PBIS Program

Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) is a prevention-oriented way for us to organize what we do in order to maximize academic and social behavior outcomes for our students. PBIS is a framework for assisting school personnel in adopting and organizing evidence-based interventions for behavior into an integrated continuum that enhances both academic and social behavioral outcomes for all students. The focus of this framework is on improving our ability to teach expectations and support positive behavior for all students. It is a team-based process for data review, data-based decision-making, intervention, ongoing planning, and monitoring of progress.

PBIS is a preventative, instructional approach to social behavior. Rather than assuming that students know what is expected, staff teach students what expectations are, and what it looks like to meet the expectations. The emphasis is on the establishment of organizational supports or systems that give staff the capacity to use interventions effectively. Supports include (a) team-based leadership, (b) data-based decision-making, (c) continuous progress monitoring of student behavior, and (d) regular universal screening. In Lincolnwood School District 74, staff has agreed that our three overarching expectations are:

 

Rather than waiting for students to violate expectations, the focus of PBIS is catching students meeting expectations. By giving attention for appropriate behavior rather than negative behavior, we can prevent misbehavior that is targeted at getting attention. Having and teaching school wide expectations is effective for most students, but some students require additional assistance.

The logic and principles of PBIS are the same as those of Response to Intervention (e.g., universal screening, continuous progress monitoring, data-based decision making, implementation fidelity, evidence-based interventions). When we see student not meeting expectations in academic areas, we provide academic interventions, likewise, PBIS is an example of the application of RtI for social behavior.

Most students are successful when a positive school culture is promoted, informative corrective feedback is provided, academic success is maximized, and use of prosocial skills is acknowledged.

 

When student problem behavior is unresponsive to preventive school-wide and classroom-wide procedures, information about the student's behavior is used to (a) understand why the problem behavior is occurring; (b) strengthen more acceptable alternative behaviors (social skills); (c) remove antecedents and consequences that are likely to result in problem behavior, and (d) add antecedents and consequences that are likely to result in acceptable alternative behaviors.