West Allegheny Middle School

2018 Don EichornSchool to Watch

Imperial, PA

• Inspiration to 780 students in Grades 6-8

• Compassionate educators to a 25% F/R population

• Supportive coaches to a 17% Special Education population

• Generous and giving to our communities just west of Pittsburgh

• Leaders of many programs, including PBIS, that enrich the lives and school experiences of our students

• ACHIEVERS

1. What does PBIS stand for?

2. True or False: PBIS encourages the use of reactive and punitive interventions to correct behavior.

3. True or False: PBIS can be utilized at both elementary and secondary levels.

4. What school personnel should be in charge of your school’s PBIS team?

5. In what areas of your school can PBIS be implemented?

6. True or False: One of the greatest benefits of PBIS include encouraging pro-school values in ALL students, despite differing academic and socio-economic backgrounds.

School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support system for the entire school population.

Characteristics of SWPBIS:

• Interventions are planned and positive rather than reactive and punitive.

• Conditions (antecedents) contributing to inappropriate behavior are carefully managed or eliminated.

• Multiple opportunities for positive, corrective feedback are created while negative critical feedback is limited or eliminated.

• Prosocial behaviors are taught directly, practiced frequently, and routinized so that they become automatic.

• SWPBIS enables schools to focus on corrective behaviors that build pro-school values in all children.

• SWPBIS assumes that not all students enter school with the same dispositions, skills, or understanding of how to conduct themselves in every social situation or institution.

SWPBIS has a direct relationship to the mission of the West Allegheny School District by ensuring that our mission occurs “within a safe, nurturing environment in partnership with family and community.”

•Every person is valuable and worthy of respect

•Higher expectations lead to higher performance

•Each individual is unique and capable of reaching higher levels of performance given the proper conditions

Expectations…achievement…engagement

Safe and supportive school environment

4:1 Rule

•TEAM based planning, implementation and tracking of progress.

•Student and school-level data

•Behavior expectations

•Recognition and rewarding of positive behavior.

•Intervention systems

• Built Team• Volunteers of classroom teachers and counselors

• Training• Worked closely with Carrie, our PBIS consultant/facilitator

• Identified core values and focus areas• Safe, Responsible, Respectful• Hallway, Cafeteria, Classroom, etc.

• Created ticket system, parent guide

• Staff roll out

• Fun and engaging student lessons

• Staff training• Monthly meetings, In-Service

• Student rewards

At West Allegheny Middle School, we have ‘Pride in Ourselves’ and ‘Pride in our School’. This pride is shown through three core values:

• Lesson taught throughout the school by team members to keep consistency

• Student Expectations=Indian Pride Ticket

• ‘Book of Champions’

• Student Raffle

• Grand Prize Raffle

•Cafeteria Implementation

•Classroom Implementation

•Students and Parents

•Tier 2 Implementation

• Students can earn Indian Pride Tickets

• Grade levels earn daily stars

• Grade levels earning 8 or more stars are eligible for rewards such as ‘free phone days’ or ‘DJ’ for our jukebox.

• Bus Dismissal (2017-2018)

• Assemblies (2017-2018)

• Bathrooms (2017-2018)

• Classroom (2018-2019)

- 42 Out-of-School Suspensions in 2015-2016. - 17 OSS in 2016-2017.

- Staff attendance up by 4.5% in last 18 months

- 1,600 positive acts of students acting safe, respectful, responsible awarded in hallways over last 18 months.

- PSSA scores improved in 5/7 tested areas in last year and did not regress in any area.

• "Roll Out"

• Teacher incentives:

1. Jeans & Indian Pride t-shirts

2. Early Outs

3. Random Rewards

4. Starbucks

5. Best incentive – students' positive reactions!!

• PBIS Implementation Brainstorming Chart

• Classroom Based PBIS strategies

• Resources

• Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports• www.pbis.org

• Pennsylvania Positive Behavior Support• www.papbs.org

• https://www.pbisworld.com

• https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/treatments-approaches/educational-strategies/pbis-how-schools-support-positive-behavior