Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support (SW-PBS) is a proactive approach to put behavioral/social skills strategies in place for all students while also building in support for those at risk for and/or those who receive special education services.
Getting Started in Missouri Schoolwide PBS
You will find three commitment related links below that are to be used for the 09-10 school year with new and returning SW-PBS schools. These documents will assist you in understanding the components of successful commitment to the SW-PBS process. Later in the 09-10 school year the RPDC centers will invite schools in their region to attend an informational meeting to learn more about participating in SW-PBS for the 09-10 school year. If you would like information about the application process at any time, please contact your RPDC's SW-PBS consultant.
School Commitments and Forms
Prospective Schools Overview
Dear Perspective SW-PBS Implementer,
Thank you for your interest in Missouri Schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports 
Network. The following information and application will help answer your questions about SW-PBS implementation in your school or district.
What is SW-PBS?
SW-PBS is a set of research-based strategies used to increase quality of life and decrease problem behavior by teaching new skills and making changes in a person's environment. Student discipline is a leading factor in disrupting the teaching and learning processes in the classroom, often resulting in the exclusion of students during the class period or throughout the school day. Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) provides a model for a school wide approach for implementing a system of discipline or positive behavioral interventions and supports.
Getting Started with SW-PBS
Attending a SW-PBS overview held by a Regional Professional Development Center is your first step. There, you are introduced to the elements, principles, and guidelines of SW-PBS for creating and maintaining safe and effective learning environments through prevention and intervention. This is followed by contacting your regional consultant who will review with you readiness, commitment, training, and the application process.
Who Needs to be Involved
Commitment and support begins at the district level and district leaders need to be informed and dedicated to the implementation of SW-PBS. Building administrators are expected to be actively involved in implementation and a majority of school staff needs to support implementation of SW-PBS.
What's Next
The following materials are used by you and your regional consultant to prepare your school for training and implementation. Commitment, readiness, and planning are part of the application process to support the successful implementation of SW-PBS.
For more Information
Contact your Regional Professional Development Center and ask for the SW-PBS Regional Consultant.
Thank you for your interest and best of luck as you pursue creating safe and effective learning environments for students in your school.
Mary Richter, Ph.D.
September 29, 2008
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Compliance:
- Provides for Increased Likelihood of a Safe School Climate
- Encourages Parental Involvement
- Addresses Equitable Achievement across Ethnic and socio-economic status (SES) Groups
- Supports Improved Academic Achievement
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) 2004 Compliance:
- Increases the Likelihood of Accurate Identification of Students Eligible to Receive Special Education Services
- Structure of SW-PBS is Based on a Response to Intervention (RTI) Model
- Supports least restrictive environment (LRE) Guidelines
- Supports free appropriate public education (FAPE) Guidelines
- Provides Research-based Recommendations for Early Intervention
- Directly Instructs School Personnel in how to Implement and Maintain Proactive Discipline Systems
- Reduce Disproportionate Numbers of Students Identified Due To:
- Lack of appropriate instruction
- Ethnicity
- SES status
MSIP (Missouri School Improvement Plan) Alignment:
- 12 Indicators are supported through SW-PBS:
- 6.2 (use of data for decision-making)
- 6.3 (effective instructional programs, practices and procedures)
- 6.5 (positive climate for learning)
- 6.6 (orderly and safe schools)
- 6.7 (intensive, appropriate, on-going professional development)
- 7.1 (comprehensive and appropriate services for all children)
- 7.2 (gifted/talented differentiated instruction suitable for their intellectual and social maturity)
- 7.3 (effective transition to the workplace or continuing education)
- 7.5 (parental opportunities to learn about developmental needs)
- 7.7 (adherence to regulations associated with state and federal programs)
- 8.1 (regularly scheduled reviews & reports of goals and objectives)
- 8.2 (ongoing plan related to vision and belief statements; analysis of student performance; and specific, measurable goals)
Missouri State Performance Plan (SPP) Indicators Alignment:
- SW-PBS helps to create school environments in which students are more likely to be successful in general education classroom environments (#5) to graduate (#1), and to be successful in meeting their post-secondary goals (#13 & #14) and who are less likely to be suspended, expelled or to drop out (#2 & #4)
- SW-PBS includes programs for pre-school aged children (#6 & #7)
- Parental involvement is an integral component of SW-PBS (#8)
- SW-PBS addresses issues of disproportionality and participation in general education settings through creating proactive school environments (#5, #9 & #10) where appropriate social and behavioral skills are directly taught and reinforced, and where inappropriate social and behavioral skills are directly addressed and remediated.
