PBIS in Urban Settings

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PBIS in Urban Settings

• Presented by
• Christine McGrath, Ph.D., PBIS Trainer
• The May Institute
• Association for Positive Behavior Supports
• March 27, 2009

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Goals of Session

• Overview of Urban Systems
• PBIS in an urban school district in New England
• Meriden, CT
• Lessons learned

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Challenges Urban Systems

• Staff turnover
• More challenging behavior
• Lower SES level
• Increased diversity
• Academic deficits
• Competing Initiatives

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Survey of Barriers to Implementation and
Sustainability of SW-PBS in Urban Settings

• 10. Cultural difference between teacher-student
• 9. History of failed initiatives
• 8. Competing initiatives that drain resources
• 7. High proportion of inexperienced, short term
  teachers
• 6. Disconnect between school and district
  administration
• 5. Administrative turnover
• 4. Continuous change in district leadership and
  priorities
• 3. High bureaucratic complexity
• 2. Inadequate prepared teaching force
• 1. Teacher turnover

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Continuum of PBS in Schools
Tertiary Prevention Individualized Systems for
Students with High-Risk Behavior
1-5
6 referrals
10
2-5 referrals
10
Secondary Prevention Specialized Group Systems
for Students with At-Risk Behavior
Primary Prevention School-wide and
Classroom-wide Systems for All Students,
Staff Settings
80-85 of Students
0-1 referral
Crone Horner (2003)
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Continuum of PBIS in Urban Schools
Tertiary Prevention Individualized Systems for
Students with High-Risk Behavior
6 referrals
9
10
2-5 referrals
15
Secondary Prevention Specialized Group Systems
for Students with At-Risk Behavior
0-1 referral
76 of Students
Primary Prevention School-wide and
Classroom-wide Systems for All Students,
Staff Settings
Turnbull, et. al (2002)
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SW-PBIS Primary Outcomes

• Improves the school behavioral climate

• Decrease in
• office referrals
• suspensions detentions
• disruptive classroom behavior

• Increase in
• academic performance
• on-task behavior
• parent, student staff satisfaction
• staff retention

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Implementing School-wide Positive Behavioral
Interventions and Supports in an Urban School
District Meriden, CT
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District Characteristics

• Meriden Public Schools
• Approximately 8,864 pre KG-12th grade students.
• Comprised of 41 Hispanic,43 White,14 Black
• 29 students report a language other than English
  spoken at home.
• 58 qualify as low income.
• 9 English Language Learners.

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Development of District wide Leadership Team

• Representative District PBIS team formed in
  Spring 2005
• Meets quarterly
• Compiled long-term action plan
• Planned for going to scale
• Provides support to PBS Coaches and PBS
  Coordinator
• Completes self-assessment quarterly
• Examines district-wide student discipline data
  for overall trends, implications, and
  intervention strategies
• Outlined long-term funding for PBS initiative

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Political Support

• Student social behavior identified as one of the
  top 3 goals for the district.
• Active participation and support of the
  Superintendent Associate Superintendent
  secured.
• Associate Superintendent reports annually to the
  Superintendent and Board of Education with PBIS
  Trainer on activities and outcomes.

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Coordination

• District PBIS Coordinator identified (2005) to
  oversee implementation
• Principal, Benjamin Franklin Elementary School
• Coordinator receiving on-going training with May
  Institute PBIS Trainer

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Visibility

• District team developed newsletter to share with
  district administrators and board of education
• Individual schools sharing information with
  stakeholders about activities and outcomes
• Monthly reports to staff
• Parent open houses and letters
• Postings on websites

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Coaching Capacity

• Leadership Team developed PBIS Coaching Network
  to build sustain School-wide PBIS in the
  district
• 2 to 3 PBIS Coaches from each school implementing
  SW-PBIS
• Coordinator and/or Trainer meets monthly with all
  PBIS Coaches for information sharing,
  implementation strategies, fundraising, and
  problem solving.

