The PBS team is made up of, our guidance counselor, three primary teachers, two reading specialists, media specialist, and behavior specialist.  Among the team members, most have served since the school opened in 2005.  With minimal turn-over, we can continue to grow and assess our progress more easily than if we were in a state of training from year to year.  Team members are active leaders in many areas of the school as well as excellent teachers.  They are sought out by colleagues for help and advice on a variety of issues.  Team members are strong representatives in regards to curriculum as well as behavior management.  Many of the issues we discuss as a team have come from conversations with other teachers who bring to light something that isn’t working or isn’t understood.  Our team members provide a broad range of experience and knowledge.  They bring ideas from past experiences that we use and make our own.  They are teachers who continue to seek further education to enhance their careers and in turn strengthen the school.

During team meetings, ideas are shared by all members and often are built upon during the discussion.  In other words, our projects are achieved by consensus.  It is recognized that each member brings ideas that strengthen the team.  This group dynamic also allows us to divide the tasks so that no one person is burdened with extra work.  We all believe that the climate of our school is critical to student achievement.   We serve as models for staff members especially those who are new to our school.  We work well because we are committed to the practices of Positive Behavior Support.

How does your team use data to make decisions on campus? This year, our team continued to use data to analyze and identify areas of concern.  For example, we looked at grade levels and behaviors.  We identified a trend in kindergarten of physical aggression and disrespect.  We shared this information and other data, with the staff in order to focus social skill lessons in these areas.  We caught a weakness in communication, by looking at ODR data, that impacted many students and teachers.   To explain; several students were having behavior problems across campus such as; art, music, P.E. and the library.  Documentation of those behaviors in addition to their classroom behaviors, were not being shared.  By looking at specific students and their data, (which we believed was underreported) we were able to find this weak link.  We used a faculty meeting to go over the procedure for reporting behavior to classroom teachers

We use data to provide additional support to staff members who may be new teachers or have a challenging student in their class.  By sharing individual student data, we can look for patterns pertaining to time of day or location that may be linked to curriculum, medical concerns, peer conflict etc. The teachers can make decisions to change environmental factors and increase specific communication with other staff members and parents.

This year, we focused on data in order to identify students needing additional behavior support and then implemented behavior intervention plans to address this need.  Several students in the general education classrooms who were receiving numerous ODRs (>5) were put on a contract that allowed for daily reinforcement.  Staff met as a team to define the behavior, identify reinforcers, and create a schedule so that those students had the opportunity to earn time with specific staff members.  One student, started on a twice daily schedule of reinforcement where he could meet with the Assistant Principal at mid-day and then the Behavior Specialist at the end of the day for game time.  At the end of four weeks, data showed a reduction in behavior referrals allowing the schedule to be thinned to once a day.  At this time, he is maintaining improved behavior and this schedule of reinforcement.

Our students with 6+ ODRs were part of a fitness class that met twice monthly.  Most of these students are in our Supported Behavior Program with a few exceptions.  Our principal contracted a personal trainer to work with these students on physical fitness, teamwork and self-esteem issues over the course of five months.  The students who participated came to enjoy the time they spent with a strong male role model. There is no prior data to analyze the effect of this intervention.  We use our discipline data when we meet with parents.  It gives us a clear professional way to communicate concerns, saves time, and keeps all parties focused on the student’s needs.  Later, when documentation may be needed in a referral process, the data is familiar to staff and parents.

How do you share information with the rest of your faculty (e.g., emails, newsletters, meetings, etc.)?  How often do you share this information? Information is shared with our faculty in a variety of ways.  Twice monthly, the principal provides detailed notes and calendar dates that often include PBS information.  She also communicates positive notes along with this information as staff recognition.  The morning news contains information for students and staff about PBS such as upcoming Dolphin awards, assemblies, the Marina, expectations, areas of concern and successes.  As a staff, we meet three times per month.  PBS is on the agenda once a month to share data and answer questions regarding procedures.  If an issue has come to light, we share it at the meeting so that all ideas are heard in order to solve a problem. 

If faculty meeting agendas are full or meetings cancelled, PBS data is shared in graph form through email.   It’s been used more to highlight the good news of improved ODR data.  Teachers have indicated an appreciation of that!  We also have a bulletin board in the production room where data is posted monthly and other forms can be accessed.

