Proposed by Phil Leaf 012505
DRAFT PROPOSAL FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PBIS IN BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
SUBMITTED BY PHILIP J. LEAF, PH.D.
RESOURCES REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT PBIS IN BALTIMORE CITY FOR SCHOOLS AFFECTED BY HB1288
1. BCPSS PBIS Implementation Team consisting of the BCPSS PBIS Coordinator, Director of Student Support Services, Director of Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, Directors of Social Work, Counseling, and School Psychology, Representatives of the Area Executive Officers for schools participating, School Police, Suspension Services DREAA, Baltimore School System Union, PCAB, JHU Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence and Prevention and Early Intervention Center, and BMHS. These individuals participate as part of their existing jobs or as volunteers (non-BCPSS staff).
2. Baltimore PBIS Coordinator. 1 FTE required to coordinate the implementation and monitoring of PBIS. Funds are available for this person thru 9/06 from the JHU Prevention and Early Intervention Center. This individual also will join the Maryland PBIS Leadership Team.
3. Lead PBIS Coaches (1 within each elementary school area although Areas could agree to share lead coaches). These individuals report to the Area Executive Officers. They oversee the PBIS coaches in their area and facilitate the implementation of PBIS in their area. (5% effort as part of ongoing administrative responsibilities for improving school climate and academic performance).
4. PBIS Coaches (1 for up to three schools). Coaches will devote 10% of their time per school. These individual aid school teams with the implementation of PBIS and provide consultation concerning the implementation of universal and the formulation of need for targeted prevention and remedial services. Funds are available from the JHU Prevention and Early Intervention Center through 6/05 to support the payment of coaches, possibly as salary supplements. The Coach is responsible for submitting the monthly reports of progress to the System wide PBIS Coordinator and the Maryland PBIS Leadership Team.
5. PBIS Teams (1 per school). Each team should consist of the principal, a person designated as the team leader, other school staff including teachers and student support personnel, mental health clinicians if available in school, and also a parent or parent liaison. This could be an existing team. Individuals participate as part of regular duties. Team members should be compensated for training when it can not be accomplished during regular work hours. Funds for this training are available from the JHU Prevention and Early Intervention Center
6. School-Wide Information System (SWIS). School teams and others supporting the implementation of PBIS require ready access to data in graphical formats. BCPSS data systems can not currently generate these reports although plans for this capacity have been discussed. MSDE will pay first year costs ($200 per school). Three staff per school need to be trained on data entry (approx 3 hour training session).
7. Maryland PBIS Statewide Leadership Team will provide training and consultation to BCPSS Coaches and PBIS Coordinator at no cost (except transportation costs for BCPSS staff).
8. Evaluation and Quality Monitoring. System wide data analysis and quality monitoring can be provided by the staff person at DREAA hired with funds from a contract from the JHU Center for Prevention and Early Intervention. The Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence in requesting additional funds from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to aid in quality assurance and evaluation. MSDE has agreed to pay for baseline and follow-up assessments in each school using the School-Wide Evaluation Tool (SET).
9. Consultation on PBIS Implementation and Development of Services for Non-Responders. The Johns Hopkins Center for Prevention and Early Intervention and the Center for Youth Violence Prevention will provide technical assistance for the implementation of PBIS and the linkage of youth requiring more intensive services with these services (no additional funds required).
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
To aid in the discussions of PBIS and the evolving strategy for implementing PBIS in Baltimore City, I have drafted an implementation plan that builds on the procedures that have been successful in other school systems. The first part of this plan describes procedures that could be used to implement PBIS in Baltimore. The second part estimates the costs involved in implementing PBIS.
School-wide Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is a systems approach to discipline that emphasizes
- Prevention of problem behaviors by providing proactive instruction of desired behavioral expectations, reinforcement of appropriate behavior, and monitoring and correction of problem behavior;
- On-going collection and use of data for decision-making; and
- Application of more intensive and individualized support for students who do not respond to the universal system.
