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About PBIS
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What is PBIS?Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based framework for teaching and supporting positive behavior for ALL students. This school-wide approach focuses on building a safe, positive environment in which all students can learn.Why PBIS?The purpose of PBIS in the Anchorage School District is to create connections and foster healthy relationships that enable students to develop the social emotional learning skills necessary to be ready for college, career, and life. We do this by providing a consistent, positive, predictable, and safe place for every individual to learn and grow.What are the benefits of implementing PBIS in schools?Schools who successfully implement PBIS have experienced increased academic outcomes, fewer behavioral issue and discipline, reduced bullying, better attendance and decreased rates of drug/alcohol abuse. There have also been improved outcomes for teachers and staff – teachers report feeling more effective and have a better view of school safety and positive school climate.What does PBIS look like in schools?Schools establish clear expectations for behaviors across all school settings. Staff teach both the behavior skills and academic skills necessary to be successful. Using a common language by all staff and frequently acknowledging the expected behaviors, they create a safe learning environment with lots of time for learning. Schools collect and use data to make decisions to meet schoolwide and individual student needs. Schools seek input and communicate with families about the behavioral expectations at their school as well as the types of support that is offered for students.Do PBIS Schools address misbehavior?Yes! One of the misunderstandings of PBIS is that we don't address misbehavior. When schools are implementing PBIS they acknowledge that students are learning so mistakes are expected to happen - even with behavior. Staff respond to that behavior by planning ahead for how they will respond in a consistent, calm, effective manner. They remind and reteach expected behaviors and have clear consequences that are fair and transparent. Using a "tiered" approach, they identify students who are in need of more support and effectively match interventions with student need. Partnering with families in the process of providing supports is central to a PBIS approach as well.Does PBIS Address the mental health needs of students?ASD's PBIS framework intentionally integrates mental health into all levels of supports for students. By creating safe, positive, predictable and consistent places for students to learn, we are creating the foundation for wellness every day. By having school-based mental health professionals as part of the school's leadership team, we ensure that we are looking at "whole child" supports and interventions and can respond quickly and intentionally when student mental health needs arise.Where can I learn more?Watch the video linked above to see PBIS in Action in ASD. Connect with your school and ask them about how they're implementing Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports. There are a lot of great free resources online, but you can learn more here. You can also learn more about the specific resources our schools and our district are using through the linked resources.
Tiered PBIS Framework
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Educators and practitioners provide a continuum of academic, behavioral, social, and emotional support matched to students’ needs. We describe this continuum across three tiers of support. The Tiered Fidelity Inventory will be the roadmap for implementation of evidence-based practices.
Foundational systems across all three tiers include:
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A shared vision for a positive school social culture
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A representative leadership team that meets regularly and shares expertise in coaching, social, emotional, behavioral, academic, equity, mental health, physical health, wellness, and trauma
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A supportive and involved school administration
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On-going access to professional development for preparing all staff to implement each tier of PBIS
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Systematic collection of screening, progress-monitoring, outcome, and fidelity data
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Ongoing use of data for decision making
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Disaggregating data to examine equity among student subgroups
Adapted from https://www.pbis.org/pbis/what-is-pbis
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Contacts
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Sara DykstraDirector, SEL & Behavior Support(907) 742-4442Nicole DraperSupervisor, PBIS Implementation(907) 742-4864