What do you see as the overall strengths of your team?  Please provide details. High energy!  Our PBS team is made up of staff that wears many hats, is involved in many areas of the school and takes on projects.  In order to be effective, in addition to high energy, they are efficient.  Very little planning takes place after school hours during the school year so time is precious.  Members start far in advance of a special event, in order for it to be organized.  Organized!  Another quality of the PBS team members.  Procedures that are in place throughout the school year are planned in detail so that once school begins, very little time is needed again.  For instance, the Marina (school store) procedure was refined and improved for this school year.  We looked at what wasn’t working from the previous school year during the summer and first week of school and came up with a plan.  Throughout this year, we have been able to benefit from the new plan and have the Marina open twice a month consistently. We have benefited by having regular parent volunteers in the Marina, something we did not have in the past. 

Committed and competitive!  As a group, we are all committed to our students.  We believe PBS provides the culture and climate of our school and without our continued commitment, it could falter.  The first to suffer would be our students.  They know we believe in them and are willing to teach them more than just academics.  We also know that they will achieve more when they are recognized.  The team is also aware that teachers need to be recognized and congratulated for their hard work as well.   This year we continued to recognize teachers with our “Golden Anchor” award.  A bait bucket is placed near the daily sign-in sheet with slips of paper.  Staff members write about a colleague who has done something special and places it in the bucket.  These slips of paper are then read during the morning news so that all teachers and students here these thank you notes.  We are all competitive enough to put forth maximum energy to accomplish our school’s goals.  We take every opportunity to promote the Positive Behavior Support Project in our district.  This year, as Model School, some of the team appeared before the School Board and some appeared in a video filmed on our campus. 

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 team excels at problem solving.  From student recognition to discipline procedures, we continually look at effectiveness in all areas of the school.  When behavior problems arise, we look at possible causes, use data, make observations, and consult with each other in order to improve a situation.  We offer suggestions to administration, teachers, and even to peers who could become part of a solution.  One particular student who was struggling with behavior this year was the concern of several team members along with the teacher and parents.  Support was offered to the teacher by providing feedback on her behavior plan and ways to improve it such as finding a variety of reinforcers for the student.  Support for the student was provided by planning to help with organizational strategies, friendship skills, and counseling.  The student’s classroom peers were spoken with about being sensitive to her needs. The parents were encouraged to continue with their plan to access professional help.  Environmental factors were looked at as well.  The student began eating breakfast at home rather than at school where she was habitually late to class. 

Another student, who posed a serious concern for safety, required help from several staff members.  As Behavior Specialist and PBS coach, I worked closely with the student, teacher and administration to plan for aggressive episodes.  I observed environmental factors in the classroom, met with the teacher to provide strategies and support, participated in crisis planning and met with parents. This experience led us to coordinate a Crisis Prevention Institute training on our campus in December and led to our development of a campus crisis plan.

Another significant decision regarding student rewards was the operation of the Marina.  This year, we changed the location, time, days, and procedure for students in order to ensure it was open when advertised.  The Marina was moved into the cafeteria where students could shop using their Dolphin Dollars after eating lunch.  Twice monthly, students could count on and plan for purchasing something.  This supported the consistent use of Dolphin Dollars in the classrooms by the teachers who now could also witness their student’s excitement about the Marina.  In the past, students left the classroom to shop before school.  We also made an effort to find parent volunteers to work the Marina.  All these changes made a dramatic difference. 

Discuss the changes you have seen on campus since PBS implementation (e.g., data, climate, morale, etc.). The data is encouraging this year.  We have a more stabilized population now in our third year. (We opened as a PBS school)  Students are returning knowing our expectations, procedures, rewards and our staff.  They tell us they want to be, “Dolphins”.  They know our motto, S.W.I.M.; Show respect, Welcome diversity, Improve daily and Make responsible choices.   We have seen a reduction in ODRs and external suspensions.  The time students spend in the office has been reduced an average of 15 minutes.  The office staff was trained in the beginning of the year so that they did not unintentionally reinforce students with office referrals.  

What are some obstacles that your team has had to overcome?  Please explain the process for overcoming these hurdles below. The biggest obstacle is time and competing requirements.  Our action plan has monthly meetings scheduled before school.  It is not uncommon for parent conferences, staff trainings and department meetings to interfere.  Because we meet in the mornings, we cannot go over time limits when teachers have to be in their classrooms.  Two projects we wanted to add this year, the classroom crisis plan and student PBS Ambassadors took several months to plan because of the limited time spent in team meetings.  We accomplished these goals but not as early in the school year as we may have wanted.  We compensate for the lack of time by dividing up duties and projects, working outside the scheduled time on our own and then consulting with each other.  Occasionally we have had to schedule a team meeting on an alternate date.