Building a Realistic Pyramid of Instructional and Behavioral Supports

for Prevention and Intervention

Tim Lewis, Ph.D.

University of Missouri

OSEP Center on Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports

pbis.org

The key

BEHAVIOR is functionally related to the TEACHING ENVIRONMENT

ContextThe School Environment Must Support

Appropriate Social Behavior

School-Wide Positive Behavior Support

The Challenge• Students with the most challenging behaviors in school need

pro-active comprehensive and consistent systems of support• School-wide discipline systems are typically unclear and

inconsistently implemented• Educators often lack specialized skills to address severe

problem behavior• Pressure on schools to incorporate national and state

initiatives such as Values Education, Anti-Bullying efforts, and Safe Schools. Many often have clear defined outcomes without structures to reach or a framework for deciding what should be implemented when, for whom, and to what degree

Typical school response to problem behavior = “punishment” of misbehavior and assumptions about appropriate behavior and/or seek out alternative placements

The Danger….

“Punishing” problem behaviors (without a proactive support system) is associated with increases in (a) aggression, (b) vandalism, (c) truancy, and (d) dropping out. (Mayer, 1995, Mayer & Sulzar-Azaroff, 1991, Skiba & Peterson, 1999)

The Good News…

Research reviews indicate that the most effective responses to school violence are (Elliot, Hamburg, & Williams, 1998;Gottfredson, 1997; Lipsey, 1991,

1992; Tolan & Guerra, 1994):

• Social Skills Training• Academic Restructuring• Behavioral Interventions

Toward a SolutionThe answer is not the invention of new solutions, but the

enhancement of the school’s organizational capacity to:• Accurately adopt and efficiently sustain their use of

research-validated practices• Provide a Seamless continuum of behavioral and

academic support for all students• Be part of a district wide system of behavior support• Increased focus, teacher training, community training,

and funding for early intervention

School-wide Positive Behavior Support

SW-PBS is a broad range of systemic and individualized strategies for achieving important social and learning outcomes while preventing problem behavior

OSEP Center on PBIS

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

SYST

EMS

PRACTICES

DATASupportingStaff Behavior

SupportingDecisionMaking

SupportingStudent Behavior

PositiveBehaviorSupport OUTCOMES

Social Competence &Academic Achievement

Universal Strategies: School-Wide

Essential Features• Statement of purpose• Clearly define expected behaviors (Rules)• Procedures for teaching & practicing expected

behaviors• Procedures for encouraging expected behaviors• Procedures for discouraging problem behaviors• Procedures for record-keeping and decision making

(swis.org)• Family Awareness and Involvement

I am…. All Settings Classroom Hallways Cafeteria Bathrooms Playground Assemblies

Safe •Keep bodies calm in line•Report any problems•Ask permission to leave any setting

Maintain personal space

WalkStay to the right on stairsBanisters are for hands

•Walk•Push in chairs•Place trash in trash can

Wash hands with soap and waterKeep water in the sinkOne person per stall

Use equipment for intended purposeWood chips are for the groundParticipate in school approved games onlyStay in approved areasKeep body to self

•Walk•Enter and exit gym in an orderly manner

Respectful

•Treat others the way you want to be treated•Be an active listener•Follow adult direction(s)•Use polite language•Help keep the school orderly

Be honestTake care of yourself

Walk quietly so others can continue learning

Eat only your foodUse a peaceful voice

Allow for privacy of othersClean up after self

•Line up at first signal •Invite others who want to join in•Enter and exit building peacefully•Share materials•Use polite language

Be an active listenerApplaud appropriately to show appreciation

A Learner

•Be an active participant•Give full effort•Be a team player•Do your job

•Be a risk taker•Be prepared•Make good choices

Return to class promptly

•Use proper manners•Leave when adult excuses

•Follow bathroom procedures•Return to class promptly

•Be a problem solver•Learn new games and activities

•Raise your hand to share•Keep comments and questions on topic

Benton Elementary

Universal Strategies: Nonclassroom Settings

• Identify Setting Specific Behaviors• Develop Teaching Strategies• Develop Practice Opportunities and

Consequences• Assess the Physical Characteristics• Establish Setting Routines• Identify Needed Support Structures• Data collection strategies

Universal Strategies:Classroom

• Use of school-wide expectations/rules

• Effective Classroom Management– Behavior management– Instructional management– Environmental management

• Support for teachers who deal with students who display high rates of problem behavior

Importance of Effective Instruction (Sanders, 1999)

• The single biggest factor affecting academic growth of any population of youngsters is the effectiveness of classroom instruction.

• The answer to why children learn well or not isn't race, it isn't poverty, it isn't even per-pupil expenditure at the elementary level.

