Getting Started with Positive Behavior Support in Schools

All stakeholders have the potential to be leaders in bringing school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) to your school or district. Although the general process is similar, the steps can vary a little depending on your role.

Family Members

  • Talk with other stakeholders about school-wide PBIS and its benefits. Ask whether they would be interested as well.
  • Talk with your school’s principal about it and determine her or his interest.
  • Talk with other families, community members, and students. See if they would be interested in partnering to bring about improvements.
  • Having support of the school board and other district and community leaders is beneficial before starting district-level implementation. At the school level, having support of the principal and at least 80% of staff is necessary before starting implementation.
  • Although you may not feel that you can influence school practices, there are steps you can take on your own while you continue to build support from the larger school/community:
    • At home: See the page on Getting Started with Positive Behavior Support at Home.
    • In your community: See the page on Getting Started with Positive Behavior Support at Home.
    • In your child’s classroom: Ask your child’s teacher(s) and other staff about expectations for student behavior (see this resource). Ask for clarity for rules that are unclear. Ask when expectations are taught and revisited. Even if your child’s teachers are not implementing school-wide PBIS, they can still put positive classroom practices in place. See a checklist of best practices to use in the classroom and consider sharing it with your child’s teacher(s). If you notice your child’s teacher(s) implementing any of these practices, compliment him or her to provide encouragement. See a resource for starting the conversation with your child’s teacher
    • At your child’s school: Ask the principal about what proactive discipline strategies are in place. Consider suggesting that they view the Getting Started with PBIS in your School pages. Partner with them to promote a more positive approach. Other questions to consider:
      • What are the schoolwide expectations/rules?
      • How do you teach the schoolwide expectations and rules?
      • How do encourage and reward students for following the expectations and rules?
      • How do you respond when students violate expectations and rules?
    • See next steps below for ideas about how you might take part in promoting a more positive approach to discipline in the school.
  • Ask to sit on the school-wide PBIS team. School teams should include family representation to be more effective. Be ready to advocate for all students, however, and not just a few.
  • If you are contacted about challenges in working with your child, ask what proactive strategies are being put into place to support them. If the problem behaviors are not improving, ask for a functional behavior assessment. Know your rights as a parent in the district.
  • Continue to discuss PBIS with other families, teachers, and school board members.
  • Tell others about how PBIS is working for your child at home. Share your journey with them. If you’re doing something worthwhile, they will want to know.
  • Find resources, such as “How to Get Positive Behavior Support in Your School” to guide you.

District or State/Provincial Administrators

  • Examine your current district or state discipline data. Do the data show a need for a coordinated effort? Assess both levels of exclusionary discipline like office discipline referrals or suspensions and disparities in discipline by race/ethnicity or special education status.
  • Talk with your staff about school-wide PBIS and its benefits. Highlight the effects on school climate and student achievement. Determine whether they would be interested in supporting an initiative.
  • Talk with your parent-teacher organization and students, families, and community members. Would they be interested in partnering in an initiative?
  • Identify durable funding sources. Common sources include Title IV block grants and State Personnel Development Grants (SPDGs) from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).
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  • Create a team. The first step is to assemble a district or state team to support implementation in schools. The team should include you, general and special education representatives, specialists, and family and community representation.
  • Build a regular meeting schedule, with a clear agenda and meeting norms. It should report to the district or state superintendent.
  • Use the PBIS Implementation Blueprint Self-Assessment, a fidelity of implementation measure (such as the TFI, TIC, or SAS) to assess what’s already in place and next steps for implementation.
  • Although mandating PBIS implementation district or state-wide may seem tempting, it is much more effective to start with a set of pilot schools or a pilot district to become model implementers.
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  • Implement district or state policy changes that reduce the use of exclusionary discipline and support positive school practices. See the PBIS policy guide for suggested elements.
  • Continue to assess implementation, with the PBIS Implementers Blueprint Self-Assessment, every 2 to 3 months, to see progress and find next steps.
  • Tell other administrators. Share your journey with them. If you’re doing something worthwhile, they will want to know.
  • Find resources, such as “How to Get Positive Behavior Support in Your School” to guide you.

