When a school implements a PBIS initiative, there are typically lots of questions about how it works. Many schools opt to manage their initiative by hand, only to find that a manual system is a bigger challenge than they anticipated. For a PBIS initiative to be effective, however, you need consistency, accuracy, and fidelity.
PBIS Rewards is designed to take the challenge out of managing a PBIS initiative. By converting a manual system into a digital system, schools can recognize students quickly and easily anywhere on campus. Point totals update automatically, and the software tracks ALL the data the initiative generates. Pairing a PBIS initiative with a digital management system can take your school’s culture and climate to a new level.
Here at PBIS Rewards, we get a lot of questions about how our software fits into a PBIS initiative. These are some of the most common questions we get about our software:
Questions People Ask About PBIS Rewards
Isn’t PBIS Rewards just for teachers?
Nope! PBIS Rewards is a schoolwide PBIS management system that EVERYONE in the school can use … teachers, admins, support staff, bus drivers, cafeteria staff – everybody! You don’t have to invest in special equipment. Our software works on existing devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers. Every one of your staff members can download the app and use it to recognize students. Teachers aren’t the only ones who see students exhibiting positive behaviors, so why not let all of your staff get involved? Including everyone in your PBIS initiative can really help to build community and improve school culture.
Is PBIS Rewards a packaged PBIS curriculum?
For PBIS to be effective, it needs to be tailored to the specific needs of a school. One size definitely does NOT fit all! A PBIS initiative must be built from the ground up according to the unique circumstances in your school. What works for one school community may not be as effective in another. As you move forward with implementing your initiative, good management is key. PBIS Rewards enables schools to take the PBIS initiative they’ve developed for their exact needs and manage it digitally. Our software allows a school to recognize students, track points, collect data, and more.
Does PBIS Rewards add to a teacher’s workload?
Quite the opposite, in fact! PBIS Rewards understands that every teacher’s time is at a premium. Administrative tasks and classroom management needs affect the amount of time a teacher has for teaching. Classroom procedures and routines help lighten the load, but a manual PBIS initiative can increase the time spent on non-teaching activities. Handing out paper tokens and manually tracking student points interrupts the flow of teaching and learning and makes your staff’s job more labor-intensive. PBIS Rewards helps to manage your PBIS initiative digitally, eliminating time-consuming manual efforts. Our software allows teachers to recognize a student with a simple scan and continue teaching without missing a beat. Recognition for groups and whole classes is easy, too.
How do you get families on board with PBIS Rewards?
PBIS Rewards is a full suite of apps that allows everyone to participate in your school’s PBIS initiative. Separate apps for staff, students, and families means that each user can keep track of the information that is important for their success. Families in particular can take an active role in your school’s initiative by using the PBIS Rewards Family App to track their student’s progress and communicate with teachers. Introducing your families to the PBIS Rewards Family App is simple – just provide them with the link to our video, which comes both in English and Spanish. The app itself is available in English and Spanish, as well.
Can you take away points in PBIS Rewards?
PBIS Rewards wants to promote the positive. We believe that recognizing students for exhibiting positive behaviors allows them to learn and grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Taking away points can damage the effectiveness of a PBIS initiative. To draw an analogy, let’s look at it from the perspective of adults in the workforce. As an employee, you expect to earn a paycheck based on the work that you do. However, your employer doesn’t take money from your paycheck when you make a mistake at work. The same principle applies in PBIS Rewards. We don’t want to negate the hard work that students have done in previously meeting behavior expectations.
Can you use PBIS Rewards with older students?
Absolutely! In fact, older students get as many benefits out of a PBIS initiative as younger students do – sometimes more! With the PBIS Rewards Student App, students in upper grades better understand the recognition and comments they receive from teachers. Older students typically have greater autonomy when it comes to purchases in the school store, too. PBIS Rewards’ digital token economy is a great tool for teaching financial literacy, including concepts such as saving, budgeting, and goal setting. Finally, stocking a school store can be easier with older students, since you can survey them to discover the types of incentives they really want. You might be surprised to learn that some of these items won’t cost your school a dime – technology time, homework passes, preferential seating, and more!
Is PBIS Rewards equitable?
Equity in schools focuses on providing students with the kinds of support and resources they need to have the same opportunities for success. Schoolwide PBIS enables students to receive additional assistance and support in developing positive behaviors. As a schoolwide PBIS management system, PBIS Rewards allows educators to quickly and easily recognize students for exhibiting positive behaviors in a variety of settings. Tier II interventions such as Check-in/Check-Out (CICO) can give students a boost in developing the skills they will need for success, in school and beyond. PBIS Rewards applies the principles of PBIS on a broader scale, making it possible for everyone in the school to participate in the recognition of positive behaviors.
Is there a disciplinary process with PBIS Rewards?
One of the biggest misconceptions about PBIS is that it’s soft on discipline. Because PBIS is focused on the recognition of positive behaviors, many assume that negative behaviors are ignored. However, a PBIS initiative includes an appropriate response to negative behaviors. As implementation progresses, it’s not unusual to see a reduction in office discipline referrals alongside an improvement in school climate. PBIS Rewards offers a paperless referral solution to help streamline the disciplinary process. Our Behavior Referral System is an enhanced feature that schools can add to the standard base cost of the software.
We’re here to help!
PBIS Rewards understands that implementation of a PBIS initiative is a long-term process. As your staff and students embark on this journey, we’re here to help make it easier. A digital token economy can simplify the management of your initiative by making it more accurate. Robust data tracking means dozens of useful reports that can help you make adjustments to your initiative as the year progresses. We’d love to show you how PBIS Rewards can help you take your initiative to the next level. Just contact us or request a demo!
