The+Switch+to+SWPBS


 * School Wide Positive Behavior Support **

**What is it?**  In the past decades there has been a shift from the zero tolerance and harsh punishment policies in schools to a positive behavior intervention system. Many schools, districts, and even states are implementing school wide positive behavior supports. School wide positive behavior support, or SWPBS, “is a systematic approach for implementing proactive schoolwide discipline and is currently being implemented in over 7,000 schools in over 37 states. The purpose of SWPBS is to improve school climate and prevent student problem behaviors across all school settings.” (Freeman, Anderson & Griggs, 2009) SWBPS is based on the belief that by positively reinforcing students instead of harshly punishing them school morale would become increased, and eventually the number of disciplinary referrals will be reduced.

To implement SWPBS there are five steps to put in place. The first step involves building a culture within the school, so the whole school (including teachers, students, administrators, and counselors of all grade levels) will operate on the same consistency of what is expected from the students and the staff behavioral wise. The second step asks for early identification of students’ problematic behavior. For the third step, all students (not just students with behavioral issues) are taught proper behavior skills. Then there is a three step behavioral support plan used to prevent further behavior issues. Finally SWBPS asks that all necessary data is used to ensure best practices for providing behavioral management and support to all students.

 This is different from past disciplinary practices that most adults have implemented for the adolescents they teach and have witnessed as adolescents themselves. In previous decades, or in many school systems that have yet to adopt SWBPS, the disciplinary practices have been subjective and “educators have dealt with problem behaviors in the classroom by using reactive disciplinary methods and relying on the conduct code.” (Salmeron, 2013) The argument with SWPBS states that by teaching positive behavior skills, positively reinforcing students when they have acted with responsibility, and having consistent behavioral modification plans in place, students, classrooms, and even schools will have an increase In morale and a decrease in disciplinary referrals. Though some argue that SWPBS plans give students an artificial idea of the real world, unnecessarily reward students for doing what is expected of them, and does not prepare them for the real world. However, recent research has disproved many of the naysayers.

(photo courtesy of pbisaz.org )

**Where and When is it done?**  School Wide Positive Behavior Supports have been trending throughout school systems across the United States. Prior to SWBPS many schools “make violence prevention and conflict resolution part of learning. The increase in aggressive and delinquent behavior in schools throughout the country has reached critical proportions” (Safran & Oswald, 2003). In 2007, the NCES reported that 74% of public schools recorded one or more violent incidents of crime; 16% recorded one or more serious violent incidents; 44% recorded one or more thefts, and 68% recorded one or more other incidents (NCES, 2007). As a result, schools established policies to increase discipline and control by adopting “get tough” practices (Simonsen, Sugai, & Negron, 2008). Violent and disruptive behaviors become more destructive over time, destroy the school environment, and lower the quality of life for students and teachers (Walker, Cheney, Stage, & Blum, 2005).” (Salmeron, 2013) SWBPS is a trend that pushes for new and innovative practices to produce unique results.

One school reported to have “a number of encouraging outcomes resulted during the first year of full 13 SWPBS implementation. For example, the total number of office discipline referrals decreased by 20% from Year 1 to Year 2, timeouts decreased by 23%, and most notable, short-term suspensions decreased by 57%. Reports from teachers and administrators confirmed that the combination of universal, group, and individual supports made a positive impact on the school climate and student behavior in general.” But to achieve these results, schools must have plans and procedures in place. Double Churches Middle School, a school located in Columbus, Georgia, recently implemented Positive Behavior Supports into their school and the staff has seen major changes in office referrals.

**How?**  The following steps are how Double Churches implemented Positive Behavior Supports into their schools.
 * 1) Teachers, counselors, and administrators went through 3 days of training.
 * 2) They established clear behavioral goals and expectations for all of the students.
 * 3) They determined the supports (incentives, replacement behaviors, and punishments) to implement.
 * 4) They made the supports known to the students by placing numerous reminders around campus.
 * 5) They remain consistent with implementation whether it is incentives or punishments.