Instructional Staff

  • Talk with other staff about school-wide PBIS and its benefits. Ask whether they would be interested as well.
  • Talk with your principal about it and determine her or his interest.
  • Inquire about your current school-wide discipline data. Do the data show a need for a coordinated effort?
  • Ask for professional development in school-wide PBIS for you and other staff, in topics like active supervision.
  • In general, having support of the principal and at least 80% of staff is necessary before starting implementation.
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  • Although working at a whole school level is recommended, you and your fellow staff can try it out in a specific non-classroom setting where there is shared interest in improving behavior.
  • If you’re on your own for the time being, there are steps you can take in your area while you continue to build support from all staff:
    • Define and teach expectations. Pick 3 to 5 positively stated expectations that will work for your students (e.g., Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible). Teach the words, show examples, and provide practice with feedback. Post them and refer to them regularly with students.
    • Define and teach routines. Identify the common routines in your area. Teach the steps so that following them is clear.
    • Change the environment. What is it about the area that might be interfering with positive behavior? Make changes to make it easier for students to do the right thing. Examples include changing the layout, moving materials, or using visuals (e.g., picture schedules, posted steps for common classroom routines).
  • Tell other staff. Share your journey with them. If you’re doing something worthwhile, they will want to know.
  • Connect with teachers and other school teams/committees. You’re going to need support to keep PBIS alive.
  • Find resources, such as “How to Get Positive Behavior Support in Your School” to guide you.

Principals

  • Talk with other teachers about school-wide PBIS and its benefits. Assess whether they would be interested as well.
  • Talk with your school’s principal about it and assess her or his interest.
  • Talk with students, families, and community members. Would they be interested in partnering in an initiative?
  • Inquire about your current school-wide discipline data. Do the data show a need for a coordinated effort?
  • Ask for professional development in school-wide PBIS.
  • In general, having support of the principal and at least 80% of staff is necessary before starting implementation.
  • Assess how PBIS is aligned with existing district or state priorities.
  • Although working at a whole school level is recommended, you and your fellow teachers can try it out in a specific non-classroom setting where there is shared interest in improving behavior.
  • If you’re on your own for the time being, there are steps you can take in your classroom for your students while you continue to build support from all staff:
    • Define and teach expectations. Pick 3 to 5 positively stated expectations that will work for your students (e.g., Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible). Teach the words, show examples, and provide practice with feedback. Post them and refer to them regularly with students.
    • Define and teach routines. Identify the common routines in your area. Teach the steps so that following them is clear.
    • Change the environment. What is it about the area that might be interfering with positive behavior? Make changes to make it easier for students to do the right thing. Examples include changing the classroom layout, moving materials, or using visuals (e.g., picture schedules, posted steps for common classroom routines).
    • Find resources in the APBS Members section on classroom management planning tools and assessments, as well as the National TA Center’s documents on supporting behavior in the classroom.
  • For students with more significant needs than a good class-wide system can support, consider function-based support to teach students more prosocial ways to get their needs met. This document includes an overview of the function-based support process. The National TA Center also has materials for a training module on function-based support. In addition, look for resources in the members section of http://www.APBS.org to support individual students, such as PBSwhole.pdf.
  • Continue to assess progress and next steps using the fidelity tools described in Step 1.
  • Tell other teachers. Share your journey with them. If you’re doing something worthwhile, they will want to know.
  • Connect with teachers on other school teams/committees and professional organizations. You’re going to need support to keep PBIS alive.
  • Find resources, such as “How to Get Positive Behavior Support in Your School” to guide you.

School Boards, Parent Organizations, or Community Partners

  • Talk with other stakeholders about school-wide PBIS and its benefits. Ask whether they would be interested as well.
  • Talk with a school principal about it and determine her or his interest.
  • Talk with other families, community members, and students. Would they be interested in partnering in an initiative?
  • Having support of the school board and other district and community leaders is beneficial before starting district-level implementation. At the school level, having support of the principal and at least 80% of staff is necessary before starting implementation.

