A schoolwide PBIS initiative can radically change school climate and culture for everyone on campus, but it can really impact special education students. For your SPED staff, PBIS is a powerful tool to help their students develop and learn.
Ways to Use PBIS Rewards for SPED
From special education students in a mainstream classroom to a dedicated SPED group, students with special needs often present different challenges. Your PBIS initiative will help them develop the skills they need to be successful, academically, socially, and emotionally. Here are a few ways PBIS Rewards can help you boost the power of your PBIS initiative for SPED students:
SEL/Status Check
Students who qualify for special education accommodations may struggle in multiple areas. PBIS Rewards’ SEL/Status Check feature can help you keep tabs on their social and emotional states. Those needing additional support or guidance will benefit from intervention from your school’s social worker or counselor.
CICO
Many SPED students need the additional support that Tier 2 interventions provide. As a Tier 2 intervention, Check-In/Check-Out (CICO) enables students to develop positive behaviors and meet behavioral goals. While most students in Tier 2 will progress out into Tier 1, CICO can be a good way to assess development for those individuals in special education. Some may benefit from the more intensive, individualized supports in Tier 3.
Classroom Store
While your PBIS initiative likely utilizes a schoolwide PBIS store, individual teachers can set up classroom stores in PBIS Rewards just for their students. Classroom-specific incentives can help to drive excitement and engagement among students in a class. SPED students can set savings goals to help them focus on earning the required number of points for incentives. They can do this individually or as part of a group, depending on classroom makeup. The software keeps track of inventory, points available, and points spent.
Student App
Acknowledgment, points, and incentives are all a big part of PBIS from a student’s perspective. The PBIS Rewards Student App allows students to track all of these things and helps to build buy-in for your initiative. SPED students, in particular, benefit from this view into the recognition they receive. The feedback and comments left by teachers have the power to boost their confidence as well as reinforce positive behaviors.
Family App
Families of SPED students are often deeply involved in their student’s education, especially when it comes to IEPs and 504 plans. The PBIS Rewards Family App gives parents and guardians additional insight into their student’s behavior and enables communication between school and home. This includes views of their student’s points balance, CICO forms, and/or any referrals their student may have received. Families are also able to contact staff members directly through the app.
Referrals
Just like their peers, sometimes special education students earn a discipline referral. The data and documentation generated by a discipline referral serves two purposes. First, it allows a school to assess and adjust their PBIS initiative. Second, it provides credible, actionable information for required state reporting as well as for IEP meetings. PBIS Rewards’ Behavior Referral System accurately documents both minor and major referrals and tracks the data so that you can be proactive in reducing poor behavior.
PBIS and SPED
As part of an MTSS framework, PBIS places emphasis on the development of positive behaviors schoolwide. Just like their non-SPED peers, special education students benefit from recognition when they exhibit the positive behaviors outlined in the schoolwide matrix. Successful social, emotional, and academic growth is entirely within their reach, even with accommodations in place.
Managing your PBIS initiative digitally can help you accurately track and adjust your initiative as you move through the school year. PBIS Rewards makes it possible to track every data point generated by your PBIS initiative. Ease of use, robust reporting, and a full suite of apps will encourage buy-in from all stakeholders. We’d love to show you how it works – just contact us for more information or request a demo!