Have you heard of
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)? It is the best
initiative that is happening at my school this year! Just in case you are
wondering, “What is PBIS?” It is a framework that is developed by a school for
improving student behavior and to help schools create effective learning
environments. It is used with all students and across all environments in
school (classroom, hallway, cafeteria, restroom, playground, and bus.)
Although PBIS is a
school-wide approach to helping all children learn to self-manage behaviors,
parent involvement is really important in all aspects of PBIS. When parents are
involved, outcomes for children are better and are more successful. Our PBIS
team consists of administrators, grade level teachers, and the school
counselor.
We had training during
the summer and started the year off with a bang! We had T-shirts made for the
entire staff and redelivered what we learned over the summer. In addition, the PBIS
team is led by our PBIS coach who schedules and facilitates the meetings and
keeps us on track with our implementation timeline. Although our PBIS implementation
does not officially start until January 2016, we are so thrilled to have begun
the process. Our PBIS school’s theme is “We are Stars in the Circle.”
I am wondering how do you ensure parents are active in PBIS? Also, is the PBIS coach a full time employee who has other duties or is their sole duty to be the PBIS coach? Also, how is this funded?
ReplyDeleteParents are invited to attend our monthly PBIS meetings. I noticed I forgot to include them as part of the PBIS team. Also, some parents volunteer to sell items from our Critter Cash store. Parents are encouraged to reinforce character words and expected behaviors at home. Our PBIS coach is a full-time special education teacher and he does a great job. We use our local funds to support PBIS.
DeleteIs PBIS designed for high schools or can it be implemented in high schools?
ReplyDeleteHi Chris! PBIS is designed and can be implemented in high schools. In fact, at the training we had over the summer, there were several high schools represented.
DeleteVery interesting! We are embracing PBIS at my school and throughout our district as well, but I don't think it's being met with the same level of enthusiasm and positivity that is evident in your post. It was promoted as "The Next Best Thing" at the onset, but there seems to be some misunderstanding and inconsistency (among our staff as well as the implementation team) about what PBIS actually is and what it's suppose to look like. For instance, you mentioned the importance of involving parents, which I would agree is probably a necessary component, but I don't think the PBIS concept/initiative has even been communicated to our parents. In my opinion, it seems pretty much business as usual, except that we're communicating our expectations for students a little more clearly and consistently. Based on the research that I've read and your post, I know that it's suppose to be much more involved than that. I'm really glad that it's working well for your school, and I wish we were having the same experience. In our case, as is often the case with school/district initiatives, it seems a half-hearted attempt and learning it as we go along, which doesn't usually facilitate success. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteCharlie, we have our PBIS coach and PBIS trainers to thank! They made it very clear to the PBIS team to set a positive tone for all of our stakeholders and we have done just that. As of now, discipline referrals are down (school and bus)! I hope this trend continues.
DeleteI love that PBIS is working in your school. Like Traci, I am wondering about parental involvement. You stated that this is key to the success of PBIS but there are no parents on your PBIS team. Is there a plan to incorporate them?
ReplyDeleteRosalyn, I meant to include our wonderful parents as part of the PBIS team.
DeleteWe implemented the PBIS model in our school this year. So far, we have witnessed positive results. Relationships among teachers and students are stronger, office referrals have decreased, and a community is forming. We have posters all of the building that reinforce PBIS expectations and we also have videos linked on our school website for students, teachers, and parents to revisit as needed.
ReplyDelete