Schoolwide application of positive behavior support in an urban high school: a case study.

Abstract: The nuances of the application of schoolwide positive behavior supports (PBS) in an urban high school setting were investigated. Impact of implementation was measured using qualitative interviews and observations, including the School-wide Evaluation Tool (SET), Effective Behavior Support Survey, Student Climate Survey, and office disciplinary referrals. The results indicated that schoolwide PBS was implemented in an urban high school setting with some success. The overall level of implementation of PBS reached 80% as measured by the SET. Staff and teachers increased their level of perceived priority for implementing PBS in their school. A decrease in monthly discipline referrals to the office and the proportion of students who required secondary and tertiary supports was noted. These findings seem to indicate that PBS may be an important process for improving outcomes for teachers and students in urban high school settings.

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The application of positive behavior support (PBS) to urban settings has been examined on a schoolwide basis (Turnbull et al., 2002; Warren et al., 2003) for groups (Turnbull et al., 2002) and individual students (Edmonson & Turnbull, 2002; Turnbull et al., 2002). However, there has been limited work to date that has applied PBS to settings that are both urban and secondary. We will focus on the features of high school settings that make implementation of PBS distinct from that of elementary and middle schools.

Purpose

As stated in Warren et al. (2003), "Positive behavior support includes a broad range of systematic and individualized strategies for achieving important social and learning outcomes while preventing problem behavior" (p. 80). The application of this approach leads to at least three outcomes for students: (a) improved academic achievement, (b) enhanced social competence, and (c) safe learning and teaching environments (Office of Special Education Programs, 2002). In sum, this approach should lead to improved quality of life for teachers, students, staff, and family members through the combination of (a) valued outcomes, (b) behavioral and biomedical science, (c) evidence-based procedures, and (d) systems change (Carr et al., 2002). The "system" of PBS includes implementing and assessing universal interventions (e.g., supports all students), interventions for groups of students who need additional support (e.g., classroom levels, function-based interventions; Hawken & Horner, 2002; Leedy, Bates, & Safran, 2004), and intensive supports for individual students (Colvin, 1991; Lewis & Sugai, 1999; Walker et al., 1996).

Schoolwide PBS Framework

The framework used to conceptualize this study was the schoolwide Positive Behavior Support: Implementers' Blueprint and Self-Assessment (OSEP, 2002) developed by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Center on PBS. This "system" provides a framework and includes at least eight unique features. The steps outlined in the blueprint are as follows: organizing your team to assess needs and guide supports; organizing your data collection system to observe before you intervene (Edmonson, 2000); analyzing, describing, and prioritizing to determine areas of need and logical next steps; specifying measurable outcomes to determine what you want your building to look like in the future (McCart & Sailor, 2003); and selecting evidence-based practices. Table 1 provides a list of these schoolwide practices.