Integrating the Leader in Me with Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS)

Presented by Wanda Fernandez, School Psychologist& Andrea Serrano, Instructional Coach

Laveen Elementary School – AZ SymposiumMesa, ArizonaMarch 4, 2015

About Laveen Elementary School

• Located in South Phoenix• 930 Students• 75% Free & Reduced Lunch• 52% Hispanic, 27% Black, 10% White, 6%

Native American, 3% Two or More, 2% Asian/Pacific Islander

• 4.7% Mobility Rate (Low SES combined with Large Foster Care Population)

History of PBIS in Schools

• Begun as an initiative to address behavioral interventions similarly to academic interventions

• Tiered system to address levels of need• Traditional View: “When children have difficulty

learning, we give them additional help; when they have difficulty with behavior, we give them a consequence/punishment, but we don’t teach them how to act differently.” (Paraphrased from George Sugai, Ph.D., UCONN and Liaison with OSEP-pbis.org)

The Tiered System of PBIS

PBIS Tiers

Tier 1 - Effective for 70-75% of StudentsTier 2 - Effective for Tier 1 and Another 20% of Stu-dentsTier 3 - Intensive Inter-vention for 10% where Tier 1 & 2 Aren't As Ef -fective

History of PBIS at Laveen Elementary

• Psychologist involvement with RTI Coaching through AZ Dept. of Education from 2006-2010

• Training at RTI presentations by Robert March, Ph.D. (www.successfulschools.org)

• Intensive 4-day Training for the Laveen Elementary School District staff by Dr. March in summer 2011

• Each campus created their PBIS Classroom and Campus matrix and developed individual systems to fit their school

Laveen Hawks SOAR

S.O.A.R. for the CLASSROOM

SSafe

Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself. Use personal and school materials appropriately. Stay in designated area.

OOrganized

Keep area neat and clean. Always be prepared with necessary materials. Put materials and backpacks where they belong.

AAccountable

Be ready to learn and participate in class lessons and activities.

Be on time. Complete and turn in assignments in on time. Take responsibility for your own actions Be a good peer model.

RRespectful

Listen when someone is talking and raise your hand to speak.

Treat others and their property as you would like to be treated.

Use kind words and gestures. Listen to and follow directions of all adults. Volume 0-2.

• Insert hall matrix

What Worked?

• Teachers trained on the matrix during first two weeks of school

• Matrix was posted in hallways and classrooms• HALO (former leadership) students video-

taped a brief explanation with the plan of showing to new students

What Didn’t Work?

• No follow-up on reinstructing on the matrix for hallways, restrooms

• New students weren’t necessarily taught the expectations

• Video underutilized

Discipline Data with PBISReferrals & Lost Days of Instruction (Out of School Suspensions/In School Detention)

2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013

Referrals 535 770 378

Lost Days/Instruction 1362 1597 856Note: 2010-11 is pre-PBIS; 2011-12 1st year with PBIS; Assistant Principal assigned mid-year to another school/various district admin assisted; 2012-13 2nd year with PBIS

Laveen’s Journey with the Leader in Me

• PBIS didn’t seem like it was enough for our students – We needed something different to address the many differing needs of our students

• We needed a paradigm shift! • Began researching the Leader in Me in the Fall of 2012• Principal attended Symposium in Winter 2013• Full staff 7H training in spring/summer 2013• Lighthouse Team and Trainer of Trainers summer 2013• Implemented 2013-14 school year

PBIS vs. the Leader in Me• PBIS Alone• Began Mentoring program

involving staff only, with specials teachers and administration, psychologist serving as mentors to students

• Mindset of PBIS and LiM being two separate and non-equal programs

• Leader in Me w/PBIS• Continued mentoring

students, but staff involvement increased

• Four (4) community partners began mentoring students: 2 social/life skills groups, 2 afterschool groups (construction and Art Club)

• Integrated process

How Do PBIS and LIM Compare?• PBIS reaches the first and

third habits (with a little of Habit 5) – being proactive, planning ahead for behavior, and learning social skills to help with resolving conflict

• Focuses on behavioral issues and reducing referrals/lost days of instruction

• The Leader in Me addresses the entire child

• Paradigm Shift in How to View Students & their abilities

• Mentors use the LiM language to help students make more positive choices and work on ALL areas of their lives/goal-setting, not JUST behavior-focused

Mentoring at Laveen

• Due to the Leader in Me and the focus on parents and community (& not just students’ behavior), our community partner involvement has increased dramatically

• Many of the community partners provide mentoring opportunities for our students, including small groups focused on life skills and various afterschool activities

• Huge impact on number of students benefiting from this service

Who Are Our Mentors?• Luke Air Force Base personnel from all departments on the

base– Upcoming field trip organized by Luke AFB personnel for mentees

• Local doctors, attorneys, community artists and businessmen, including local retail store managers

• Local entrepreneur, who sponsors the Laveen Shark Tank (entrepreneurial club for students)

• Staff from Grand Canyon University• Local television news anchor who works in a variety of

classrooms sharing her experiences with students

Mentoring by the Numbers• Note the dramatic increase in the number of students being served• 2014-15 data is for first semester (August – December 2014) only• *145 hours is structured mentoring only and does not include afterschool clubs

Mentoring Participation

2013-2014 2014-2015

Number of Students 59 65

Number of Staff 28 17

Number of Community Partners 4 33

Number of Mentoring Hours Provided

479 145*

Discipline Data with PBIS & LiMReferrals & Lost Days of Instruction (Out of School Suspensions/In School Detention)

2012-2013 2013-2014*

Referrals 378 389

Lost Days/Instruction 856 767

Note: 2013-14 initiated Leader in Me process

So What’s It All Mean?

• PBIS is a great process of utilizing positive behavioral reinforcement to change behavior– BUT – PBIS does not address the whole child

• Leader in Me encourages growth, leadership, and development across all areas of the lives of students, parents, staff and the community

• Leader in Me encompasses the framework of PBIS and takes it further to inspire growth and development

• Leader in Me encourages cultural shift and changing towards effective paradigms

Students as Leaders

• Rather than focus only on behavior, students have begun seeking leadership roles on campus

• Job Fair in December yielded 60 applicants for assistant positions throughout campus

• Each classroom has jobs which students rotate through in order to have an opportunity to model appropriate skills

• Focus has become more about community service and projects vs. losing instructional days

Creating Greatness

Resources

• www.leaderinmeonline.org• www.successfulschools.org• www.pbis.org• www.interventioncentral.org• Community Coaching materials from

FranklinCovey