Ways Your Team Can Support Your Staff

Teri Lewis-Palmer

University of Oregon

Today

Focus on classroom component of PBS - how to support teachers

Describe current status of classrooms (student-teacher interactions)

Discuss several types of teacher support

Implementation Levels

Student

Classroom

School

State

District

Classroom Management Systems

Behavior & classroom management Classroom-wide positive expectations taught &

encouraged Teaching classroom routines & cues taught &

encouraged Ratio of 6-8 positive to 1 negative adult-student

interaction Active supervision Redirections for minor, infrequent behavior errors Frequent precorrections for chronic errors

Instructional management Selection Modification & design Presentation & delivery

Environmental management

School Environment

Lack of discipline is viewed as one of the most serious challenges facing public schools National Education Goals Report (1995) U.S. Surgeon General’s Report (2002)

Teachers report that problem behavior is increasing and is a threat to effective learning Skiba and Peterson, (2000)

Discipline(Charles, 1996)

What teachers do to help students behave acceptably in schools

Goal is to reduce the need for teacher intervention over time by teaching students to manage their own behavior

Current Status

Lack of discipline is viewed as one of the most serious challenges facing public schools

• National Education Goals Report (1995)• U.S. Surgeon General’s Report (2002)

Teachers report that “uncivil” behavior is increasing and is a threat to effective learning

• Skiba and Peterson, (2000)

There is a link between general level of disruptive behavior and more extreme acts of violence

• Skiba and Peterson, (2000)

Summary of Descriptive Research (e.g., Wehby, Shores, Symmons, etc.)

Low rates of instructional interactions. Extremely low rates of praise. When interactions occur, most often around non-

academic issues. Most academic activities consist of independent

seatwork. Inconsistent distribution of attention. Compliance to a command generally resulted in the

delivery of another command Correct academic responses by a student did not

occasion teacher praise above chance levels.

What Effect Do These Interactions Have On Teacher Behavior (Wehby, 2000)

Increased levels of inappropriate student behavior appears to lead to fewer instructional interactions with students.

Teachers attend more consistently to students’ inappropriate behavior and less consistently to appropriate behavior.

Over time, teachers are getting more opportunities to practice less than effective teaching practices.

Current Issues within the Field

Establishing and sustaining instructional rates that match the effective teaching literature Ratio of attention (app:inapp) Opportunities to respond Correct academic responding

Assessing classroom and instructional management Supporting teachers

SYST

EMS

PRACTICES

DATASupportingStaff Behavior

SupportingDecisionMaking

SupportingStudent Behavior

PositiveBehaviorSupport OUTCOMES

Social Competence &Academic Achievement

Academic Systems Behavioral Systems

1-5% 1-5%

5-10% 5-10%

80-90% 80-90%

Intensive, Individual Interventions•Individual Students•Assessment-based•High Intensity

Intensive, Individual Interventions•Individual Students•Assessment-based•Intense, durable procedures

Targeted Group Interventions•Some students (at-risk)•High efficiency•Rapid response

Targeted Group Interventions•Some students (at-risk)•High efficiency•Rapid response

Universal Interventions•All students•Preventive, proactive

Universal Interventions•All settings, all students•Preventive, proactive

Designing School-Wide Systems for Student Success

Teacher Support

School culture (systems)Policies (systems)Acknowledging staff (practices)Classroom support (practices)Assessment (data)Performance feedback (data)

School Culture - Focus on adults Buckingham & Coffman 2002, Gallup poll1 million workers, 80,000 managers, in 400 companies

Create working environments where employees:

Know what is expected Have the materials and equipment to do

the job correctly Receive recognition each week for good

work

Have a supervisor who cares, and pays attention

Receive encouragement to contribute and improve

Can identify a person at work who is a “best friend.”

Feel the mission of the organization makes them feel like their jobs are important

See the people around them committed to doing a good job

Feel like they are learning new things gaining skills/professional development)

Have the opportunity to do their job well. Practices: Establishing collegial environment

Golden Plunger, ODR processed in class, ??? Mentor teachers, Buddy classrooms, ???

PBIS School Culture

Proactive Behavior Support for All Common language Agreements about expectations Consistent and predictable environments

Three Tiered Model Universal (all students, all times, all locations) Targeted (efficient interventions for at-risk students) Intensive (individualized interventions for those students with

the most intense problem behavior)

Arrange Environments

Establish the policies, systems, tools and documentation to make implementation Adoption/implementation easier in subsequent years Continuous process of adaptation and improvement Process driven, not person dependent

Example: School PBIS handbook, Job descriptionsRequest for Assistance, SST/TAT/BST

On-going Support

SystemsFeedback

External (peer, counselor, school psych) Self- management

Effective Teaching PracticesBrophy and Good (1986) Prioritizing and allocating time in academic

instructionClassroom organization and management

(academic engagement, opportunities to respond/pacing)

Acknowledging correct academic responses

Use of praise

Sanders and Horn (1998) indicate, regardless of risk factors found among students in schools today, “the single biggest factor affecting the academic growth of any population of youngsters is the effectiveness of the individual classroom” (p. 2).

