ELEMENTS OF PBIS
Elements of PBIS ……
A team that includes administration as well as classroom/paraprofessional staff is important to promote PBIS schoolwide. This team meets regularly to focus on implementation, consider feedback, and examine data.
Understanding how well your PBIS initiative is performing is practically impossible without reliable data. The PBIS team will use this data to make decisions.
Buy-in begins with the administration and flows to the staff and learners. The PBIS team needs to welcome staff and learner feedback and, in turn, the school community needs to hear administrators’ concerns. Provide access to information and support to help all see how PBIS can radically change the teaching experience and improve school culture. Successful implementation requires buy-in from all members of the school community.
Gather from existing data points or conduct surveys of staff, learners, families, and community members regularly. Seek this feedback every six months at a minimum. Stakeholders will help the PBIS team identity what is working well and what needs to be adjusted.
Are teachers and support staff recognizing positives or only negatives in the classroom, hallways, community etc? Are learners positively contributing to the school culture? Has there been a reduction in discipline/SEL referrals? What’s working? What do you and the PBIS team need to change? Where can you improve and motivate your team/learners? Monitor your school’s progress throughout the year.
Establishing expectations for the entire school is no small task. These goals should be specific and observable, yet broad enough that all learners can accomplish them regardless of grade level. Staff can adapt these goals within their individual classrooms while applying the tenets of UDL. Plan for the intentional involvement of learners and school community in this planning to increase success.
As a complement to your schoolwide expectations, staff should be intentional when it comes to modeling and teaching behaviours. Behaviours that reflect the school culture will look different in different situations.
Recognizing learners for positive behaviours should be effortless. Establish a system that is consistent for recognitions. This should take very little time and allow staff to continue instruction and maintain UDL teaching practices.
A PBIS initiative is a commitment! Staff will apply the goals and principles of PBIS throughout the school environment and over the course of the entire school year and beyond. This may require succession planning. New staff members will need explicit onboarding about PBIS, and current staff members may need support with implementation. Fidelity in implementation for data tracking at each tier is essential.
Teaching staff about all aspects of Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III should include instruction on teaching schoolwide expectations, acknowledging positive behaviour, correcting negative behaviours, and seeking assistance. Making this a priority in the school’s professional development calendar will help to assure that every staff member adheres to the 12 elements of PBIS. Tier IV support is intensive and requires support beyond that which the school currently has to offer.
It is understood that routines are the lifeblood of successful classroom management. Establish routines and procedures related to the PBIS initiative so that students, families, community, supply teachers and school partners will know what to expect.
The goal of a PBIS Initiative is to establish positive school culture. Using a strength-based, restorative discipline procedure will result in an increase of appropriate schoolwide behaviour. Proper change management of PBIS will create a school culture that is value-centred built on safety and trust. However, schools will need to bridge discipline procedures based on data for behaviours that do not reflect the overall school culture. This bridging of discipline procedures has to be done in a positive manner during the implementation process.
Use of the ’12 Elements of PBIS’ graphics and content used with permission from pbisrewards.com
PBIS represents an exemplary framework that embodies the finest educational practices, fostering a positive school culture, creating a sense of community and belonging, and elevating both student academics and behaviour. A school that embraces PBIS becomes an environment where staff thrive and students flourish academically and personally. It’s a place where every member eagerly anticipates each day’s opportunities for growth and learning.
Rachel Way
Education Support Services Coordinator, Anglophone East School District
New Brunswick, Canada