Welcome to the PRIDE Post!

WHCSD's newsletter with the latest information on Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) implementation.


In this edition of the PBIS Post:


  • Creating a Positive Culture
  • Effective Classroom Management Support
  • Addressing Non-Compliance and Defiance
  • Branching Minds Update

Effective Classroom Management Support

High Leverage Classroom Practice to Maximize Classroom Management


  1. Classroom expectations are defined and taught (use all school-wide expectations)
  2. Procedures and classroom routines are taught
  3. Continuum of strategies to acknowledge and reinforce
  4. Continuum of strategies to respond to inappropriate behavior are in place and used per established school-wide expectations
  5. Student are actively supervised (precorrection and positive feedback)
  6. Students are given multiple opportunities to respond, which promotes high rates of academic engagement
  7. Activity sequence during lessons promotes optimal instructional time 
  8. Instruction is differentiated based on student needs


Try mindfulness techniques with your students before class for a calm culture. Click here to watch a video about this practice!

Addressing Non-compliance and Defiance


Challenging behavior can take many forms such as not following directions when given a request, ignoring requests, verbal threats, and leaving assigned areas, to name a few. 



Teach a functionally equivalent response that is appropriate so that students can communicate their needs effectively. For example, if the function of the scholar's behavior is to get your attention, teach them an alternative way to communicate their needs and reinforce their use of the replacement behavior every time they engage in it. If they engage in challenging behavior, do not provide any reinforcement such as attention or a verbal response.


For example, instead of calling out in class, Mr. Smith taught Johnny to raise his hand and called on Johnny, within 60 seconds or each time he raised his hand. Once Johnny was raising his hand consistently for a while, Mr. Smith began systematically decreasing the amount of times he called on him. Sarah continued to refuse task demands. Mr. Smith taught Sarah to say “I need your help, please” and reinforced her almost every time until she began independently asking for help . 

Punishment Procedures: Why Punishment Doesn't Produce Lasting Change


“The single most commonly used but least effective method for addressing undesirable behavior is to verbally scold and berate a student” (Alberto & Troutman, 2006). - CENTER ON THE DEVELOPING CHILD, HARVARD UNIVERSITY


Punishment occurs when a response is followed immediately by a stimulus that decreases the future frequency of that or similar behavior. That means that punishment is about the behavior, NOT THE PERSON! Punishment should always be a last resort and used with reinforcement procedures that develop appropriate behaviors. 


When administering punishment, deliver the punishment consistently every time the behavior occurs or it will continue. If a child thinks there may be times when they will get away with their behavior, they will take the risk and engage in it!


Punishment should be delivered calmly and only for the minimum duration and intensity to be effective. Neither low intensity nor long, drawn out punishments will develop appropriate behavior.


For example, time out is effective with just a few minutes of removal rather than longer durations. On the other hand, suspensions are not effective at changing behavior because the removal is not immediately following the behavior, the duration is too long, and the removal does not teach a child appropriate replacement behaviors. Read more tips and examples below!




  • When punishment is removed or stopped, the effects are not permanent. Behavior will recover and even possibly exceed prior levels. (i.e. Mr. Smith kept putting Johnny in timeout because he was disturbing the instructional time. He finally started keeping quiet so Mr. Smith let him back into class. However, because the work was too difficult and he wasn’t taught how to ask for help or for a break, he wanted to immediately escape the task demand. Now his disruptive behavior is even louder and more frequent than before to ensure the task demand is removed.)


  • Punishment procedures can cause undesirable emotional responses such as aggression or escape/avoidance behaviors. (i.e. Johnny knows his teacher, Mr. Smith puts him in time out every day so he started skipping class to avoid the punishment. At least this way he can roam the halls instead of sitting in the back of the classroom being embarrassed.)


  • Doesn’t teach a replacement behavior to get their needs met. (i.e. Johnny has a hard time processing math problems. He doesn’t know how to ask for help in a way that’s not embarrassing so he keeps playing on his phone during class instead of attempting the work.)


  • The person implementing the punishment may engage in the procedure for too long or too often because it removes the challenging behavior for a short time and relieves the stressful situation. (i.e. Mr. Smith sends Johnny out of the room every time he is disruptive because it becomes quiet and he can finally teach something in peace! Now Johnny misses class every day and keeps falling behind because he is never in class.) 


  • Other students may begin imitating the student's challenging behaviors. (i.e. Sarah sees that Johnny gets the teacher’s attention every time he refuses to listen during class. Sarah also wants the teacher's attention and since he isn’t calling on her when she raises her hand, she begins refusing to follow directions and comply, just like Johnny! Now she’s got Mr. Smith’s attention and she’s going to try and keep it.)


Behavior change only happens when we are consistent with reinforcing the appropriate replacement behavior!



PRIDE Praise!


WHMS Teachers and staff have been consistently rewarding their scholars with PRIDE take home notes this year!


WHES hosted a series of assemblies to remind scholars of PRIDE expectations, with special guests--a Tiger mascot and the WHHS Marching Band!



Send your school's PBIS success story to Malka Dym to be featured!

RESOUCRES


"Every child who winds up DOING WELL has had at least ONE stable and committed relationship with a SUPPORTIVE ADULT"



Branching Minds Update


The BrM data reviewed at the December DLT indicated that male behavioral incidents far surpassed female incidents. Please see the data and relevant article regarding this topic: https://www.sreb.org/post/uplift-boys-color



One team! One vision! One goal!