Expert answer:School-Wide Positive Behavior Support
Solved by verified expert:Chapter 13, in your text, details the characteristics of, and procedures for, School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS). You discovered that SWPBS is an “alternative to traditional reactive behavior strategies” that were based upon a “hierarchy of rules and consequences” (Shepherd & Linn, 2014, p. 266). While rules and consequences are included in SWPBS, this approach takes a “proactive, positive” approach designed to promote acceptable behavior in all students (Shepherd & Linn, 2014, p. 266).You also learned that there are many evidence-based social skill programs that can be incorporated into the SWPBS program. Culturally-responsive social skills programs can reduce interfering behaviors that result from cultural and linguistic differences.Using your knowledge of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) and evidence-based social skills programs, discuss the following:1. Explain how students who are at risk for behavioral problems can be identified for placement in the three tiers of SWPBS. Include the following in your discussion:a) Office referralsb) Teacher nominationc) Continuous progress monitoring2. List the three assessment tools that can be used to identify students who may not exhibit externalizing behaviors but who are also at risk for behavior problems. Detail the characteristics of each assessment.3. Discuss “Wraparound Services” in terms of the following:a) Alignment with the Ecological Systems Modelb) Those who are included in the “team”c) The focus of the servicesd) The advantages of using the school as an “entry point” for servicesONLY USE THE TEXTBOOK!Read the following chapters in your text:Chapter 13: “School-Wide Positive Behavior Support”Chapter 13 introduces you to School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS). This approach to classroom and school management focuses on reducing interfering behaviors and increasing desired behaviors so teachers can expend their energies on academics, rather than reacting to interfering behaviors. This program has a hierarchy of levels; each higher level provides more intensive supports for the student. School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) has been shown to reduce problem behaviors and is particularly useful in reducing behavior problems associated with cultural and linguistic diversity (Shepherd & Linn, 2014).Chapter 14: “Social Skills Training”Chapter 14 introduces you to many social skills programs that can be used in the classroom and, more importantly for our focus in Unit 9, in a School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) program. Increasing students’ social skills – and social competencies, has proven to improve “students’ problem-solving skills, interaction skills, and cooperation skills” (Shepherd & Linn, 2014, p. 287).500 words min. NO PLAGIARISM. References and citations required. Textbook reference: Shepherd, L., T. and Linn, D. (2014). Behavior and Classroom Management in the Multicultural Classroom. Sage publications.
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School-Wide Positive Behavior Support
After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following:
• Discuss the purpose of school-wide positive behavior support.
• Explain the three factors that affect the sustainability of school-wide positive behavior
support.
• Describe the basic premise of each tier of school-wide positive behavior support.
• Explain the different strategies for identifying students at risk for behavior
difficulties.
• List the five steps to implementing Tier 1 of school-wide positive behavior support.
• Explain the procedures of the Behavior Education Program.
• Describe the four phases of the wraparound process.
• Explain how school-wide positive behavior support can affect teacher self-efficacy.
Components of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support
Most of the behavior and classroom management plans used in American schools today are
reactionary and based on the traditional hierarchy of rules and consequences. For example,
Ricardo shoves Timothy and threatens to “beat him up” after school. As a result of his
inappropriate behavior, Ricardo receives in-school suspension. The premise of this strategy is
that the consequence will prevent the behavior from occurring again. However, reactive and
punitive strategies are not effective in modifying student behaviors (Scheuerman & Hall,
2012; Shields & Gredler, 2003) and may actually exacerbate some situations and increase
inappropriate behaviors (Safran, 2006). For example, Ricardo may grow increasingly
frustrated during in-school suspension, especially if there is no subsequent intervention,
which is typical of reactive behavior strategies. Ricardo may direct his anger toward
Timothy, whom he blames for his current predicament, and he may be more determined to
follow through on his previous threat to harm Timothy after school.
An alternative to traditional reactive behavior strategies is school-wide positive behavior
support (SWPBS), a proactive, positive strategy designed to promote acceptable behavioral
expectations for all students within the school and establish a safe school environment in
which learning can take place (Chitiyo, May, & Chitiyo, 2012; Feuerborn & Chinn, 2012;
Horner, Sugai, Todd, & Lewis-Palmer, 2005). Through SWPBS, students are taught socially
acceptable behavior and the school environment is restructured to provide increased intensive
levels of support to meet the academic, behavioral, and social needs of all students. If
implemented with fidelity, SWPBS can reduce behavioral difficulties in the classroom and
improve students’ academic outcomes (Algozzine & Algozzine, 2007; Bradshaw, Mitchell, &
Leaf, 2010; Lassen, Steele, & Sailor, 2006). The six core components of an SWPBS program
are as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
A brief statement of purpose
Clear expectations of student behaviors
Procedures for teaching expected behaviors
A continuum of procedures for reinforcing expected behaviors using tangible and
intangible incentives
5. A continuum of procedures for discouraging inappropriate behavior using appropriate
consequences
6. Procedures for using data to assess the effectiveness of the program (Lewis & Sugai,
1999)
SWPBS involves three tiers of support. Tier 1 provides universal support for all students.
