Multi-tiered Systems of
Support & Bullying Behavior
Presented by Richard Boltax from the work
of George Sugai, Rob Horner, Chuck
Soufler and Dan Olweus
www.pbis.org
www.vermontpbis.org
Framing the Issue
Schools are safe places.
The seeds of violence are not rooted in school nor
can they be solved only at school.
The solutions touch on mental health, strength of
family and neighborhood, access to weapons,
juvenile and criminal law, and the prevalence of
violence in the media.
Solutions must be comprehensive, coordinated,
collaborative, and sustained.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
W1g9RV9OKhg
Bully Free Street Signs in
Bensalem, PA
H.771 2012
A description of how the school board will
ensure that teachers and other staff
members receive training in preventing,
recognizing, and responding to bullying.
School boards shall adopt and implement
bullying prevention policies as required by Sec.
13 of this act no later than January 1, 2013.
What is bullying?
Bullying is characterized by the following three criteria :
A) it is aggressive behavior or intentional harm doing;
B) it is carried out repeatedly and over time;
C) it occurs within an interpersonal relationship
characterized by an imbalance of power. (Olweus 1986,
1991, and 1993)
Intentional - Repeated - Imbalanced
What is Bullying?
• “Bullying” is repeated aggression,
harassment, threats or intimidation
when one person has greater status,
or power than the other.”
• Examples:
9
Basic Principles
Bullying can be redirected to more pro-social
behavior through:
• a systematic restructuring of the social
environment
• resulting in fewer opportunities for bullying
behavior
• and smaller social rewards for the bullying
child
With a partner, recall a bullying situation
from childhood where you were the
victim.
• Who was present?
• What happened?
• Did anyone intervene on your
behalf?
• How long did the whole scenario
take?
With a partner, recall a bullying situation
from childhood where you were a
bystander.
• Who was present?
• What happened?
• Did you intervene on behalf of the victim? Why or
why not?
• How long did the whole scenario take?
• What did you feel at the time?
• How do you feel in recalling it?
Greater focus on all
students
Increased problem
awareness
Good “things” about
Bullying efforts
More curriculum
development &
research
More emphasis on
prevention
Labeling kids
Too much attention
on student, not
enough on context
Limited assessment
of context
Non-data based
intervention
decisions
Over-emphasis on
student
responsibility for
change
Generic
intervention
responses
Limited
examination of
mechanism
Main Points
Avoid labeling & “demonizing” students….focus
on behavior & context in which it occurs
Use PBIS framework to address problem
bullying behavior
Examine data, outcomes, practices, & systems
SWPBS (aka PBIS) is
Framework for enhancing
adoption & implementation of
Continuum of evidencebased interventions to
achieve
Academically & behaviorally
important outcomes for
All students
Integrated
Elements
Supporting Social Competence &
Academic Achievement
OUTCOMES
Supporting
Decision
Making
Supporting
Staff Behavior
“BULLY BEHAVIOR”
PRACTICES
Supporting
Student Behavior
Prevention Logic for All
Biglan, 1995; Mayer, 1995; Walker et al., 1996
Decrease
development
of new
problem
behaviors
Prevent
worsening &
reduce
intensity of
existing
problem
behaviors
Eliminate
Teach,
triggers &
monitor, &
maintainers of acknowledge
problem
prosocial
behaviors
behavior
Redesign of teaching environments…not students
Intensive
Targeted
Universal
Few
Some
All
Dec 7, 2007
Continuum of
Support for
ALL
ESTABLISHING CONTINUUM of SWPBS
~5%
~15%
TERTIARY
TERTIARY PREVENTION
PREVENTION
•• Function-based support
•• Wraparound
•• Person-centered planning
••
••
SECONDARY
SECONDARY PREVENTION
PREVENTION
•• Check in/out
•• Targeted social skills instruction
•• Peer-based supports
•• Social skills club
••
~80% of Students
PRIMARY
PRIMARY PREVENTION
PREVENTION
•• Teach SW expectations
•• Proactive SW discipline
•• Positive reinforcement
•• Effective instruction
•• Parent engagement
••
Intensive
Targeted
Universal
Few
Some
All
Dec 7, 2007
Continuum of
Support for
ALL
PRACTICE
“Making a
turn”
Effective
IMPLEMENTATION
Effective
Maximum
Student
Benefits
Not
Effective
Fixsen & Blase, 2009
Not Effective
RCT & Group Design PBIS Studies
Bradshaw, C.P., Koth, C. W., Thornton, L. A., & Leaf, P. J. (2009). Altering school climate through
school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: Findings from a grouprandomized effectiveness trial. Prevention Science, 10(2), 100-115
Bradshaw, C. P., Koth, C. W., Bevans, K. B., Ialongo, N., & Leaf, P. J. (2008). The impact of
school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) on the organizational
health of elementary schools. School Psychology Quarterly, 23(4), 462-473.
