Federal Investments in School Climate: Organizing Systems and Practices in Multi-

Tiered Frameworks

Renee Bradley, Ph.D.OSEP- US Department of Education

Tim Lewis, Ph.D.University of MissouriOSEP Center on PBIS

OSEP Center on PBIS

• First funded in 1998• Focus = prevention/early intervention and a

complete continuum of supports for students with significant behavioral challenges

• Targets = school/district/state leadership teams

School-wide Positive Behavior Support

Starting Point….

• We cannot “make” students learn or behave

• We can create environments to increase the likelihood students learn and behave

• Environments that increase the likelihood are guided by a core curriculum and implemented with consistency and fidelity

School-wide Positive Behavior Support

• Problem solving framework• Systematic implementation of evidence-based

practices• Layers in increasingly more intensive

environmental supports to increase the likelihood students are academically, emotionally, and socially successful

SYST

EMS

PRACTICES

DATASupportingStaff Behavior

SupportingDecisionMaking

SupportingStudent Behavior

SW-PositiveBehaviorSupport OUTCOMES

Social Competence &Academic Achievement

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

Universal

Targeted

IntensiveContinuum of

Supports

Reading

Science

Math

Soc skills

Horses

Spanish

Essential Features at the School Level

• Teams of educators within the school (administrator)

• Data-based decision making• Instructional Focus

– Teach & Practice• Acknowledge student mastery of social skills

– Positive Feedback• Readiness across Tiers (universals always a priority)• Access to on-going Technical Assistance

Universal School-Wide Features

• Clearly define expected behaviors (Rules)– All Settings– Classrooms

• Procedures for teaching & practicing expected behaviors

• Procedures for encouraging expected behaviors• Procedures for discouraging problem behaviors• Procedures for data-based decision making• 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

Respect-ful

•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 School

RAH – at Adams City High School(Respect – Achievement – Honor)

RAH Classroom Hallway/

Commons

Cafeteria Bathrooms

Respect Be on time; attend regularly; follow class rules

Keep location neat, keep to the right, use appropriate lang., monitor noise level, allow others to pass

Put trash in cans, push in your chair, be courteous to all staff and students

Keep area clean, put trash in cans, be mindful of others’ personal space, flush toilet

Achievement

Do your best on all assignments and assessments, take notes, ask questions

Keep track of your belongings, monitor time to get to class

Check space before you leave, keep track of personal belongings

Be a good example to other students, leave the room better than you found it

Honor Do your own work; tell the truth

Be considerate of yours and others’ personal space

Keep your own place in line, maintain personal boundaries

Report any graffiti or vandalism

Tier II (small group)• Efficient and effective way to identify at-risk students

– Screen– Data decision rules– Teacher referral

• Informal assessment process to match intervention to student need– Small group Social Skill Instruction– Self-management– Academic Support

• Progress Monitoring• Part of a continuum – must link to universal

school-wide PBS system

Tier III (individualized support)

• When small group not sufficient• When problem intense and chronic• Driven by Functional Behavioral Assessment• Connections to Mental Health and Community

Agencies (Integrated Framework Monograph)

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

RCT & Group Design PBIS StudiesBradshaw, C.P., Koth, C. W., Thornton, L. A., & Leaf, P. J. (2009). Altering school climate through school-wide Positive

Behavioral Interventions and Supports: Findings from a group-randomized effectiveness trial. Prevention Science, 10(2), 100-115

Bradshaw, C. P., Koth, C. W., Bevans, K. B., Ialongo, N., & Leaf, P. J. (2008). The impact of school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) on the organizational health of elementary schools. School Psychology Quarterly, 23(4), 462-473.

Bradshaw, C. P., Mitchell, M. M., & Leaf, P. J. (2010). Examining the effects of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports on student outcomes: Results from a randomized controlled effectiveness trial in elementary schools. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 12, 133-148.

Bradshaw, C. P., Pas, E. T., Goldweber, A., Rosenberg, M. S., & Leaf, P. J. (2012). Integrating school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports with tier 2 coaching to student support teams: The PBISplus model. Advances in School Mental Health Promotion 5, 177-193.

Bradshaw, C. P., Reinke, W. M., Brown, L. D., Bevans, K. B., & Leaf, P. J. (2008). Implementation of school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in elementary schools: Observations from a randomized trial. Education & Treatment of Children, 31, 1-26.

Bradshaw, C. P., Waasdorp, T. E. & Leaf, P. J. (2012). Effects of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports on child behavior problems. Pediatrics, 130(5), 1136-1145.

Goldweber, A., Waasdorp, T. E., & Bradshaw, C. P. (in press). Examining the link between forms of bullying behaviors and perceptions of safety and belonging among secondary school students. Journal of School Psychology.

Horner, R., Sugai, G., Smolkowski, K., Eber, L., Nakasato, J., Todd, A., & Esperanza, J., (2009). A randomized, wait-list controlled effectiveness trial assessing school-wide positive behavior support in elementary schools. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 11, 133-145.