Impact of Classroom

Sanders and Rivers (1996) reporting up to a difference of 50 percentile point on standardized tests among student who experienced successive years of poor instruction at the elementary level have been reported

However…

Need to look at the educational systems (preservice training an inservice support) not at the classroom teachers

Monitoring Teacher Behaviors

Self-management for teachers has produced temporary increases in the use of effective instruction strategies

Performance feedback used for temporarily increasing staff/teacher behavior

Performance Feedback

Provides information and knowledge of processes and results in an effort to promote transfer or maintenance of skills and behavior

Results in more consistent intervention effects

A “performance feedback package” may result in more optimal results

Peer Mentoring

Non-evaluative, reciprocal observationsPerformance feedback aimed at improving

use of effective instructionHowever, research is limited and primarily

descriptive

Systems Support

Move to school-based teams and not rely on “outside experts”

As with SW-PBIS the systems guide the implementation of effective practices

Working Example: Classroom

Brown Elementary Suburban 450 students, k-5th grades

PBS Team Approached by veteran 3rd grade teacher for

assistance 28 students High rates of ODRs and detention Thinking of early retirment Parents unhappy with situation

Objectives

Provide support to teachers and classrooms as part of an overall team based systems approach to discipline.

Create a process for teachers to request assistance from the team for classroom specific social behavioral needs.

Incorporate strategies to assess specific classroom needs and develop and implement support plans to address those needs.

Prerequisites

Team based systems approach to discipline Proactive School-wide Top three priority in school

Teacher and students provided confidentiality Focus on process Focus on strengths and needs

Collaboration with teacher and selected members at all phases

Assessment Data collection Plan development, implementation and evaluation

Assessment

The assessment focused on five students from the classroom who served as representatives for the students with behavior challenges.

Students were assessed for high and low risk times across daily routines (e.g., getting organized, sharpening pencil) and scheduled activities (e.g., math, library).

Information from all students was used to identify common low and high risk times.

Target StudentsDaily RoutinesJarod Liza Bryan Chris Marly

Getting Help

X X X

Working Independently

X X X X

Transitioning fromActivity to Activity X X X

Working in Groups

X X X X X

Taking Care ofPersonal Needs X X X X

Getting Organizedfor the Day X X X X

Getting Organizedto go Home X X

Listening toInstructions X X X X X

Following Directions

X X X X X

Respecting Others

X X X X X

Assessment Summary Low Risk Activities:

Homework distribution and discussion

Star of Week/Super Scientist recognition

Story Computer

Low Risk Routines: Getting organized to go

home

High Risk Activities Morning routine Recess Library Clean-up/Dismissal

High Risk Routines Group work Listening and Following

directions Respect-adults and peers Working independently Taking of personal needs Getting organized for the day

Classroom Assessment-Referrals per Day per Month

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

.Sept .Oct .Nov .Dec .Jan

Month

Referrals per Day

Classroom Assessment-Students

0

1

2

3

4

5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Number of Referrals

Number of Students

Classroom Assessement-Referrals by Location

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Classroom Lunch Recess Office Bus Music BeforeSchool

Bathroom Gym

Location

Number of Referrals

Classroom Assessment-Type of Behavior

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Profanity Fight/Aggress. Disruption Non-Compl. Vandalism

Behavior

Number of Referrals

Classroom Assessment-Type of Interaction

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Student to Student Student to Adult Student Alone

Interaction

Number of Referrals

Teaching Plan

Social Skills Lessons By comparing high risk routines with activities several

areas/skills of focus were identified. These areas of focus were then used to generate examples and non-examples for future teaching. Three lessons, one for each of the school-wide expectation were developed.

Specific Routines The majority of problem behaviors occurred at the

beginning of activities (first 5-10 minutes). Second, organization skills were mentioned as a concern for several of students. Therefore, two specific routines (beginning activities, and end of the day organization) were defined and taught to the students.

GettingHelp

WorkingIndepend.

Transitions Groups PersonalNeeds

GettingOrganized

Ready togo Home

Listening FollowingDirections

MorningRoutine X XLanguageExperience XRecess X XMath XStar of theWeek XPE XMusic XLibrary XComputer XScience XClean-up/Dismissal X

Sample: Lesson for Teaching Expected Behavior

Step 1: Identify the expected behavior.

Be Respectful

Step 2: Rationale for Teaching the Rule

It is important for us to be respectful of each other because we are all to here to learn and feel safe. While we are each individuals, together we are a class and we need to find ways to work together, collaborate, and share

Step 3: Identify a Range of Examples Positive Teaching Examples Negative Teaching Examples

• The teacher is explaining the next activity to the class, you show respect by listening quietly.

• During recess a student who you don’t usually play with asks to join your basketball game, you show respect by letting them join the game.

• During library, the Librarian asks you to come to the circle are for a story, you stay on the computer looking at animal pictures. (How could you show respect in the library?)

• In the cafeteria you cut in front of other students to get through the line sooner. (How could you show respect in the cafeteria?)

Step 4: Practice/Role Playing Activities

• Have students draw pictures of being respectful by themselves, with their family, with their friends, and for the environment.

• Have students write a short story about when someone treated them with respect.

Step 5: Prompt Expected Behavior

1. Post the expectations in the classroom where everyone can see them.

2. Precorrect students before diffi cult times (e.g., transitions, cafeteria, recess, library,

small group activities, field trips, assemblies) to behavior respectfully .

Step 6: Assess Student Progress

• Have the students color in a bar graph for every “Pride Slip” their class gets. When the bar is full they get a class party.

• Have the teacher track minor behavior slips and offi ce referrals for the class.