This includes defining and teaching behavior expectations, developing and implementing
appropriate consequences, and identifying and implementing evidence-based instruction and
interventions. Tier 2 provides small-group instruction for students who have been
unresponsive to the instruction and interventions provided in Tier 1. Tier 3 provides
intensive, individualized supports, which may include functional behavior analysis,
wraparound services, and behavior intervention plans (Feuerborn & Chinn, 2012; Lynass,
Tsai, Richman, & Cheney, 2012; Walker, Cheney, Stage, Blum, & Horner, 2005). Together,
these three tiers provide a continuum of support to meet the diverse needs of all students.
Implementation of SWPBS
In order for SWPBS to be effective and sustainable, careful planning and implementation
must take place. It is essential that teachers, administrators, and support staff be involved in
the development and implementation of SWPBS, which requires the investment of significant
time and resources. All school personnel must be committed to the development of SWPBS
with fidelity. Once implemented, SWPBS can be sustained only if school personnel remain
committed to the program. Sustaining SWPBS can be difficult because schools are dynamic.
New administrators, new teachers, shifting student characteristics, and changing mandates
imposed on schools by state and federal legislation contribute to the variability of the school
context. Shared vision, administrative support, and continuous regeneration are factors that
promote the sustainability of SWPBS.
Shared Vision
For any innovation to be implemented successfully in schools and classrooms, teachers must
feel a sense of ownership of the innovation. Such ownership deepens teachers’ commitment
to a program, which supports both the fidelity of the program’s implementation and the
program’s sustainability. At least 80% of the teachers in a school must “buy into,” or support,
a program for it to be successfully implemented and sustained (Slavin, 2004). For teachers to
support a program, a shared vision, or widespread agreement, must exist among
administrators, teachers, and support staff regarding the core components of the innovation,
the implementation of the core components, and the desired outcomes of the innovation
(Coffey & Horner, 2012). This shared vision should be described clearly in a mission
statement that identifies the purpose of the program; explains the program’s vision, actions,
and operations in straightforward language so all participants can understand the program;
and promotes the program as a common experience that defines the school’s culture.
Examining School Culture
Before SWPBS is implemented, the school culture should be examined. School culture—
that is, the beliefs, values, traditions, attitudes, and behaviors that characterize a school—is a
crucial component in the successful implementation of SWPBS, but it is often disregarded
because it is an elusive entity. Additionally, school culture is dynamic; it is constantly
changing as interactions take place among students, parents, teachers, support staff, and
administrators. Yet, without an understanding of their school’s culture, the members of a
school community cannot develop a shared vision.
School culture is part of the mesosystem of the larger community (see Chapter 1). Teachers,
students, parents, and the community interact and influence one another. If a school’s culture
promotes a shared belief in collegiality, innovation, improvement, and hard work, SWPBS is
likely to be effective and sustainable in the school.
Attitudes toward student behavior are part of school culture. As noted previously, many
teachers have preconceptions regarding students with behavior difficulties and treat these
students differently than other students. For example, when Michael throws a crumpled piece
of paper at another student, his teacher reprimands him verbally. When Ricardo, a student
identified as having emotional and behavioral disorders, throws a crumpled piece of paper at
another student, the same teacher sends him to the office for disrupting her class. SWPBS
determines strategies and interventions that provide equitable treatment for all students with
similar behavior digressions while also implementing intense interventions for students who
have more problematic behavior difficulties.
Since school cultures are reflections of the mesosystems in which they are found, they vary
from school to school and from district to district. For example, students refusing to follow
redirections may be the most problematic behavior at a rural school in northern Indiana,
while gang-related fighting is the most pressing behavior problem in an urban school in
Chicago. Schools with increasing numbers of culturally and linguistically diverse students
should solicit input from their communities as they develop the behavior expectations and
culturally responsive practices of SWPBS programs (Jones, Caravaca, Cizek, Horner, &
Vincent, 2006). Once an analysis of school culture has been completed,
teachers, administrators, and other school personnel can select and implement research-based
interventions, instructions, and behavior strategies that are applicable to the school
(McIntosh, Filter, Bennett, Ryan, & Sugai, 2010).