Bradshaw, C. P., Mitchell, M. M., & Leaf, P. J. (2010). Examining the effects of School-Wide
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports on student outcomes: Results from a
randomized controlled effectiveness trial in elementary schools. Journal of Positive Behavior
Interventions, 12, 133-148.
Bradshaw, C. P., Reinke, W. M., Brown, L. D., Bevans, K. B., & Leaf, P. J. (2008). Implementation
of school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in elementary schools:
Observations from a randomized trial. Education & Treatment of Children, 31, 1-26.
Horner, R., Sugai, G., Smolkowski, K., Eber, L., Nakasato, J., Todd, A., & Esperanza, J., (2009). A
randomized, wait-list controlled effectiveness trial assessing school-wide positive behavior
support in elementary schools. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 11, 133-145.
Horner, R. H., Sugai, G., & Anderson, C. M. (2010). Examining the evidence base for school-wide
positive behavior support. Focus on Exceptionality, 42(8), 1-14.
Waasdorp, T. E., Bradshaw, C. P., & Leaf, P. J. (in press). The impact of school-wide positive
behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS) on bullying and peer rejection: A
randomized controlled effectiveness trial.
What is “bullying?”
Remember
“Label
behavior, not
people…’
So, say, “bully
behavior”
Behavior
Verbal/physical
aggression,
intimidation,
harassment,
teasing,
manipulation
Why do bully behavior?
Get/obtain
Escape/avoid
E.g., stuff, things,
attention, status, money,
activity, attention, etc.
E.g., same…but less likely
Why is “why” important?
PREVENTION
Teach
effective,
efficient,
relevant
alt. SS
Remove
triggers
of BB
Add
triggers
for alt.
SS
Remove
conseq.
that
maintain
BB
De-emphasis on adding consequence
for problem behavior
Add
conseq.
that
maintain
SS
Target
Initiator
Continuum
of Behavior
Fluency
Context
or
Setting
Bystander
Staff
Give Priority to Effective Practices
Less Effective
More Effective
Label Student
Teach All Specific SS
Exclude Student
Use Data
Blame Family
Actively Supervise
Punish Student
Reinforce Expect Beh
Assign Restitution
Individualize for Non-Resp
Require Apology
Invest Prev Sch Culture
1. Teach
common
strategy
to all
• “Stop-Walk-Talk”
• “Talk-Walk-Squawk”
• “Whatever & Walk”
An approach to school-wide
Bully Prevention
• Establish a whole-school social culture where positive behavior is
“expected” and rewards for bullying are NOT provided.
• Teach “be respectful” as a basic concept for the school
• Teach what “not respectful” looks like.
• All students know what is expected, and can identify the difference
between respectful and disrespectful behavior.
• Student to student
• Student to adult
• Adult to student
Student BP Orientation
• Given school-wide expectations
• Conduct a 30 min training in each classroom:
• Logic:Everyone should be treated with respect
•
Everyone should avoid rewarding disrespectful behavior
• Skills:Know what it means to be “respectful”
•
Know what to do if someone is disrespectful to you
•
Know what to do if someone asks you to “stop”
•
Know what to do if someone is disrespectful to someone
else
•
Know how to get help from an adult
35
Student BP Orientation
•
Learning requires a respectful setting.
•
What does it mean to be respectful?
• Provide examples of being respectful in class, on playground, in
cafeteria
•
What does it look like if someone is NOT respectful?
• Provide examples
•
Why are people not respectful to each other? Why does disrespectful behavior
keep happening?
• Discussion
• Disrespectful behavior keeps happening in most cases because it
results in attention from others.
Scott Ross, University of Oregon
36
Scott Ross, University of Oregon
37
Student
BP
Orientation
What does attention from others look like?
Peer attention comes in many forms:
–
Arguing with someone who teases you
–
Laughing at someone being picked on
–
Simply watching someone be hurt and doing nothing (watching
is attention)
•
Provide the core message:
Take away the attention that sustains disrespectful behaviors.
The candle under a glass
•
Stop, Walk, Talk
A clear, simple, and easy to remember 3 step response
38
Teach a Three-Step
Skill that can be used in
If you encounter
behavior
NOT
all places
at that
allis times
. Keep it
respectful
simple
Stop -------- Walk -------- Talk
Say and
Show
“STOP”
Walk Away
Scott Ross, University of Oregon

Talk to an
Adult
39
Discuss
how
showing/s
aying
“stop”
could be
done so it
still
rewarded
disrespect
ful
behavior
Discuss
how
showing/s
aying
“stop”
could be
done so it
was an
aggressiv
e
response
Why do we use the “stop” message?
