SW-PBS is a process for creating safer and more effective schools by structuring the learning environment to support the academic and social success of all students. The process supports the adoption and long-term implementation of efficient and effective discipline throughout the school environment. PBS methods are research-based and proven to significantly reduce the occurrence of problem behaviors in schools.
SW-PBS is a proactive approach based on a three-tiered model of prevention and intervention. It includes universal prevention through employing school-wide systems of actively teaching and reinforcing appropriate social skills and behavior, using consistent systems to discourage inappropriate behavior, and educating all staff in how to implement and participate in the process. In addition, staff members are taught how to collect and utilize data for effective decision-making regarding the social skills and behavior instruction in their school.
Secondary and tertiary levels of support for students at-risk for and/or who receive special education services related to inappropriate behaviors are addressed through an array of more intensive interventions which are matched to the types of skill deficits exhibited.
The primary goals of SW-PBS are to prevent the development of inappropriate behavior, reduce ongoing patterns of problem behavior, and to increase the likelihood of improved academic performance of all students through teaching and learning time gained when the numbers of inappropriate behaviors are reduced. As staffs learn how to consistently embed the teaching and monitoring of appropriate social and behavior skills into the school day and curriculum, they also learn to anticipate how to structure school environments so that the appropriate skills will be utilized more often. It is important that schools actively communicate with families so that they understand and support the SW-PBS process. Families can also benefit from learning how to use similar strategies for teaching and supporting their children's appropriate social and behavior skills.
When schools employ effective systems, practices and data-based decision-making consistently and with fidelity, desired outcomes are achievable.
There are six steps that should be taken to prepare for successful introduction of SW-PBS in a district:
The Missouri regional SW-PBS consultants assist schools/districts in understanding the six steps. Specific information related to each of these and what will be involved in completing them is also available from the consultants.
Missouri SW-PBS recommends district-wide adoption for schools to achieve optimal results. When students transfer or transition from one school to another, it is helpful to have complementary discipline processes in place. It is also beneficial in terms of providing effective professional development.
Once a school/district has made the commitment to implement SW-PBS, personnel are trained through a series of state and regional workshops. Typically a school will use the first year to participate in training, review current school processes, and prepare for full-scale implementation the following school year. In succeeding years additional trainings will be provided to assist schools' progress and to provide technical support.
The components of a successful schoolwide PBS system are:
SW-PBS is a national and international initiative that is currently being implemented in over 7,000 schools. A national center for PBS is supported through the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and is recognized as an IDEA that Works. The Missouri initiative is actively supported through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Division of Effective Practices. Regional SW-PBS consultants may be contacted through the information provided under the Personnel Directory on this website, or through the local RPDC in your area.
The top two tiers of the triangle involve establishing a second team of personnel who have background training and specialized expertise in accurately identifying and building more intensive student support systems. Many schools already have teams in place for this purpose. These may be named Care Teams, Student Assistance Teams, Teacher Support Teams, or another title with a similar purpose. The SW-PBS process assists schools in streamlining systems to accurately utilize these teams and to assure a continuous flow of information across the three levels.
Some students will respond to the Universal level of support, but will still exhibit some difficulties. These students may be demonstrating academic and/or behavioral deficits that will require more intensive supports. Targeted (secondary) interventions can be effective in working with this at-risk group of students.
Secondary interventions rest on the foundation of universal (primary) school-wide and classroom systems (remember the triangle above). Without school-wide prevention, we can't reliably identify students in need of targeted interventions. Universal systems must be in place and used consistently and with fidelity by all staff. To correctly identify which students are in need of more intensive supports and what types of supports they need, the PBS leadership team assists staff in reviewing data. Typically schools decide on a set of data-decision rules for identification. For instance a school may decide that once any student has received a certain number of office discipline referrals (perhaps 2-5), that student's referrals will be automatically reviewed to determine what types of referrals, where and when they are taking place. Other sources of referral could include teachers or families, counselor reports, or student-reported concerns.
Targeted group interventions are strategies and procedures put into place to support a group of students who display similar needs or deficits as identified through the data review described above. Typically about 20-25% of students will continue to have problems and will need the more intensive interventions. Approximately 10-20% will respond to the targeted group interventions.
When a student is part of a group intervention the staff members who interact with him/her should be made aware of it so that they can also provide the right types of prompts and encouragement. Group interventions provide an opportunity for the students to have a more personal, positive connection with at least one additional adult. This is important because many of these students' school experiences have not been successful.
Some of the critical features involved in establishing effective targeted group interventions are:
There are many different types of targeted interventions. Some that have been successful across age and grade levels include (a) Check-in/Check-out, (b) Social Skills Clubs, (c) mentoring, and (d) interest-based clubs (homework, art, chess, sports, and/or music). These interventions provide a means for students to actively practice the skills that are being re-taught and reinforced through the intervention.
A smaller group of students, approximately 1-10%, will be provided with ongoing universal support, will probably have been included in a targeted/secondary support, and will still be experiencing difficulty. In many cases these students have school histories significant for academic and behavioral difficulties over an extended period of time. Because their needs may be both more significant and more chronic, the types of support systems employed to address their needs will be individualized and specific. Just as with the secondary level, schools must build on the established universal system to accurately identify these students, and data-based decision making is essential.
Students with these types of behavior problems require specially designed and individualized interventions that match the needs, or function, of the behaviors. This is where functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and behavior intervention planning (BIP) are utilized. Expertise in the science of behavioral assessment is necessary for the development and implementation of individualized support plans. The school's tertiary system must include: (a) personnel who are trained in the basic principles of behavior, functional assessment, and behavior support planning, (b) a system for early identification and referral, and (c) an organizational structure that allows for flexible teaming and planning. The process can be initiated through a teacher's request for assistance or through systematic tracking of data to monitor students, or other means defined by the school/district.
The school teams which are formed to design and implement individual student plans should include those adults who are typically involved with the student on a daily basis along with other staff who have more specialized skills (i.e. school counselors, social workers, special education staff, school psychologists, administrators, and school nurses). If the team is to be successful, they must be given the time to meet on a regular basis.
A functional behavioral assessment (FBA) begins by the team working with the teacher(s) to identify the interactions between the student's behavior and the environment(s) where it is most likely to occur. The team then defines the behavior in operational terms (what if looks/sounds like, how often, in what circumstances). For instance, "When Joe is asked to turn in his homework in math class, he verbally refuses on approximately 4 out of 5 days." This definition not only serves as a means to correctly identify the behavior, but phrases it in such a way that another person could understand the problem and could directly observe it. Next a designated person will observe the student in the problem setting for the identified behavior. Other information will also be gathered (i.e. interviewing others who have and/or currently work with the student, review school records, interview family members). All information gathered will then be used by the team to design a behavior intervention plan (BIP). Another term sometimes used for this plan is an individualized positive behavior support plan.
The BIP is designed to change contributing variables associated with the student's behavior, the teacher's behavior and the environment. The BIP is based on an instructional approach, similar to that used by teachers for academic instruction. Follow-up observations by team members, on-going monitoring of specified data and other means may be employed to revise, refine, end or continue the plan. The BIP will be reviewed by the team on a regular basis until such time as the team and the teacher(s) make a decision to do otherwise.
Because many of the problems exhibited by students in need of a FBA and BIP are long-standing and significant, school personnel should understand that it is likely to take extended periods of time and intensive intervention before the problems will begin to improve. Any plan may be influenced by unforeseen changes in the student's or school's situation. For these reasons it is important for all involved to continue to dedicate the time, resources and personnel as necessary to increase the likelihood of the plan's success.