Horner, R. H., Sugai, G., & Anderson, C. M. (2010). Examining the evidence base for school-wide positive behavior support. Focus on Exceptionality, 42(8), 1-14.

Waasdorp, T. E., Bradshaw, C. P., & Leaf, P. J. (2012). The impact of School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) on bullying and peer rejection: A randomized controlled effectiveness trial. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 116(2), 149-156

• Reduced major disciplinary infractions

• Improvement in academic engagement, prosocial behavior, &

emotional regulation• Improvements in academic achievement

• Enhanced perception of organizational health & safety

• Reductions in teacher reported bullying behavior & peer rejection

• Improved school climate

• pbis.org - Research

Scaling Up & Expanding The Problem Solving Logic

"All organizations [and systems] are designed, intentionally or unwittingly, to achieve precisely the results they get."

R. Spencer Darling

Research Findings on Scaling Up(Fixsen, Naoom, Blase, Friedman, & Wallace, 2005, p. 70)

• Best evidence documents what doesn’t work:– Information dissemination alone– Training by itself

Research Findings on Scaling Up(Fixsen, Naoom, Blase, Friedman, & Wallace, 2005, p. 70)

What does work– Long term, multi-level approaches– Skills-based training– Practice-based coaching– Practioner performance-feedback– Program evaluation– Facilitative administrative practices

Key To SuccessBuild parallel systemic processes • Provide school teams with a process to address

the presenting challenge (e.g., problem behavior, drop out, learning to read)

• Develop a parallel process for districts/states to support school implementation and continue to expand with integrity (Blue Prints)

Funding Visibility PolicyPoliticalSupport

Training CoachingBehavioral Expertise

Evaluation

LEADERSHIP TEAM(Coordination)

Local School/District Implementation Demonstrations

Expanded PBIS Center Foci

Common Core

Outcome Measures

Across Sites

Disproportionality

Students with Disabilities

Drop Out Crisis Responses

Juvenile Justice

/Alternative Settings

Integrated Mental Health

Youth Forum Cities

• Office of Safe & Healthy Schools & OSEP, US Department of Education

• Comprehensive City-wide Partnerships to establish SW-PBS across the school district

• Boston• Camden• Chicago• Detroit• Memphis• Minneapolis• New Orleans• Philadelphia• Salinas• San Jose

25

School Climate Transformation and ”Now is the Time”

Why Now?

“If there is even one step we can take to save another child, or another parent, or

another town, from the grief that has visited Tucson, and Aurora, and Oak

Creek, and Newtown, and communities from Columbine to Blacksburg before that

-- then surely we have an obligation to try.” – President Obama

What Now?

Comprehensive Plan to make schools safer:• School Climate Transformation Grants to

Districts and States• Project Prevent Grants to School Districts• School Emergency Management Grants to

States

“If we can’t help protect kids and staff, and make them feel safe at school, then everything else we do is secondary… If kids don’t feel safe, they can’t learn. It’s that simple. Through these grants of more than $70 million, we are continuing our commitment to ensure that kids have access to the best learning experience possible.”

U.S Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan

WA1 – ‘14

UT2 – ‘14 CA

15 – ’14

NV

MT

AZ2 – ‘14

TX6 – ’14

NE3 – ‘14

OK 1 – ‘14

IA2 – ‘14

MO

LA

3 – ‘14

MI

3 – ’14

WI 4 – ‘14

IL3 – ’14

KY4 – ’14

AL1 – ‘14

FL

5 – ‘14

OH

VA NC

1 – ‘14

SC 1 – ‘14

PA2 – ‘14

NY 6 – ‘14

School Climate Transformation Grant Awardees

2014 SEA

2014 LEAs with no SEA

HI

CT

DE

MA3 – ‘14

DC1 – ‘14

NH1 – ‘14

VI1 – ‘14

10

Multi Tiered Systems of Support

DATA-PRACTICES-SYSTEMS

MTSS is about….Improving classroom

& school climate

Decreasing reactive management

Maximizing academic

achievement

Improving support for

students w/ EBD

Integrating academic &

behavior initiatives

Field Elementary School• High Diversity

– School has 290 students; 50% minority; 20% English Language Learners; 13% Special Education

• Instructional leader turnover• Poverty

– 79% of students live in poverty• Highly transient population

Field Elementary School

+ Teachers and Staff committed to increasing academic and social successof all students

+ A committed Principal who supported faculty in their efforts to change the way they taught to improve children’s lives

Field Elementary School

• Academic Standing– Only 5% of all students scored proficient in 2005– Breakdown by ethnicity:

–0% African-American–18% Caucasian–0% Students with disabilities–0% English Language Learners–7% Students living in Poverty