Administrative Support
Administrative support is critical to the successful implementation and sustainability of any
program in school (McIntosh et al., 2013). Such support ensures that teachers have the
resources and the time to implement SWPBS. The school principal is usually the key
administrator involved in the development, implementation, and sustainability of SWPBS.
The principal needs to provide teachers the time to plan and create an environment in which
teachers are encouraged to develop creative and innovative strategies and interventions. The
principal must also make sure that teachers have the resources they need to maintain an
effective SWPBS program, including training that enables them to review previously learned
skills and learn new skills. Consistent administrative support is a key factor in the
sustainability of SWPBS (Handler et al., 2007).
Continuous Regeneration
A system must be in place for teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of the procedures and
strategies of SWPBS. Since school culture is dynamic, teachers need to compare their current
practices with the changing needs of the students on a continuous basis and constantly adjust,
or regenerate, those practices. Teachers need to collect program data and make changes based
on the data. SWPBS programs can be sustained only if their fidelity is maintained through
these cultural changes over time (McIntosh et al., 2013). Without continuous regeneration,
programs become stale, and stale programs are often cursorily acknowledged and
halfheartedly implemented. Even though time, resources, and effort went into their
development, such programs end up gathering dust on some bookshelf from lack of use.
Tiers of SWPBS
School-wide positive behavior support has been envisioned as an approach providing
multiple tiers of behavior support. While the numbers of tiers may vary, most SWPBS
programs have three (see Figure 13.1). Tier 1 encompasses universal interventions, which
provide support for all students within the school and are generally effective with 80% of the
student population. Tier 2 provides targeted interventions to support the 10–15% of
students who do not respond to Tier 1 supports. Finally, Tier 3 provides individualized
interventions for the 5–10% of students who are not responsive to either Tier 1 or Tier 2
supports (Sugai & Horner, 2006; Sugai et al., 2010).
Figure 13.1 School-Wide Positive Behavior Support
Tier 1: Universal Interventions
Universal interventions constitute the most important tier of SWPBS. The development and
implementation of SWPBS is a proactive strategy of a universal design for classroom
management, and the implementation of universal supports that promote a positive school
environment is an active strategy. Students are taught behavioral expectations, and
appropriate behavior is reinforced. Students who are not successful at Tier 1 are referred to
Tier 2 for more targeted support. However, if Tier 1 is not effectively developed and
implemented, a number of students will be moved to Tier 2 inappropriately.
Five Steps to Implementing Tier 1
As a first step, prior to the beginning of the academic year, teachers within the school need to
agree on five classroom rules, keeping in mind the culturally and linguistically diverse
students they may have in their classrooms. School-wide behavior management plans are
more effective than individual classroom plans because they generalize from classroom to
classroom. Second, teachers need to agree on positive reinforcement strategies that will be
used school-wide to increase the probability that students will follow the behavioral
expectations laid out in the five rules. Third, teachers also need to agree on consequences for
students who do not comply with school-wide rules and expectations. The development of
such a traditional hierarchy of rules and consequences is the foundation of any behavior
management plan and a foundational strategy of a universal design for classroom
management. As stated previously, teachers should develop their traditional hierarchy
behavior management plans before the start of the academic year, keeping in mind the
diversity among the students they may have in their classrooms. The fourth step in
implementing Tier 1 is to teach students the rules, positive reinforcements, and consequences
once these have been developed. The final step is to collect and use data from universal
screening and continuous progress monitoring to make decisions regarding students’ progress
(Burke et al., 2012).
Identifying At-Risk Students
One component of Tier 1 is the identification of students who are at risk for behavior
difficulties. At-risk students who may need more intensive interventions at subsequent tiers
can be identified through office referrals, teacher nomination, continuous progress
monitoring, and universal screening (Carter, Carter, Johnson, & Pool, 2013).
Office referrals.
The easiest method of identifying students who are having behavior difficulties is through
office referrals. Teachers or at-risk teams should look for patterns of student behaviors and
examine the times and places where the behaviors occur (see Table 13.1). For example, it is
obvious from a review of office referrals that Ricardo has behavior difficulties during
unstructured times. He displays aggressive behavior between classes and during lunch. The
universal supports embedded in Tier 1 may not be effective for Ricardo, and he may benefit
from the targeted supports of Tier 2. However, teachers and at-risk teams need to be
cognizant that various factors can affect student behaviors, and these might skew the numbers
of office referrals. For example, Mrs. Clarke has referred a high number of students to the
office over the course of a semester. Mrs. Clarke could be a novice teacher who has
unintentionally created a learning environment that fosters misbehavior. The principal or an
SWPBS team member may want to observe Mrs. Clarke’s class to determine whether
sufficient supports are in place to encourage appropriate student behaviors and that Mrs.