The implementation of PBIS includes the following 7 critical features: (1) a system-wide PBIS Implementation Team and the BCPSS PBIS Coordinator; (2) a school leadership team; (3) clearly identified expectations for student behaviors that are known by all staff and students; (4) expected behaviors taught to all students; (5) a school-wide system exists to positively reward expected behaviors; (6) procedures to respond to behavioral violations; and (7) a formal system to collect, analyze, and utilize disciplinary data. In order to accomplish these seven critical elements, the school system needs to develop an organizational structure for supporting PBIS. School teams need to be trained, undertake the planning process outlined below, and be supported by school-level coaches, a lead coach located within each of the BCPSS administrative areas, a BCPSS PBIS coordinator, the PBIS implementation team, and the State PBIS Leadership Team. The BCPSS PBIS Coordinator needs to be someone who is knowledgeable about PBIS, proficient in functional behavioral assessments, and aware of the resources available in or to BCPSS.
Implementation of a school-wide approach to PBIS also requires investments in
§ A long term implementation (3-4 years)
§ Efficient team based decision making and problem solving
§ A common approach to building a positive school culture agreed upon by a majority of staff members
§ Building behavioral competence and fluency
§ Active administrative leadership and involvement
§ A preventive approach to problem behavior
§ Directly teaching and encouraging school-wide social skills
A systems approach to school-wide PBS considers multiple points of support in schools:
§ Individual Student: intensive and individualized behavior intervention planning and implementation for students who are unresponsive to school-wide (primary) interventions and that use functional behavioral assessments.
§ Classroom: expectations, routines, structures, and practices for presenting curriculum, designing instruction, and managing social climate of classroom environments that serves as the basis for individual student behavior support planning.
§ School-wide: behavioral expectations and supports (i.e., proactive school-wide discipline) for all students and staff, across all school settings that together serves as the foundation for classroom and individual student PBS.
§ District: specialized behavioral supports, organizational leadership, and implementation resources that as a unity serves as the foundation for implementation of school-wide PBS.
§ State: behavior support policy, organizational leadership, and resource management that collectively serve as the foundation for district and school-wide implementation of PBS.
The Maryland PBIS State Leadership Team provides technical assistance and support to local school systems invested in designing and developing local capacity. School teams need to be trained, undertake the next planning process outlined below, and be supported by school-level coaches, a lead coach located within each of the administrative areas currently in place in Baltimore, a BCPSS PBIS coordinator, the PBIS implementation team, and the State PBIS Leadership Team. The BCPSS PBIS Coordinator needs to be someone who is familiar with PBIS, functional behavioral assessments, and the resources available in or to BCPSS.
Step 1. Establish a BCPSS PBIS Implementation Team. Implementing PBIS in multiple schools requires the support of school system leadership, as well as linkages with families and other service providers. If system policies and practices do not support implementation of PBIS within the targeted schools, positive outcomes will be difficult to achieve or maintain. The Workgroup on Student Support Teams and PBIS already functioning as part of the Objective 6 implementation efforts could function as the nucleus of this team. For the subgroup focusing on PBIS, representatives from Baltimore Teacher’s Union, the Parent and Community Advisory Board, students, and agencies providing support services such as BMHS and the Family League. A representative from this group should join the Family League Youth Development Committee to facilitate linkages of programs and access to new funds.
Step 2. Establish a School PBIS Team Each school will establish a school-level PBIS Team composed of 6 or 7 individuals who are representative of the school (e.g., by grade level and department), respected by their colleagues, collectively have behavioral competence, have a regular and efficient means of communicating with other staff members, and are endorsed actively and vigorously by their principal. Principals must be members of the team. Parents are recommended to serve as team members. In many schools, the PBIS Team will be a team already in existence. The PBIS team attends the PBIS training. During the school year, the PBIS Team meets weekly initially and then after the program is well established at least monthly. Meetings are guided by data and a proactive problem-solving approach. This team has the responsibility for reviewing school needs and establishing staff and school improvement action plans. An external PBIS coach is assigned to each school. Schools implementing PBIS are provided with a coach, The coach will mentor the school, help schools plan for and implementation program elements, and monitor the fidelity of this implementation. While the responsibility for PBIS implementation resides with the school and the PBIS school team, the coach acts as a cheerleader as well as a resource for solving problems. Coaches are overseen by the BCPSS PBIS coordinator. The State Leadership Team provides feedback to coaches and teams regarding implementation and technical assistance.