Missouri Comprehensive Guidance Curriculum Alignment:
- CG 1: understanding self as an individual and as a member of diverse local and global communities
- CG 2: interacting with others in ways that respect individual and group differences
- CG 3: applying personal safety skills
- CG 4: applying skills needed for educational achievement
- CG 5: applying the skills of transitioning between educational levels
- CG 6: developing and monitoring personal educational plans
- CG9: applying employment readiness skills and the skills for on-the-job success
National Staff Development Council Standards for Staff Development:
- Context Standards (#1, #2, #3): organizing adults into learning communities with skillful leadership and required resources provided
- Process Standards (#4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9): using multiple sources of information and data, preparing educators to apply research to decision-making, applying knowledge about human learning and change, provide educators with knowledge & skills to collaborate
- Content Standards (#10, #11, #12): understand and appreciate all students while creating safe & orderly environments with high expectations, provide educators with research-based instructional strategies, provide educators with knowledge & skills to involve families and stakeholders
Response to Intervention (RTI) Alignment:
- SW-PBS is structured on a three-tiered model of prevention and intervention related to the implementation and sustainability of systems, practices and data-based decision-making. The evidence-base for SW-PBS's effectiveness in establishing proactive school environments where the services provided to students appropriately match their needs and abilities is growing. (See numerous resources at the OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports' website: www.pbis.org)
Academic Achievement and SW-PBS:
- Recent studies have highlighted the interconnectedness of academic and social/behavioral outcomes.
- Studies and reports across the fields of general and special education have recognized the relationship between students' academic failure and increased incidents of inappropriate behavior (Mayer, 1995; O'Neill, Johnson, O'Donnell, & McDonnell, 2001; Porch & Protheroe, 2002; Praisner, 2003; Smith & Katsiyannis, 2004).
Training to Assist High School Students to Successfully Transition to Post-Secondary Environments:
- Two in-depth studies have highlighted the importance of appropriate social and behavioral skills for students, particularly those who have been served through special education, to successfully transition to post-secondary employment and training. These studies are; (1) The National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 Fact Sheets, and (2) The Social Security Administration's Efforts to Promote Employment for People with Disabilities: New Solutions for Old Problems.
Improved Teacher Satisfaction and Retention:
- Those teachers who receive adequate support, particularly related to issues of classroom management and discipline, have higher rates of satisfaction regarding inclusion of students with special needs and are more likely to remain in the field of education (Charles, 1999; Cook, Semmel, & Gerber, 1999; DiPaola & Walter-Thomas, 2003, Gersten, Keating, Yovanoff, & Harniss, 2001; Richards, 2003).
References
Charles, C. M. (1999). Building classroom discipline (6th ed.). New York, NY: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.
Cook, B. G., Semmel, M. I., & Gerber, M. M. (1999). Attitudes of principals and special education teachers toward the inclusion of students with mild disabilities. Remedial and Special Education, 20, 199-207.
DiPaola, M. F., & Walter-Thomas, C. (2003). Principals and special education: The critical role of school leaders (ED/OSERS Report No. COPSSE-IB-7). National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education, Arlington, VA: Florida University, Gainesville. Center on Personnel Studies in Special Education.
Gersten, R., Keating, T., Yovanoff, P., & Harniss, M. K. (2001). Working in special education: Factors that enhance special educators' intent to stay. Exceptional Children, 67, 549-567.
Mayer, G. R. (1995). Preventing antisocial behavior in schools. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 28, 467-478.
O'Neill, R. E., Johnson, J. W., O'Donnell, R. K., & McDonnell, J. J. (2001). Preparing teachers and consultants for the challenge of severe problem behavior. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 3, 101-108, 119.
OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: www.pbis.org
The National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS2) Fact Sheets. (2001-2007). Retrieved October 16, 2007 from http://www.nlts2.org/fact_sheets/index.html.
Porch, S., & Protheroe, N. (2002). Essentials for principals: Creating physical and emotional security in schools. Arlington, VA: Educational Research Service.
Praisner, C. (2003). Attitudes of elementary school principals toward the inclusion of students with disabilities. Exceptional Children, 69, 135-145.
Richards, J. (2003). Principal behaviors that encourage teachers to stay in the profession: Perceptions of K-8 teachers in their second to fifth year of teaching. American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL, April 21-22, 2003. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED477523).
Smith, C. R., & Katsiyannis, A. (2004). Behavior, discipline, and students with emotional or behavioral disorders: Promises to keep…miles to go. Behavioral Disorders, 30, 7-18.
Social Security Administration. (2005). The Social Security Administration's Efforts to Promote Employment for People with Disabilities: New Solutions for Old Problems http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2005/ssa-promoteemployment.htm
