One Assistant Principal and administrative assistant are responsible for the point collection process. This ensures that all students are issued point sheets and teachers are provided with tally sheets.

Pete Caproni our School Physiologist, and Frank Lago our PBS District Coordinator, coordinate and conduct the weekly PBS meetings. These individuals collect any issues or concerns that teachers may have with either students or the PBS process. These concerns are shared with the PBS team and the leadership team at weekly Problem Solving Team meetings in order to allow the team the opportunity identify areas of improvement with the PBS process or identify additional support that is needed for particular students.

How does your team use data to make decisions on campus? Attendance, academics, referrals. Data is an integral part of the decision making process. Weekly meetings are held to review the SWISS data and monitor student suspensions. Likewise, bi-weekly assessments and student attendance is reviewed by the team. As a result of that data reflection a number of changes have taken place. Our PBS team looked at our school-wide referrals and the locations in which most referrals were occurring. Based on the data we identified an increase in referrals in the cafeteria. Consequently, it was decided that an additional lunch period was necessary. We now have two lunch periods and the SWISS data indicates a significant decrease in cafeteria referrals. Data was also used to modify the types of weekly rewards/activities. Data indicated that participation increased when we provided off-campus field trips. We decided to increase the amount of off-campus field trips and immediately noticed more participation. The data share has also been used to identify areas of needed professional development. The data clearly indicated that professional development was needed in the areas of classroom management and effective use of the point system.

How do you share information with the rest of your faculty (e.g., emails, newsletters, meetings, etc.)?  How often do you share this information? There are a number of ways in which information is communicated to all faculty/staff members.

• The opening of the schools meeting included a mandatory workshop, wherein the PBS program (GROWL) was introduced, and explained. It was made clear to all faculty/staff members that PBS would be an integral part of MacArthur’s School Improvement Plan (SIP).
• Each faculty meeting includes PBS updates and provides teachers and staff the opportunity to ask questions or share concerns.
• The school’s tool kit (a recourse manual developed for all instructional staff) included a section titled PBS. This section includes a copy of the PBS PowerPoint presentation that was used in the workshop, as well as all pertinent material relating to PBS.
• Teachers were issued PBS posters to place in their classrooms. These posters explain the PBS program objectives to the students and staff.
• Teachers were issued quarterly PBS activity calendar to be placed in their classrooms.
• The morning announcements include a section that is dedicated to PBS information. For example, students and teachers are reminded to collect points and the reward activity is for the week is identified. Additionally, students are recognized for winning any PBS prizes.
• Bulletin boards across the campus are filled with PBS pictures, activity calendar, and posters
• The schools website has a section dedicated to pictures of our PBS weekly reward activities.

What do you see as the overall strengths of your team?  Please provide details. Our educational experience, varying areas of expertise and cultural background are overall strengths that our team members bring to PBS. In addition, being an alternative school, all staff/faculty have received extensive professional development in topics related to truancy, behavioral problems, and how to effectively work with at-risk youth. Team members also share a commitment to PBS as the primary program to modify the behaviors of the students attending our alternative school. Team members have equal input on the development and implementation of the different elements within PBS.

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. There are several areas in which our school’s PBS team excels. Team members continuously work toward keeping an open line of communication with students, faculty and staff. Numerous staff members have attended our weekly rewards activities. Some have taken pictures with students that have won iPods, while others have commented on the improved level and consistency of PBS this school year. A key component of PBS at The Young Men’s Academy is GROWL, a behavioral modification point system. Students earn points in their classes for pro-social behavior, attendance, and academics. The students who earn the necessary points are rewarded with a weekly activity and prize. The students thoroughly enjoy the rewards and activities developed by input from students, team members and faculty/staff.

Discuss the changes you have seen on campus since PBS implementation (e.g., data, climate, morale, etc.). It is quite evident that the students look forward to our weekly activities and prizes. Students are working actively to make the necessary points to attend the reward activity. Teacher’s report that the time students spend working toward earning points has increased. Also, the time students spend engaged academically has increased from last year. We continue to see increased student and faculty buy-in. Overall; the data indicates that this has been the most effective year for PBS. Of the fifty-two students that have earned their way back to their home school, all but two have found success in the traditional school setting. This success is directly tied into the development of pro-social behaviors they acquired at our school through PBS.

What are some obstacles that your team has had to overcome?  Please explain the process for overcoming these hurdles below. Although we have witnessed increase student/faculty buy-in, we continue to see the challenges of consistent participation with a small number of faculty/staff members.  Another obstacle facing our school’s positive reward system is middle-school buy-in.  The SWISS data indicates that overall, high school students collect and earn points at almost double the rate of middle school students. Attendance is another obstacle for our PBS team. Students are encouraged to attend school everyday. We have infused an attendance component to try to promote increased attendance. Financing all the weekly activities and prizes is costly. As a result, we had to cut back with spending toward the end of the year. Our principal has committed to increasing the funding for next school year.