Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) was introduced into school districts in 1997 through the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Originally, it was intended to keep students with disabilities from being excluded from educational opportunities because of disorders or behavior problems. However, it has evolved into something much bigger in a short amount of time.
Since around 2004, PBIS has been reintroduced as more of a school-wide program that promotes positive behavior reinforcement for all students. Rather than being intended for a small subset of the student population, it has become a more widespread framework for giving each student the support they need to succeed both academically and personally.
What exactly is PBIS in schools?
The reasoning behind PBIS is that some students need more support than others in order to learn and demonstrate the right behavior, both within and outside of school. . A student may never have been taught these skills in their home life. As a result, they could be punished for their behavior without realizing what acceptable conduct really is.
Through positive reinforcement, educators can use PBIS to mitigate unwanted student behavior by rewarding those who contribute to a positive school climate.
The school district works to ensure that the students are aware of what is expected of them behaviorally while focusing on guiding their behavior through positive reinforcement rather than punishment.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that disciplinary measures like detentions are entirely eliminated, but instead reduced significantly when PBIS is implemented properly. As more time is spent on PBIS, especially with younger students, there should be less conduct problems for them later on in life.
What does a PBIS program look like for districts?
This is a bit of a trick question. It’s a little like assuming that everyone has the same morning and bedtime routine for their children in their homes. Though they all aim for the overall outcome of fewer problem behaviors among students, each PBIS program is handled a bit differently by each district.
After all, what works for a district that has a lower rate of conduct issues probably won’t work for one that tends to see multiple infractions in a day. Plus, it depends on the staff, their attitude, and how they handle transgressions.
With all of that said, after witnessing numerous PBIS programs for more than a dozen districts, we’d like to take you through a general PBIS map of how schools may approach their own PBIS initiative.
First step: analyzing the three tiers of implementation
PBIS is a behavior modification program, but it is very similar in structure to the academically-focused RTI (Response to Intervention) framework.
The school district will create a guideline of established rules and behavior expectations that they would like the students to follow. A few of these rules may be simple ones, such as refraining from talking in class and quietly walking in the hallway without disturbing others. Examples of more significant expectations include handling all disagreements peacefully and keeping your hands to yourself.
Tier 1
Tier 1 rules and guidelines apply to the entire school. This tier is implemented by all staff members to reduce the most common behavior problems over time. Students who are behaving appropriately will be rewarded with tokens or tickets that are distributed by the staff. At a later date, the students will be able to spend these tokens or tickets for prizes at the school’s PBIS store. This store can be a brick-and-mortar location in the school or operated online, depending on what the district feels is best.
While there are concerns that handing out rewards for positive behavior may create extrinsically-driven students, at the same time, students are learning the appropriate way to behave. Rewarding students for a brief period of time — mainly in elementary school — helps to give them the tools to understand and demonstrate positive behavior as they get older.
Tier 2
Depending on the district, the average percentage of students who need Tier 2 PBIS interventions can range from 10% to 20%. Tier 2 is designed to focus on issues that a relatively smaller group of students may be having, such as disruptive or aggressive behavior.
A few of the key interventions that can be applied to these students include providing them with a respectable mentor, or using check-in and check-out accountability sheets, keeping a self-management checklist.
Each school should have a PBIS committee that makes these decisions and provides strategies and activities to help improve a student’s poor behavior. It’s important to realize that behavioral issues will not change overnight. They have taken years to develop in the first place, so one week of Tier 2 PBIS interventions will not do the trick. Put the interventions into consistent use and monitor how the students are performing.
Tier 3
The number of students who need Tier 3 interventions with PBIS is typically very low. Tier 3 may encompass students with severe behavioral issues or students with developmental disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, and other situations that require highly individualized support.
Students in this tier may need to meet with counselors, therapists, or other specialists, with personalized plans developed to meet their needs.
Depending on the student’s circumstances, consistent assessments may be required to determine whether or not they have improved enough that movement to Tier 2 is appropriate.
What to expect with a successful PBIS program
Even the strongest PBIS programs won’t change things in a matter of a couple of weeks. But if the school sticks with it and the staff promotes it through committed use, there are plenty of benefits that can come from it. Change takes time. The sooner a school starts a PBIS program, the sooner you’re likely to see:
- Better school safety
- Improved classroom conduct
- More time spent on learning
- Increased social skills
- More positive school culture
- Less faculty turnover
- Improved student engagement
At a time when districts are experiencing severe teacher shortages, having classrooms full of students who are engaged and positive about their learning can help to encourage educators to stay in the profession longer.
Things to keep in mind
As stated earlier, no two PBIS programs are going to be completely alike. The shape that a PBIS program takes will depend entirely on the needs of each school and the approach that the school district decides to take.
Having an administrator leading the way and forming a PBIS committee early on is an important part of getting off to a good start. And remember to not give up hope if changes are not happening fast enough. Simply reassess and find ways to improve.
Photo Credit: Google Education
PBIS