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Demonstrations

• Currently, 10 schools within district have
  adopted SW-PBIS
• 8 elementary schools
• 2 middle schools
• Exemplar schools within the district identified
  that display
• Fidelity of implementation of SW-PBIS
• Positive outcomes
• Decrease in office discipline referrals
• Increased staff satisfaction of SW Discipline

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SW-PBS Implementation Evaluation

• District-wide evaluation processes assess
• Fidelity of implementation of SW-PBIS
  (School-wide Evaluation Tool (SET))
• Impact of SW-PBIS on student outcomes (ODRs and
  suspensions)
• Extent of implementation of the action plan

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Implementation and Outcomes Meriden Public
Schools
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PBS Implementation

• Organized into 4 Cohorts
• Cohort 1 Middle School 1
• (2004-2005)
• Cohort 2 Elementary Schools 1 2
• (2005-2006)
• Cohort 3 Elementary Schools 3, 4, 5 6, Middle
  School 2
• (2006-2007)
• Cohort 4 Elementary Schools 7 8
• (2007-2008)

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PBS Implementation SET Scores
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Overall Impact of PBS on the Meriden Public
Schools

• Dramatic reduction in the number of referrals
  that Administrators must deal with.
• Providing more time for attention to our core
  mission of teaching and learning.
• Overall 38 reduction in ODRs at 7 implementing
  schools
• (Range 19 to 66 reduction)
• Improved over all school climate
• Improved relationships with parents, families,
  and guardians

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Implementation and Outcomes Cohort 2 Elementary
School 2 Benjamin Franklin Elementary
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Benjamin Franklin Elementary School

• RESPECT SOS
• Respect for Self
• Respect for Others
• Respect for School

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Benjamin Franklin Elementary School

• Bulldog Bucks
• Token economy of Benjamin Franklin School
• Rewarded to students for demonstration of Respect
  for Self, Others, and School

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Cohort 2 Data
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Cohort 2 Longitudinal Data
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SW-PBIS Behavioral Outcome Data Time Lost
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Impact of SW-PBIS on Benjamin Franklin Elementary
School Behavior and Academics Time Saved

• Dramatic reduction in the number of referrals
  that Administrators must deal with.
• Providing more time for attention to our core
  mission of teaching and learning.
• Overall 76.5 reduction in ODRs Improved overall
  school climate
• 149 hours saved in administrator time
• 298.5 hours saved in instructional time

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Impact of SW-PBIS on Benjamin Franklin Elementary
School Behavior and Academics Time Saved

• Improved relationships with parents, families,
  and guardians
• Dramatic improvement in overall school academic
  achievement.
• School In Need of Improvement designation
  removed from school, Fall 2007.

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Continuum of PBS in Schools
Tertiary Prevention Individualized Systems for
Students with High-Risk Behavior
1-5
6 referrals
10
2-5 referrals
10
Secondary Prevention Specialized Group Systems
for Students with At-Risk Behavior
Primary Prevention School-wide and
Classroom-wide Systems for All Students,
Staff Settings
80-85 of Students
0-1 referral
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Targeted Intervention

• H.U.G. Program Hello, Update, Good-bye
• Students from the targeted group
• Tier Two intervention for students at risk for
  office discipline referrals (2-6)
• Daily Record (point sheet)
• Check in/Check out

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HUG Students Enter in the Morning
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H.U.G. Behavioral Outcome Data
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H.U.G. Behavioral Outcome Data 4th Grade Cohort
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H.U.G. Academic Outcome Data 4th Grade Cohort
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H.U.G. Academic Outcome Data 4th Grade Cohort
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Impact of PBS on Benjamin Franklin Elementary
School

• Dramatic reduction in the number of referrals
  that Administrators must deal with for at-risk
  students.
• 49 reduction in ODRs for 4th grade students in
  H.U.G. intervention
• 11.4 and 7.25 improvement in CMT Reading Scores
  for 4th grade students in H.U.G. intervention
  (larger increase than peers)
• Improved relationships with parents, families,
  and guardians

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Lessons Learned During Implementation

• Never underestimate the power of Data.
• Buy in of district and school-based
  administration is crucial to a successful
  implementation.
• Trust your consultants.

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Lessons Learned During Implementation

• Build districts capacity must have trained
  faculty and need to develop institutional
  knowledge.
• Take your time with planning and implementation.
• Watch out for over zealous teams that may not
  have a complete understanding of the PBS process.
  
• The process is the most important aspect of
  implementation.
• Targeted and Intensive Team interventions are
  difficult to develop but are essential.
• Train, train and retrain. Constantly revisit the
  training of faculty and students through out the
  year a once and done training will not sustain
  itself.

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Contact Information

• For more information contact
• Chrissy McGrath
• e-mail cmcgrath_at_mayinstitute.org