40
Teach how to respond if
someone says “Stop”
• Eventually, every student will be asked to stop. When this happens,
they should do the following things
– Stop what you are doing
– Take a deep breath
– Go about their day (no big deal)
• These steps should be followed even when you don’t agree with the
“stop” message.
41
“Stop” means
stop.
The rule is:
If someone asks
you to stop, you
stop.
Scott Ross, University of Oregon
Saying stop when
someone else is being
treated disrespectfully
• Remember: Even if all you do is “watch” a bad situation, you are
providing attention that rewards disrespectful behavior.
• If you see someone else being treated disrespectfully:
– Say and show “stop” to the person being disrespectful
– Offer to take the other person away for a little bit.
– If they do not want to go, that is okay…just walk away.
Scott Ross, University of Oregon
43
Teach “getting help”
• Report problems to adults
– Where is the line between tattling, and
reporting?
• The adult should always ask:
– Did you say, “stop”
– Did you walk away?
Social Responsibility Matrix
Location 1
Location 2
Location 3
Location 4
Playground
Lunch Room
Hall way
Bus Area
Identify
problem
behavior
Pushing in
Throwing
line:
food:
Not respectful Not respectful
Not
responsible
Name calling:
Not respectful
Pushing
others:
Not safe
Not respectful
“Stop” signal
(for self/for
others)
“stop”
“stop”
“stop”
“stop”
Walk away
Walk away
Walk away
Walk away
Tell teacher
Tell teacher
Tell teacher
Tell teacher
Walk skill
Reporting Skill
Faculty/Staff Orientation:
Objectives
• Faculty can define logic for BP-PBIS
• Common “stop” signal adopted for whole school
• Faculty can teach “student orientation” skills
• Faculty reward/recognize student use of BP “stop” routine
• Faculty manage “student reporting” routine
• Faculty can deliver “booster training”
• Faculty can deliver “pre-corrects”
• Faculty collect and use data for decision making
Scott Ross, University of Oregon
46
Faculty/Staff BP Orientation:
Bully Prevention Logic
•
Provide logic:
– Define bullying behavior
– Define the impact of bullying behavior on social and educational
outcomes for students.
– Review current data from school
– ODRs for harassment, aggression, fighting, inappropriate language
– Review informal reports from students, faculty or families.
– Conduct survey (if appropriate)
– Review national patterns
– 30% of students report experiencing bullying behavior
– Review goal for embedding bully prevention within current PBIS effort
– Provide summary of BP-PBIS core elements
– Review empirical support for Bully Prevention within PBIS
62
Faculty/Staff BP Orientation:
Deliver Student Orientation
•
How to Deliver the Student Bully Prevention Orientation
– Review logic for being “respectful”
– Need to remove the attention (oxygen) that sustains disrespectful behavior.
– Teach four student skills.
• How to indicate “stop” if you are treated disrespectfully
• How to respond if someone asks you to “stop.”
• How to say “stop” if you see someone else treated disrespectfully
• How to walk away and get help
– Teach students to be clear about what to expect from adults when they ask
for help.
Faculty/Staff BP Orientation:
Rewarding Appropriate Behavior
• Effective Implementation and Generalization of BP routines requires
that students receive recognition for appropriate behavior, the
FIRST time they attempt to use the new skills.
– Look for students that use the 3 step response (Stop-Walk-Talk)
appropriately and provide recognition of their skill.
– Students that struggle with problem behavior (either as victim or
perpetrator) are less likely to attempt new approaches.
• Reward them for efforts that are good approximations.
49
Faculty/Staff BP Orientation:
Responding to Report of Bullying
When any problem behavior is reported, adults follow a specific response
sequence:
Ensure the student’s safety.
 Is the bullying still happening?
 Is the reporting child at risk?
 What does the student need to feel safe?
 What is the severity of the situation
Determine if “stop” response was used
If “stop” used provide praise, and connect with perpetrator
If “stop” response was not used, practice the Stop-Walk-Talk
routine
with the student reporting a problem.
 Determine if “stop” response was followed
 If “stop” not followed, practice how to stop when asked.
50
When the reporting child did it right…
With student reported to have done bullying:
"Did ______ tell you to stop?"
» If yes: "How did you respond?”
» If no: Practice the 3 step response.
"Did ______ walk away?"
» If yes: "How did you respond?”
» If no: Practice the 3 step response.
Practice the 3 step response (stop-walk-talk).
» The amount of practice depends on the severity and frequency
of problem behavior
Scott Ross, University of Oregon
51
Faculty/Staff BP Orientation:
Pre-correcting
• Pre-correcting for effective bully
prevention.
– First two weeks after whole-school
BP orientation
• Identify 2-3 times when bullying is most likely
(playground, cafeteria, assembly).
• For the first two weeks after training, teachers
will rehearse “Stop-Walk-Talk” guidelines just
before releasing students for the activity.