Field Elementary School

• Literacy• In 2004–05, 44% students required

intensive support for reading and writing

• Social Behavior• In 2003-04 Averaging 10.4 discipline

referrals per day

Positive Behavior Supports

MU College of Education —140 years of discovery, teaching and

learning

Impact on Behavior Problems

From 10.4 per dayTo 1.6 per day

Field Literacy Data

30%

26%

44%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

2004-2005

Intensive

Strategic

Benchmark

Structure

Core Reading 90 min, 5 days week with:

Intervention Groups 45 min, 4 days week, with:

(5th day individual focus )

Tier IIIIntensive Intervention

Classroom Teacher

Reading specialists, Sp Ed, ELL, Sp. Lang,K-2 SRA Reading Mastery3-5 Wilson Reading Systems

Tier IIStrategic Intervention

Classroom Teacher

Classroom Teacher Reading Mastery or Soar to Success

Tier IDIBELS benchmark

Classroom Teacher

Classroom Teacher Enrichment based on themes of core program

Core Reading and Intervention Schedule

Core• K 9:00-10:30• 1st 9:00-10:30• 2 10:00-11:30• 3 11:00-12:30• 4 1:45-3:15• 5 1:00-2:30

Intervention12:25-12:5511:30-12:159:15-10:0010:15-11:001:00-1:452:15-3:00

Data Collection

Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Benchmark

Progress Monitoring

Tier III Fall, Winter & Spring Every Other Week

Tier II Fall, Winter & Spring Every Other Week

Tier I Fall, Winter & Spring Once a month

Also utilize as needed:•Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA & DRA-2)•Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI)•District Writing Assessments

Impact on Literacy• Improved Academic Standing

– In 2007, 27% of Field’s students scored proficient in 2007 (up from 5%).

– African American: 0% improved to 16%– Caucasian: 18% improved to 57%– Students with disabilities: 0% improved to 25%– English Language Learners: 0% improved to 27%

Field Literacy Data

30%

26%

44%

40%

27%

33%

40%

29%

31%

51%

25%

23%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008

Intensive

Strategic

Benchmark

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support: Implications for Special Education

Challenges in Current Special Education Process

• “Wait Fail” evaluation process using a medical model (underlying pathology)

• Difficult task of keeping students “on-track” with peers while attempting to catch up due to disability

• At times an inefficient parallel system, curriculum, service delivery to general education

• Role of special educator becoming blurred, but without clear systems and guidelines

Challenges in Current Special Education Process

• Special education often only serves one or two aspects of the child without connections to the whole child’s education

• Special education reform will rely as much on changes in general education teacher and administrator pre-and in-service professional development as within our own field

MTSS Challenges

• Tier II/III expertise typically confined to special education & related personnel (e.g., school psychologist, SLP, OT)– Delivering special education without due process?

• No one “owns” Tier II students– Case managers

• Monitor data• Share plan year to year

• When does the special education referral process start?

Special Education Processes

• Evaluation• Individualized Education Plan

– Based on student need (data-driven)– Measurable outcomes– Progress monitoring– Connect points to evidence-based practices– Related Services

• Procedural Safeguards

Evaluation & MTSS

• Non-response to interventions that can be implemented by all educators and which all students have access

• Insurance of high implementation fidelity and sufficient dosage of intervention/accommodation

• Supplemental evaluation steps to confirm disability and determine severity

Evaluation

• Developmental Delay• Deaf-Blind• Deafness• Hearing Impairment• Multiple Disabilities• Orthopedic Impairment• Visual Impairment

• Intellectual Disability (mild)

• Emotional Disturbance• Other Health

Impairment• Learning Disability• Speech or Language

Impairment• Autism

IEP & MTSS

• IEP structure and process remains the same

Added Benefits• Universal effective instructional strategies • Objectives address same/similar expectations across the

school• More comprehensive cross school data collection• Creates a de-facto maintenance & generalization strategy• All students eligible to receive supports across the

continuum

MTSS Special Education Process

• Continue to serve as case managers for students with disabilities

• Continue to provide “pull-out” intensive supports /instruction (and related services) when general education environment cannot support

MTSS Special Education Process

Will Require:• Universal practices implemented school wide

(with fidelity checks)• Evidence-based universal practices• Sophisticated data review and frequent

universal screening• Tier II strategies carefully matched and

monitored to student need

MTSS Special Education Process

Will Require:• New evaluation process and standards (start

of procedural safeguards)– Intense/chronic concerns– Non response to Tier II/III strategies– Corroborated with standard measures

• Continuation of complete continuum of supports for all students with better connections between IEP and MTSS process

Implications

• Resource Allocation at the School level– Case load balanced against “consultation” time– Support for intensive services

• Focus of “consultation” to team vs. individual student

• Other staff role changes– General educators as case managers– Support staff

• Teacher preparation/ Certification (both special and general education)

Federal Investments in School Climate: Organizing Systems and Practices in Multi-

Tiered Frameworks

Renee Bradley, Ph.D.OSEP- US Department of Education

Tim Lewis, Ph.D.University of MissouriOSEP Center on PBIS