• The classroom’s effect on academic growth dwarfs and nearly renders trivial all these other factors that people have historically worried about.

 

Outcomes of Universal Supports

FRMS Total Office Discipline ReferralsSustained Impact

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

94-95 95-96 96-97 97-98 98-99 99-00 00-01 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06

Academic Years

Tota

l ODR

s

INSTRUCTIONAL HOURS GAINEDProjected (50%) vs. Actual (Aug-Dec 2000)

2145HOURS

4290HOURS

474 HOURS

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

Total Instructional Hours Lost 99-00

Projected Instructional Hours Lost Actual Instructional Hours Lost

HO

UR

S

1671ADDITIONAL

Instructional Hours78%

Elementary Office Refferals by Year

416

608

852

490

187

433

654

138180

108

385

134 140

218

296

87

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1E 2E 3E 4E 5E 6E 7E 8E

Pre

Post

MIddle School Office Referrals by Year

592

2514

2082

1948

465

1464

800

1031

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

9M 10M 11M 12M

2001-02

2002-03

Group Cost Benefit

Office Referral Reduction Across

12 PBIS schools= 5,606 If one Office Referral=15 minutes of administrator

time, then 5,606 x 15=84,090 minutes

1401.15 hours or

233 days of administrator time recovered and reinvested.

Group Cost Benefit

Office Referral Reduction

Across 12 PBIS Schools =5,606 If students miss 45 minutes of instruction for each

Office Referral, 5,606 X 45=252,270 minutes4204.50 hours or

700 days of instructional time recovered!!!!!

Self-contained Special Education Building - St. Louis

• Enrollment 200

• 50% free and

reduced lunch

• Ages 13 and up

• Programs

• Serves 8 component

districts

• Physically Impaired• Autism• Language Impaired• Hearing Impaired• Multiple/ Severe

Disabilities • Emotional/

Behavioral Disorder

Self Contained School

• Supported by PBS Coach

• Prior to implementing school-wide system, Identified 33 students (17%) with chronic behavior teachers felt would require intensive individualized plans

Reported Results

• Reduction in inappropriate behavior (verbal aggression, sleeping in class, off task, disruption)

• Increased prosocial behaviors and task completion

• Post universal systems, only 5 students (2%) required intensive individualized support plans

Prevention & Supports For Identified and At-risk Students

Social Behavior

Does Implementation of PBIS improve individual interventions?

• Illinois “profile” analysis.– Assessment of intervention effectiveness

Very Low, Low, Med, High, Very High

0 1 2 3 4

– School-wide– Individual Intervention

N=223

N=169

N=38

N=17

Profile Effectiveness Scores (Illinois Schools 02-03)

0

1

2

3

4

School-wide Individual

Mea

n E

ffec

tiven

ess

Sco

res

t = 11.11 (335) p< .0001 t = 2.30 (27) p < .03

Partial

N=169

Full

N=223

Partial

N=17

Full

N=38

Mental Health Outcomes

• Does School-wide PBS fit within a comprehensive mental health model of prevention and intervention?

Minimizing and reducing “risk factors” by building “protective factors”

Risk and Protective Factor Comparison

SSS Risk and Protective Factor Scores (Illinois Schools 02-03)

0

20

40

60

80

100

Risk Factor Protective Factor

Me

an

SS

S F

ac

tor

Sc

ore

s

t = -2.17 (37) p < .036 t = 2.31 (37) p < .026

PartialN=21

FullN=18

PartialN=21

FullN=18

Correlation of Risk Variables with EBS Survey Score

N = 13 Middle SchoolsSprague, Walker, Sowards, Van Bloem, Eberhardt & Marshall, 2001

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0

0.2

Risk Variables

Pea

rson

R

Series1 0.017896 -0.119001 0.115955 -0.291545 -0.513794 -0.376016

Free & R Acd Fail Mobiltiy A&D Crm ASB Total

A&D = Alcohol and Drug; ABS = Anti-social Behavior Scale

Impact on Moving Students to More Restrictive Settings

Columbia Public Schools• Elementary Schools who implement SW-PBS

referred students to alternative/special school at lower rates compared to schools who were not implementing SW-PBS (r = -0.4306, p < 0.01)

• Elementary Schools who implemented SW-PBS have less recidivism to alternative settings once students returned to home-school

Prevention & Supports For Identified and At-risk Students

Achievement

BALLWIN ACHIEVEMENT PBS

405

302

185

760

32.531

58.2

47.4

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

2000 2001 2002 2003

YEAR

NU

MB

ER

OF

RE

FE

RR

AL

S

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

MA

P P

ER

CE

NT

ILE

Office Referrals Proficient or Advanced on MAP

Illinois 02-03 Mean Proportion of Students Meeting ISAT Reading Standard

t test (df 119) p < .0001

46.60%

62.19%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

PBIS NOT in place N = 69 PBIS IN place N = 52

Mea

n P

erce

ntag

e of

3rd

gra

ders

m

eetin

g IS

AT

Rea

ding

Sta

ndar

d

Early Literacy & Behavior(Kelk & Lewis, 2001)

• What are the effects of three instructional conditions a) social skill instruction, b) phonological / phonemic awareness instruction, and c) a combination of social skill instruction and phonological awareness instruction on the reading related and/or social behavior of at-risk kindergarten children?