Clarke’s classroom management plan is aligned with SWPBS. If additional support is
needed, a mentor could be assigned to Mrs. Clarke to assist her with lesson plans, pedagogy,
and classroom management.
Teacher nomination.
Another method of identifying students who are at risk for behavior difficulties is teacher
nomination. Teachers use their professional judgment to refer students for intensive, targeted
interventions at the Tier 2 level. Teacher nomination is based on the teacher’s perception that
the student’s needs cannot be met through the use of universal classroom strategies. Usually,
teachers refer students to Tier 2 because of behavioral difficulties. The school’s at-risk team,
consisting of a number of teachers and other education professionals, could also refer
students for interventions at successive tiers. Additionally, the at-risk team should identify
academic and behavior strategies to be implemented with these students. Such strategies,
which might include small-group instruction targeting specific skills or goals, should be
implemented by the teacher (Debnam, Pas, & Bradshaw, 2012).
Teacher nomination should not be the school’s sole avenue for identifying students who are
at risk for behavior difficulties, because teacher nomination is naturally subjective. For
example, male students displaying externalizing behaviors are more likely than other students
to be referred because externalizing behaviors are difficult to manage in the classroom
(Dowdy, Doane, Eklund, & Dever, 2011). Students displaying internalizing behaviors tend to
be underreported, and many female students tend to exhibit internalizing behaviors. These
students are often ignored, and their needs are not met.
What Would You Do? Ana
Franklin Pierce High School has been using school-wide positive behavior support for the past 2 years. Since
the SWPBS program’s inception, school personnel have noted a moderate decline in office referrals and
suspensions and a slight increase in the academic performance of students. However, these results do not seem
to apply to Ana, a student in your math class.
Ana is Hispanic, and while Spanish is the primary language spoken in her home, she seems to have appropriate
English skills. Ana has not had any behavior difficulties. She tends to sit quietly in the back of the room and
keeps to herself. She seldom engages in any class discussions, despite your prompts. You have also noticed that
Ana seldom interacts with her peers.
During times when the students are working individually on assignments in class, Ana tends to stare at her
paper. When you have asked her if she needs help, Ana has responded that she does not understand the problem.
Even when you have tried to explain problems to Ana, she does not seem to understand the concepts.
Ana’s other teachers have confirmed that she does not complete assignments in their classes either, and, as a
result, she is failing many of her courses. However, since Ana does not have behavior difficulties, her
internalizing behaviors are often overlooked.
Within the context of school-wide positive behavior support, what could you do to help Ana be successful in
school?
Continuous progress monitoring.
As described in Chapter 12, continuous progress monitoring is a procedure in which teachers
gather information concerning student behaviors to determine whether interventions are
effective in modifying the behaviors (Gresham, Hunter, Corwin, & Fischer, 2013). Teachers
can use data on office referrals, time-outs, expulsions, absences, and tardies to determine
whether behavior interventions are effective. For example, despite interventions implemented
at Tier 1, Ricardo has received office referrals resulting in two in-school suspensions and one
3-day out-of-school suspension over a period of 4 weeks. Continuous progress monitoring
can help teachers determine whether students are responding to the interventions provided
and making adequate progress or need to be referred to the next tier.
Universal screening.
While office referrals, teacher nomination, and continuous progress monitoring may be
effective means of identifying students with externalizing behaviors, they may overlook
students with internalizing behaviors. Universal screening may be a useful strategy for
confirming behavior difficulties for students with both externalizing and internalizing
behaviors. A number of different assessment tools may be used to evaluate student behavior.
These include the Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders, the Student Risk Screening
Scale, and the BASC-2 (Behavior Assessment System for Children, second edition)
Behavioral and Emotional Screening System.
The Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD; Walker & Severson, 1992) is a
three-stage, multigated procedure for identifying children who are at risk for behavior
difficulties. The SSBD uses a combination of teacher nomination, teacher rating scales, and
direct observation of the child’s behavior. At the first gate of the SSBD, teachers are given
descriptions of externalizing behaviors (aggressive, disruptive, and undercontrolled
behaviors) and internalizing behaviors (anxiety, withdrawal, depression, and overcontrolled
behaviors). Teachers rank students in …
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