The school administrators must advocate for PBIS and support the PBIS Team in its efforts to identify needs and resolve problems. Leadership is demonstrated by:
· Setting PBIS implementation as a priority
· Allocating time and other resources for the program
· Maintaining staff and student morale for the program
· Sharing program successes with the school
· Regular attendance at team meetings
· Setting a personal example for PBIS implementation
· Acknowledging staff for good implementation
· Acknowledging students for good conduct.
Step 3. Secure School-wide Agreements and Supports. The PBIS team with the strong support of the principal secures staff agreements regarding the (a) nature and priority of staff development efforts and needs in order to support full implementation of PBIS, (b) long term (4 year) commitment and investment in the PBIS effort, and (c) importance of taking a preventive and instructional approach to behavior management and school-wide discipline. Before implementing PBIS, the team must demonstrate that at least 80% of the staff is supportive of implementing PBIS. The team also arranges for fiscal support, implementation materials, on-going training opportunities for staff, and staff time to develop and implement procedures for teaching behavioral expectations.
Step 4. Develop a Data-based Action Plan. The use of data in decision making is critical for the success of PBIS. School teams need to use a systematic process such as that used by the Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence in working with others school systems in Maryland. Teams must develop an action plan including (a) measurable outcomes – specifically what does the team hope to accomplish over a specific period of time (e.g. decreased office referrals/ decreased disruption in the cafeteria), (b) a timeline of events for accomplishing the 6 critical features, (c) responsibilities of staff members relative to teaching behavioral expectations, applying the school-wide reinforcement system, and following discipline procedures for problem behaviors, (d) specific activities that lead to measurable outcomes, (e) staff development and training activities so that staff develop skills and knowledge related to behavior management practices, and (f) resources and support needs for executing established systems and procedures. Teams begin to develop their initial action plan during the training. In the past, PBIS orientations for principals have taken place in March, team training in July, and completion of school teams plans during August and September. The timing and duration of the planning is one of the elements of PBIS to be monitored as part of this evaluation. It is likely that mandated schools will require a longer period of time to develop plans.
Step 5. Arrange for High Fidelity of Implementation by School Staff. This step expands step 2 by ensuring that (a) practical and efficient aides for implementation are in place (e.g. checklists, lesson plans for teaching expected behaviors, etc.), (b) sufficient professional development and training opportunities for school staff have occurred and are planned, and (c) high levels of positive reinforcement for staff implementation efforts and success exist. The coaches, area coordinators, the school system coordinator, the State Team, and consultants will provide consultation to PBIS teams, as they do with other PBIS teams in the state.
Step 6. Conduct Formative Data-based Monitoring The PBIS strategy requires each team to collect and monitor student data on an ongoing basis. Each intervention school will use the School-Wide Information System (SWIS, www.swis.org) electronic data base system to record and analyze disciplinary data. SWIS is a web-based information system that allows schools to continuously enter and use information about office discipline referrals. (See Appendix F for a more complete description of SWIS and examples of data summaries.).
Each intervention school will have a minimum of three staff members trained to enter data using SWIS and to generate data summaries for use by PBIS teams. Installation and initial training takes 2-3 hours per school. Schools establish mutually exclusive and exhaustive definitions of disciplinary infractions, establish an agreed upon process for reporting and processing discipline incidents, and design an office referral form that is consistent with SWIS. Schools are expected to enter all discipline data within 48 hours of an infraction. Coaches monitor team compliance with these expectations. The BCPSS PBIS coordinator will provide training for school personnel in data entry and on-going technical assistance.
While attending the PBIS training, school PBIS Teams will initiate work on their annual action plans and establish a timetable for further planning and implementation. Coaches also attend these school-based planning sessions. Conceptualizing the whole school reward systems for positive behavior is a critical part of this early planning process as well as plans for presenting the program to staff and acquiring staff “buy-in”. Planning continues to be a part of the weekly PBIS team meetings until all planning steps are well established.