-escalation of severe episodes (this is required when the target
behavior is dangerous to the student or others), or major ecological changes, such as
changes in school placements, in cases where more substantive environmental changes
are needed (From www.pbis.org).
Tertiary Prevention Strategies for Classroom Teachers
Tertiary Prevention is for approximately five percent of students, those who have
not responded to support strategies at the previous two levels. Students at this level
display significant behavioral needs, and typically require intensive, individualized, team-
based supports. Strategies at this level tend to consist of individualized behavior
contracts, wrap-around services, and team-based functional behavior assessment and
behavior support plans (Horner, Sugai, Boland & Todd, 2004).
Strategies might include:
Functional Behavioral Assessment
Positive Behavior Support Plans
Contracts
Differential Reinforcement
Token Economies
Time Out
Self-Monitoring
Note: Detailed information about these strategies can be found in the following
PowerPoint slide sets:
Tertiary Prevention in the Classroom – Functional Behavioral Assessment
Tertiary Prevention in the Classroom – Positive Behavior Support
Tertiary Prevention in the Classroom – Behavior Contracts
Tertiary Prevention in the Classroom – Differential Reinforcement
Tertiary Prevention in the Classroom – Token Economies
Tertiary Prevention in the Classroom – Time Out
Tertiary Prevention in the Classroom – Self-Monitoring
How do we know when tertiary prevention is effective?
Effective tertiary interventions produce measurable changes in behavior and
improvements in a student’s quality of life (e.g., participation in integrated activities,
improved social relationships, independence and self-sufficiency). Individual BIPs
include objective methods for evaluating these outcomes, and determining adjustments
that might be warranted when progress does not occur within a reasonable time frame.
IRIS Center for Faculty Enhancement materials on Tertiary Prevention
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html
Case Study: Encouraging Appropriate Behavior
This case study unit outlines positive behavior management techniques that can be
employed with individual students who have behavioral concerns that are not effectively
addressed by comprehensive classroom rules. It features scenarios of students at varying
grade levels, ranging from elementary to high school.
Conclusion
School behavior problems are not limited to students with IEPs, and they can
interfere with learning for every student on campus. The model we have described can
increase positive behaviors in all students if it is implemented systematically, and all
school personnel are involved in planning and implementation.