As a result, since implementing a discipline framework called PBIS (Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports) eight years ago, Double Churches Middle School has reduced its number of cases referred to the office by 77 percent.” (Rice, 2016) With more and more schools switching over to School Wide Positive Behavior Supports, more and more research is becoming available such as a study that “suggests that SWPBS has a positive effect by reducing office referrals and detentions. . . In addition, teaching Respect, Optimism, Acceptance, and Responsibility (ROAR) biweekly to students by the school counselors and one teacher and rewarding students with ROAR tickets for positive behavior may have resulted in less disruption and a more positive school climate. Swanson et al. (2011) reported similar findings with regard to the beneficial effect of positive school climate on student behavior.” If more schools were to implement SWBPS and follow a class from kindergarten to graduation, there would be research that would either prove the validity of SWBPS or disprove the hypothesis of SWBPS supporters.

 As a new teacher for the 2016-2017 school year, I attended a Positive Behavior seminar at Jordan High School in Columbus, Georgia. At this seminar I learned all about the positives and the negatives associated with the practices of Positive Behavior Supports. But not everyone was on board. Many of the veteran teachers had their doubts, which is natural when introducing new ideas. But what I liked most about this technique is that it models proper behavior in professional settings, meaning that students are learning how to remove negative habits and replace them with mature and professional habits. For example, instead of telling a child to “Stop that!” whenever he or she is speaking disrespectfully towards another, one could say “Think of a different way that could have been said.” With this technique the students learn specifically what is improper and can then make choices to correct themselves. And students, especially teenagers, love to feel like they have choices and control.
 * Why? **

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> Another reason I gravitated towards SWPBS is because it encourages teachers to be encouraging towards their students. SWPBS asks teachers to acknowledge and praise when students are on task. A simple “Thank you for having your books open” encourages the students who were on task to repeat that behavior, but it also encourages those who aren’t on task to improve for next time. With this technique no one has their feelings hurt, no one is embarrassed, and no one has to punished or reprimanded. By encouraging students with positive remarks, everyone wins.

**Annotated Bibliography** Corrin, J. (2011, November 17). PBIS: Leaving striving students behind. Retrieved June 03, 2016, from []. //This opinion piece offers valuable insight and raises reasonable questions about the validity of PBIS.//

Freeman, R., Anderson, S., & Griggs, P. (2009, March). School-wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS). Kansas Institute for Positive Behavior Support at the University of Kansas, 1, 1-12. //This article from the University of Kansas gives a detailed yet user friendly introduction to SWPBS, how it has been implemented, and the effects in middle and elementary schools.//

Liebig, C. (n.d.). A blog about school. Retrieved June 04, 2016, from []. //This is a blog written by a school board member of the Hoover County School District. In Liebig’s blog, he offers insider information about PBIS as well as many other school related issues.//

Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports - OSEP. (n.d.). Retrieved June 03, 2016, from []. //This website is an organization that is dedicated to introducing newcomers to PBIS, cites useful resources, provides research, gives statistics related to PBIS in public schools, and even offers training ideas to its patrons.//

Rice, M. (2016, May 11). Here’s how Double Churches reduced visits to school office. The Ledger Enquirer. Retrieved June 01, 2016, from []. //This newspaper article gives insight into a local middle school and the positive effects that SWPBS has made in our community.//

//Safran, S. P., & Oswald, K. (2003). Positive Behavior Supports: Can Schools Reshape Disciplinary Practices? The Council for Exceptional Children., 69(3), 361-373. Retrieved June 01, 2016, from []. This article examines not only the effectiveness of PBIS, but the effectivesness in relation to exceptional learners.//

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Salmeron, N. (2013). THE EFFECTS OF A SCHOOL WIDE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT SYSTEM. 1-43. Retrieved May 26, 2016, from []//This article addresses the behavior problems many schools face, gives vocabulary to those who may be unfamiliar, gives a brief history, and shows the progression os SWPBS in schools across America.//