What makes your team work so well?  Please discuss in detail (e.g., what is your administrator’s role on the team, how is staff represented, etc.)? The PBS team has representation from Administration, guidance, ESE Specialist, Related Arts, primary and intermediate teachers and non-instructional personnel. The team is supportive of each other’s ideas and suggestions and is open to new ideas. All members take an active role in planning and implementation of our PBS plan and in sharing the information with other staff members. We meet once a month to stay up to date on current issues or concerns.

How does your team use data to make decisions on campus? The team reviews SWISS data at every meeting and identifies areas of success and also areas for improvement. We look at all the data and brainstorm ideas to improve those identified weaknesses and plan for training of staff if needed. We identify high frequency referral tendencies such as area, referring staff, and students with high numbers of referrals.  We target these behavioral needs as areas for improvement and work with involved staff to make appropriate changes.

How do you share information with the rest of your faculty (e.g., emails, newsletters, meetings, etc.)?  How often do you share this information? The PBS meeting minutes are posted monthly on our shared drive for all staff to access. In addition, information is shared at Safe Schools committee meetings, team leader meetings and faculty meetings as appropriate.  PBS members share information directly with their individual teams as well. PBS updates are also part of our School Advisory Council agendas. For the 2008-2009 school year we have plans to regularly share and discuss PBS information and data at all faculty meetings.

What do you see as the overall strengths of your team?  Please provide details.  The team excels in the ability to problem solve and generate new ideas to strengthen our PBS program. They are very enthusiastic about the program and work cooperatively to make positive changes or additions to the program when needed.  The PBS team members are always willing to share new and creative ideas with other staff members. The support of our principal for positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior along with appropriate consequences for inappropriate behavior is critical to the success of PBS. The Bobcat Expectations are clear to all stakeholders and they are modeled and taught in all areas of the curriculum as well as all areas of school operation including playground, courtyard, cafeteria, related arts and bus.  The children are able to recognize their own behavior as well as the behavior of others as meeting or not meeting Bobcat Expectations.  It is interesting to listen to their conversations about whether or not a student is “making the right choice”.  It has also been rewarding to observe children celebrate with their peers when they are recognized with a positive referral.

In what areas of PBS does your team excel (e.g., rewarding students/staff, teaching expectations, data-based decision-making, etc.)?  Please provide details below. Our school wide system of rewarding students is for demonstration of the appropriate Bobcat expectations which are to be Responsible, Respectful, Peaceful and Safe. Classes demonstrating these expectations earn “Paw Prints” from teachers and assistants daily. At the end of the month, the class with the highest number of paw prints per grade level will receive an incentive, which varies monthly. In addition to the school wide PBS reward system, each classroom has a positive reinforcement system that rewards students for appropriate behavior as well as providing appropriate consequences for inappropriate behavior. Some grade level teams have decided to use the same system across the grade level for consistency among the team, while other teams have chosen to create their own individual systems.  BCE has a positive referral system that staff uses to recognize individual students who are demonstrating the Bobcat Expectations. These positive referrals are announced on the daily news program and the students are rewarded by an administrator. Positive referrals are displayed in the main office and also sent home to share with parents. Our PTA and SAC committee have both contributed financial support to help PBS provide incentives school wide.

For students who are in need of more intense behavioral interventions, we have developed individual behavior plans or contracts with some students to help change behavior in a positive manner. This has been accomplished with the help of the guidance counselor, ESE Specialist and principal as needed and they involve the participation of the teacher and communication with parents. We have seen many students make remarkable positive changes with these individual plans that address their personal needs. The guidance department has implemented a peer mediation program that has greatly assisted with PBS and teaching positive peer relationship skills.  Guidance counselors also support PBS with their social skills groups held throughout the year.  Positive reinforcements and recognition are directly tied to students’ academic choice making. Verbal reinforcement is always specific to the behavior that was observed so that students can see the relevancy to the academic program.  As a result, student test scores show improvement. We recognize PBS for much of our academic success.  We know that the greater the time a student spends in positive interaction in the classroom, fewer minutes of key instructional time are lost.

In addition to reinforcement for students, the administration provides on going recognition and rewards for staff.  Staff members nominate other staff members for specific positive recognition on our “WOW” forms. These comments are read out loud by the principal at all faculty meetings and the principal rewards staff with a candy bar and much clapping from fellow staff members. In addition, the administration has provided the faculty with several reward lunches throughout the year.  The administration is constantly modeling verbal praise specific to instruction. In addition, in the fall of the new school year staff is treated professionally to an off campus country club site for staff training which includes a breakfast and lunch and is the kick off to a successful and positive year for all. One of the most positive staff reinforcements comes as a result of frequent classroom visits by administration paired with verbal praise and feedback on the delivery of lessons.  Some positive feedback may also include recommendations regarding the environment of the room or how to differentiate lessons to meet all diverse learners. In our recent Young Authors projects, staff members were encouraged to dress up as characters or adjectives etc. to support the program. Pictures were taken of participating staff and rewards such as gift certificates etc. were given to those showing our positive school spirit and morale. Several of our faculty meetings have highlighted teachers who have been implementing positive reinforcement systems in their classrooms.  We all learn best when we learn from our peers and sharing these ideas has often inspired others to try something new.

Discuss the changes you have seen on campus since PBS implementation (e.g., data, climate, morale, etc.). This year has shown a very positive climate overall with staff, students, and parents.  The leadership of the administration and support for PBS directly relates to the positive climate. Parents reported overall great satisfaction with all aspects of our school on a recent parent climate survey done by our SAC committee.  Teachers are beginning to realize their own potential as leaders of change through the professional learning communities, staff trainings, model teaching, invitations to observe projects students are working on, etc. The other outcome we have noticed is that children are engaging more in conversations or positive behavior and modeling what it looks like for other children. Also, as part of positive discipline, children are always counseled with respect to making better choices, identifying appropriate expectations, and planning how  they can change their inappropriate behavior. 

What are some obstacles that your team has had to overcome?  Please explain the process for overcoming these hurdles below. Bus referrals will be an area of identified need for improvement. The PBS team would like to work with transportation on increased use of PBS on buses. Another area for improvement will be scheduling meeting times for the  PBS team meetings. We currently meet before school from 7:45- 8:15 once a month, but team members feel we need to have longer meeting times available to accomplish our goals. We will revise our major referral form to reflect our Bobcat Expectations and to include a student contract for behavior change.

Continued ongoing training will be scheduled for all staff, including assistants in the fall and throughout the year with a focus on school wide positive behavior management with materials for all classroom teachers that identify both positive and non-positive consequences as a consistent visual for all students.  This will also provide for common language being spoken throughout the school.