  • Although starting with the whole school or district is recommended, there are steps you can take on your own for youth you know while you continue to build support from the larger school/community:

      • At home: See the page on Getting Started with Positive Behavior Support at Home.
      • At your organization: Define and teach expectations for the board/staff/leaders of your team/organization. Pick 3 to 5 positively stated expectations that will work for your stakeholders (e.g., Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible). Teach the words, show examples, and provide practice with feedback. Post them and refer to them regularly.
      • In your setting: Is the location interfering with positive behavior? Make changes to make it easier for stakeholders to do the right thing. Examples include changing the room layout, moving materials, or using visuals.
  • Continue to assess fidelity of implementation, with tools such as the TIC, every 2 to 3 months, to see progress and find next steps.
  • Tell other administrators. Share your journey with them. If you’re doing something worthwhile, they will want to know.
  • Connect with your district administrators. You’re going to need district support to keep PBIS alive.
  • Find resources, such as “How to Get Positive Behavior Support in Your School” to guide you.

Students

  • Talk with other students about PBIS and whether it might be a good fit for your school. Ask whether they would be interested as well.
  • Talk with your principal about it and see if she or he would be open to it.
  • Talk with teachers. Would they be supportive?
  • Talk with your family members. Ask if they would be interested in advocating for it?
    • Start a student group or committee. Find a faculty advisor who can support you.
    • Ask your teachers and other staff about expectations for student behavior. Ask for clarity for rules that are unclear.
    • Try it out. Compliment your teachers and family members for something they did well and see what happens.
  • Tell more and more people about PBIS and what changes you’d like to see in your school.
  • Suggest to your teachers and administrators that they use a school climate survey that might identify the need for positive approaches in the school.
  • Find resources, such as “How to Get Positive Behavior Support in Your School” to guide you.

Teachers

  • Talk with other teachers about school-wide PBIS and its benefits. Assess whether they would be interested as well.
  • Talk with your school’s principal about it and assess her or his interest.
  • Talk with students, families, and community members. Would they be interested in partnering in an initiative?
  • Inquire about your current school-wide discipline data. Do the data show a need for a coordinated effort?
  • Ask for professional development in school-wide PBIS.
  • In general, having support of the principal and at least 80% of staff is necessary before starting implementation.
  • Assess how PBIS is aligned with existing district or state priorities.
  • Although working at a whole school level is recommended, you and your fellow teachers can try it out in a specific non-classroom setting where there is shared interest in improving behavior.
  • If you’re on your own for the time being, there are steps you can take in your classroom for your students while you continue to build support from all staff:
      • Define and teach expectations. Pick 3 to 5 positively stated expectations that will work for your students (e.g., Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible). Teach the words, show examples, and provide practice with feedback. Post them and refer to them regularly with students.
      • Define and teach routines. Identify the common routines in your area. Teach the steps so that following them is clear.
      • Change the environment. What is it about the area that might be interfering with positive behavior? Make changes to make it easier for students to do the right thing. Examples include changing the classroom layout, moving materials, or using visuals (e.g., picture schedules, posted steps for common classroom routines).
      • Find resources in the APBS Members section on classroom management planning tools and assessments, as well as the National TA Center’s documents on supporting behavior in the classroom.
  • For students with more significant needs than a good class-wide system can support, consider function-based support to teach students more prosocial ways to get their needs met. This document includes an overview of the function-based support process. The National TA Center also has materials for a training module on function-based support. In addition, look for resources in the members section of http://www.APBS.org to support individual students, such as PBSwhole.pdf.
  • Continue to assess progress and next steps using the fidelity tools described in Step 1.
  • Tell other teachers. Share your journey with them. If you’re doing something worthwhile, they will want to know.
  • Connect with teachers on other school teams/committees and professional organizations. You’re going to need support to keep PBIS alive.
  • Find resources, such as “How to Get Positive Behavior Support in Your School” to guide you.
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