Early Literary Outcome

Social Skill Outcomes

Phonemic Instruction

+/- -

Social Skill Instruction

- +/-

Phonemic and SS Instruction

+ +

Control Group - -

Small Group and Individual Interventions

Supporting Students At-Risk and those with Disabilities Within Their

Home School

Primary Prevention:School-/Classroom-Wide Systems for

All Students,Staff, & Settings

Secondary Prevention:Specialized Group

Systems for Students with At-Risk Behavior

Tertiary Prevention:Specialized

IndividualizedSystems for Students

with High-Risk Behavior

~80% of Students

~15%

~5%

CONTINUUM OFSCHOOL-WIDE

INSTRUCTIONAL & POSITIVE BEHAVIOR

SUPPORT

Assessment• Focus is on sorting student for service, not

“diagnosis and placement.”

• Social-Behavioral Concerns– Social skills– Self-management

• Academic Concerns– Peer Tutors– Check in– Homework club

• Emotional Concerns– Adult mentors

Important Themes

• Part of a continuum – must link to school-wide PBS system

• Efficient and effective way to identify students

• Assessment = simple sort

• Intervention matched to presenting problem but not highly individualized

STUDENTS RECEIVING A "BEHAVIOR PLAN"

EIGHT OR MORE REFERRALS

1999/2000 vs. 2000/2001

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

A* B C D E F* G H I J * K L M N O P

STUDENT NAME

NUM

BER

OF

REFE

RRA

LS

REFERRALS 99-00 REFERRALS 00-01

AVERAGE PERCENT DECLINE IN REFERRALS

50%%

* STUDENT LEFT SCHOOL DISTRICT BEFORE THE END OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR

SSRS-T Social Skills

Non PBS PBS

Pre Mean 72.8 (56-86) 78.3 (70-84)

Post Mean 80 (61-103) 90 (77-125)

P Value .11 .04*

SSRS-T Problem Behavior

Non PBS PBS

Pre Mean 123.6 (110-138) 124.8 (113-133)

Post Mean 121.4 (102-139) 124.7 (115-138)

P Value .50 .97

* Significance at the .05 P Value

Table 1. Pre- and Posttest Scores for Subjects on Dependent Variable (SSRS-T)

Teacher Evaluations

The students who participated in the Social Skills Club demonstrated more prosocial behavior.

The students who participated in the Social Skills Club showed improvements in the classroom.

School Very Much

Somewhat Neutral A Little Not at All

PBS 50% 17% 33%

Non PBS

60% 40%

School Very Much

Somewhat Neutral A Little Not at All

PBS 50% 17% 33%

Non PBS

60% 20% 20%

The students who participated in the Social Skills Club demonstrated improvement in non classroom settings. (playground, hallway, bathroom, etc.)

Would you recommend this program to another school in your district?

Would you recommend your school implement this program again next year?

School Very Much

Somewhat Neutral A Little Not at All

PBS 50% 17% 33%

Non PBS

80% 20%

School Definitely Probably Might or Might Not

Probably Not

Definitely Not

PBS 100%

Non PBS

40% 20% 40%

School Definitely Probably Might or Might Not

Probably Not

Definitely Not

PBS 100%

Non PBS

40% 20% 40%

Rate the overall usefulness of this program.

School Excellent Very Good

Good Fair Poor

PBS 83% 17%

Non PBS 20% 20% 40% 20%

Rate your overall satisfaction with the Social Skills Club.

School Excellent Very Good

Good Fair Poor

PBS 83% 17%

Non PBS 40% 40% 20%

43

23

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Nu

mb

er

of

Beh

avio

r R

efe

rrals

YR2 YR3

Pals - Combined Discipline ReferralsSept-J an

YR2 vs. YR3

46%

Average5.38

Average2.88

AMOUNT OF TIME PER WEEK

SPENT WORKING DIRECTLY WITH STUDENT

9

6

3

0

0

0

10 minutes or less

10 to 20 minutes

20 to 30 minutes

30 to 40 minutes

40 to 60 minutes

More than 60 minutes

NUMBER OF TEACHERS

Individual Support Plans

• When small group not sufficient

• When problem intense and chronic

• Driven by Functional Behavioral Assessment

• Linked to school-wide system

Process (FBA to PBS)