Scott Ross, University of Oregon
52
www.pbis.org
Adapting for Middle/
High School
• Students involved in
selecting the “stop”
responses (gesture,
word)
• Consider more
active role for
students as trainers
of the
Stop/Walk/Talk
response sequence.54
2.
Precorrect
Before,
During,
After
• Analyze problem setting
• Reteach
• Anticipate, remind, &
practice
• Replace triggers &
maintainers
• Reinforce desired
Meet Dan Olweus
The Olweus Bully Prevention Program
© The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2004
A Brief Q&A for School Personnel
Using the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire
http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=14432&sitex=10020:22372:US
Why survey students about bullying?
Surveying students about bullying can help your school’s
efforts by:
•Increasing awareness and motivation on the part of school
staff and parents to address bullying at school;
•Providing information critical to planning your bullying
prevention effort;
•Providing a baseline from which to measure progress in
reducing bullying.
Specific Rules Against
Bullying
• I will not bully.
• I will not use hate language. (middle school,
highschool)
• I will try to help students who are bullied.
• When I know someone is being bullied I will
report it to an adult.
• I will include students who are easily left out
in my activities.
3. Actively
Supervise
• Move
• Scan
• Interact positively
• Model expectations
• Reward appropriate
behavior
• Remind & precorrect
Self evaluation
Take a hard look at yourself
Do you bully in the classroom?
– Do you frequently criticize your students?
– Is your tone of voice unnecessarily harsh?
– Do you teach and model the art of negotiation?
– Do you yell at students?
– Do you use sarcasm to discipline?
Do you model the behaviors you want from
your students?
60
Non-Classroom Management: Self-Assessment
Name______________________________
Date_____________
Setting □ Hallway □ Entrance □ Cafeteria
Time Start_________
□ Playground □
Other_______________
Time End _________
Tally each Positive Student Contacts
Total #
Tally each Negative Student Contacts
Total #
Ratio of Positives to Negatives: _____: 1
1. Did I have at least 4 positive for 1 negative student contacts?
Yes
No
2. Did I move throughout the area I was supervising?
Yes
No
3. Did I frequently scan the area I was supervising?
Yes
No
4. Did I positively interact with most of the students in the area?
Yes
No
5. Did I handle most minor rule violations quickly and quietly?
Yes
No
6. Did I follow school procedures for handling major rule violations?
Yes
No
7. Do I know our school-wide expectations (positively stated rules)?
Yes
No
8. Did I positively acknowledge at least 5 different students for
displaying our school-wide expectations?
Yes
No
Overall active supervision score:
7-8 “yes” = “Super Supervision”
5-6 “yes” = “So-So Supervision”
<5 “yes” = “Improvement Needed”
# Yes______
• Specific
• Informative
4.
Reinforce • Frequent
Taught
• Effective
Skills
• Contextually relevant
• Sincere
Big idea: Use PBIS framework to address bully
behavior prevention
• Establish positive, predictable, consistent, rewarding
Goal 1 school culture for all across all settings
• Teach social skills that work at least as well as or better
than problem behavior
Goal 2
• Respond to nonresponsive behavior positively &
differently, rather than reactively & more of same
Goal 3
• Actively supervise & precorrect for problem behaviors &
settings, especially nonclassroom
Goal 4
Goal 5
• Individualize support based on responsiveness & effect
Advanced Support
•
School-wide PBIS and BP-PBIS will not be sufficient for all students.
•
Aggressive, bullying behaviors occur for many reasons
– Mental Health issues
– Family dynamics
– Disabilities
• Use your data to identify students in need
of more intense support and refer them to
your team.
65
Phase
Implementing Bully
Prevention
Content
Action
Exploration
Does your school need a • Office discipline
bully prevention
referrals
program?
• Student survey
• Faculty/ family reports
Installation
Build the foundation
Faculty Orientation
•Team developed/trained
• “Stop” signal selected
• Faculty orientation
(logic)
Implement Bully
Prevention within
SWPBIS
Develop and deliver
student orientation
•Build BP curriculum
and teaching plans
•Teach BP-PBS to all
students
• Schedule and conduct
“booster”
Full Implementation
Monitor fidelity and
impact
Adapt to unique needs.
• Collect and use data
66
• Coaching and Training
Capacity developed
How to Implement Bully
Prevention in PBS
• School
• District
• Implement School-wide
PBS
• Build expectation
for all schools
• Faculty commitment
• Faculty introduction to BP
• Team to implement
• Build BP lessons for
students
• Train all students
• Fall orientation
emphasis on
social behavior
• District
trainer/coordinat
or
• Booster/Follow up
lessons
Scott Ross, University of Oregon
67
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T
aRVvRv7aM&feature=share&fb_sourc
e=message