PBIS has the potential to radically change a school’s culture and climate for the better. The key to this profound change, however, comes from the way a PBIS initiative is structured and implemented. PBIS best practices can help administrators, teachers, students, and parents to work together to encourage academic, social, and emotional growth.
PBIS Best Practices
Think of best practices as a sort of roadmap to successful PBIS implementation. Each of these practices addresses a different element in a PBIS initiative. All work together to form a solid foundation for long-term, positive change in a school’s culture. No matter where your school is on its PBIS journey, you can realize greater success with these 12 best practices:
1. PBIS Team
Your PBIS team is essential in the planning, implementation, and assessment of your initiative. The individuals you include in this team should represent the various stakeholder groups within your school.
2. Schoolwide Expectations
It’s incredibly important for everyone in your school to be on the same page with regard to behavior. While these behaviors may look different in different situations, schoolwide standards give your staff and students important guidelines.
3. Behavioral Instruction
It’s not enough to simply state what behaviors you wish to see. Students benefit from educators modeling desired behaviors in a variety of settings, including the classroom, library, cafeteria, and so on.
4. Classroom Systems & Routines
Good classroom management can increase instructional time as well as improve academic outcomes for all students. Behavioral expectations, paired with consistent classroom systems and routines, can add up to an additional 45 minutes of instructional time per year!
5. System for Recognition
Acknowledging positive student behavior, in the moment, requires a simple process that allows staff to award points quickly. Determine point values for specific behaviors, enable methods for quick recognition, and keep accurate counts of points awarded.
6. Staff Buy-In
PBIS has the potential to impact your school in numerous ways, but only if your teachers are on board. Provide them with good information, proactive training, feedback, and coaching when needed. Buy-in should begin with your administrators and flow to your staff and students.
7. Consistent Implementation
Changing school culture and climate is a long-term process. When you commit to a PBIS initiative, you will be more successful if you approach it with consistency and with the knowledge that it is a multi-year progression.
8. Discipline Procedures
A common misconception is that PBIS involves abandoning discipline. In reality, PBIS is about refocusing attention toward positive behaviors. Negative behaviors should still receive a response as well as a redirection toward positive outcomes. Over time, discipline referrals should diminish.
9. Data Collection
Every journey needs a roadmap, and the data your initiative produces allows you to fine-tune that roadmap. These data points can help you measure things such as buy-in, fidelity, discipline referrals, and much more.
10. Evaluation & Reporting
The surest way to measure the growth and performance of your PBIS initiative is by examining the data your initiative generates. By looking at the numbers, you can see how teachers are awarding points, how students are responding, how your discipline referrals have changed, and what needs to be adjusted.
11. Professional Development
Educators are accustomed to ongoing training for various aspects of their profession, and the principles of PBIS should be a part of this training. Educating staff about MTSS and how to acknowledge positive behavior, as well as correcting negative behavior, can make your PBIS initiative more effective.
12. Student, Family, and Community Involvement
For a PBIS initiative to be successful, you must include the input of students and families as you move through the process. Your school community can give you insight into your initiative in ways that your data cannot.
Learn More About PBIS Best Practices at #PBIScon21
No matter where your school is in its’ PBIS journey, adopting best practices can help your initiative to be successful. Each of these best practices is one piece of a larger whole, and all are essential for improving school culture.
PBIS Rewards can help you to build and implement a strong PBIS initiative by enabling you to operate digitally, accurately tracking points and collecting data automatically. Generate reports to share with your PBIS team and make adjustments as the school year progresses. Understand the level of buy-in among your staff members and see who would benefit from additional coaching.
Want to dig deeper into best practices in PBIS? Join us for #PBIScon21! Session tracks for our VIRTUAL conference, PBIS: Anytime, Anywhere! include:
- PBIS Rewards
- Best Practices in PBIS
- Getting Started: PBIS Foundations
- Social/Emotional Learning (SEL)
- Cultural Responsiveness
- Staff/Student Engagement (Teacher Rewards)
- Distance Learning/Rewards From a Distance
Register for #PBIScon21
Time is running out to secure your seat for #PBIScon21! Our virtual format means you’ll be able to attend any of our 40+ sessions and five keynotes from the comfort and safety of your home. Learn alongside educators from all over the world about all things PBIS. For two fun-filled days, you can participate in lively discussions, network with other educators, play games, and win prizes and conference swag. Plus, you’ll gain insight on how PBIS Rewards can help your school put best practices into place!
#PBIScon21 takes place June 21-22, 2021 and seating is limited. You don’t want to miss this, so register today!
Register for PBIScon21Not Attending #PBIScon21?
You can still get a good look at how PBIS Rewards can help you take your PBIS initiative to the next level. Simply request a demo and we’ll schedule a time that works best for you and your team!