• Conduct functional behavioral assessment

• Create plan based on functional assessment outcome

• Develop infra-structure to support behavior change (school environment must change)

0

1 0

2 0

3 0

4 0

5 0

6 0

7 0

8 0

9 0

1 0 0

0

1 0

2 0

3 0

4 0

5 0

6 0

7 0

8 0

9 0

1 0 0

0

1 0

2 0

3 0

4 0

5 0

6 0

7 0

8 0

9 0

1 0 0

1 3 5 7 9 1 1 1 3 1 5 1 7 1 9 2 1 2 3 2 5 2 7 2 9 3 1 3 3 3 5 3 7 3 9 4 1 4 3 4 5 4 7 4 9

Daily Sessions

Jerrod

Emma

Matthew

BaselineNon-Function

Function Based InterventionBased Intervention

Newcomer, L. L. & Lewis, T. J. (2004). Functional Behavioral Assessment: An Investigation of Assessment Reliability and Effectiveness of Function-Based Interventions. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders,12 168-181.

Structural Analysis Setting Factors Assessment Tool

• Level 1: Classroom Set-up and Structure

• Level 2: Context Specific Activities

• Level 3: Instructional Delivery and Tasks

• Level 4: Student Behavior

Stichter, J. P., Lewis, T. J., Johnson, N., & Trussell, R. (2004). Toward a structural assessment: Analyzing the merits of an assessment tool for a student with E/BD. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 30, 25-40.

Results

• SFAT– Significant variables: clarity of expectations &

directions; consistency of expectations; accessibility of class schedules; lack of enforced procedures (especially regarding to hand raising and verbalizations or entire class).

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Baseline Level 1 Level 1 & 2 Level 1, 2 & 3 Follow-Up

Mea

n P

erce

nt o

f Tea

cher

Beh

avio

r

High Structure Materials Accessiblity Rules Visible Assistance Consistent Answering Consistent

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Sessions

Per

cent

of

Inte

rval

s O

ff-T

ask

Frequency of V

erbalizationsBaseline Level 1 Level 1 & 2 Level 1, 2, & 3 Follow-up

Verbalizations

Off-Task

FBA – PBS Plan Process

Success requires:

1. Individual(s) with expertise in FBA-PBS

2. Fluency with a clear process among all staff including their role

3. A basic understanding of the Applied Behavior Analysis = Behavior is functionally related to the teaching environment

Essential Steps to Individual PBS Plans

1. Request for assistance2. Operationally define problem/replacement behavior3. Background/archival data/ data collection/Environmental Assessment4. Functional Behavioral Assessment

Indirect measures Direct observation

5. Develop hypothesis regarding function of problem behavior6. Develop a PBS plan

Social skill instruction Self management Environmental modifications

7. Implement, Monitor and Evaluate progress

Implications & Conclusion

Implications For Educators Concerned with Children and Youth At-risk and Those with Disabilities

• Prevention/early intervention• Schools w/PBS refer less to alternative school (CPS)

• Continuum of Behavioral Supports (prevention – effective individual interventions)

• Generalization – a single system matched to intensity of student need• IEP still individualized, behavioral objectives mapped

to school-wide expectations

• Applying basic logic of special education to the entire school system

Implications For Educators Concerned with Children and Youth At-risk and Those with Disabilities

• Build similar SW-PBS systems to facilitate transition from self-contained settings back to home school

• Build capacity in schools to support students with academic and social concerns– Technical assistance directing best practice v.

simple compliance

• Blend education and related initiatives– Safe Schools / Achievement / Mental Health

District Leadership Team

District PBS Coordinator

“Coaches”/ Facilitators

School Teams

Summary

Investing in SW-PBS results in:• Change in school discipline systems creates an

environment that promotes appropriate behavior• Reduction in problem behavior resulting in less

staff time dealing with problems, more student time in the classroom

• Improved perception of school safety, mental health

• Improved academic performance• Improved social behavior performance• Improved effectiveness and acceptability of

individual interventions

On school reform…

Kauffman states “…attempts to reform education will make little difference until reformers understand that schools must exist as much for teachers as for student. Put another way, schools will be successful in nurturing the intellectual, social, and moral development of children only to the extent that they also nurture such development of teachers.” (1993, p. 7).

Resources• Association for Positive Behavior Support

<www.apbs.org>• OSEP Center for Positive Behavioral Interventions

and Supports <pbis.org>• Maryland Positive Behavior Support

<marylandpbis.org>• Illinois Positive Behavior Support <ebdnetwork-

il.org>• Special School District of St. Louis County PBS <

pbiscompendium.ssd.k12.mo.us>