Our team works well together because of the strong sense of community and the belief held by all staff members that “all students can learn”. Our administrators, Stephen Baker (Dean) and Larry Brashear (Principal), display and interpret data trends during PBS team meetings and help the other team members understand district discipline guidelines in relation to discipline and PBS. Our PBS core team is represented by teachers and staff members who serve to relate PBS goals, data, and outcomes to other faculty/staff during their Professional Learning Community meetings. The team consists of a district behavior coach, school psychologist, two teachers, the principal, the dean, a department chairperson, and a behavior analyst. Both academic and behavioral data are also discussed and celebrated at monthly staff meetings.

The PBS team meets bi-weekly to discuss school-wide and individual student data and issues. Individual student data from academic assessments along with daily behavior point sheets and SWIS data assist in developing individual student’s behavior plans. Behavioral data are used to make determinations about student readiness to transition to less restrictive environments. School-wide data provides information for application of resources and the teaching of skills to both students and staff.

Information is shared with students, staff, parents and district personnel through meetings, posters, email, newsletters and the school’s CCTV. Critical decision-making data is shared frequently (once a day for parents) and on an on-going basis, while other planning information is shared twice a week through Professional Learning Communities and bi-weekly from the PBS core team. SWIS multi-year data is discussed by administration with the entire staff at monthly meetings. Academic data is shared school-wide after quarterly benchmark assessments. FCAT data is shared with staff members, parents, and district officials when scores are made available.

The dedication of our staff to the success of every student is the key to the success of our school program. Social skills instruction and positive reinforcement given by all staff members and infused throughout daily activities allow students to learn appropriate behavioral skills and to generalize those skills throughout various school settings. One example of this are is the Literature program taught by the Title 1 teacher that has social skills embedded in the instructional material. Teachers continue to prepare themselves through professional development to better provide creative lessons that are interesting and relevant to students, while still meeting the standards for instruction. The improvement in academic instructional strategies has resulted in a higher degree of student engagement in academics and less time for inappropriate behavior.

The PBS team at Dale Cassens School excels at rewarding students and staff. Both the staff and the students really enjoy this element of PBS. The school has a Student Lounge where games, music, and snacks may be earned several times weekly. “Caught Being Good” tickets allow students to win prizes at the end of each week. Bonus Points given for exceptionally good behavior may be banked or spent at the Bonus Point Store. Staff celebrations, luncheons and release time provide reinforcement for staff members for their hard work and achievements.

Data-based decision making is a way of life at Dale Cassens School and was in place even before we became involved with the PBS Project. However, the ability to use SWIS as a data storage and retrieval mechanism has streamlined the ability to use data in making plans for the most efficient use of resources.

Since implementation of PBS in 2001/20002 school year, we have had a reduction in Office Discipline Referrals from almost three ODR’s per day in 2001/2002 school year to 1.6 in the 2005 /2006 school year. In the 2001/2002 school year major discipline referrals per 100 students was 318. In 2005/2006 our major discipline referrals per 100 students was 262.

The students at Dale Cassens School are more focused on their academics and take more pride in their work as evidenced in the results of our benchmark assessments. Fifty-seven percent of students made gains in Reading and forty-two percent of students made gains in Math this year between Benchmark One and Benchmark Three. Sixty percent of students showed learning gains in Science.

Our school climate has improved tremendously over the past five years. The entire staff has been doing an excellent job reinforcing our students for knowing and following our school wide behavioral expectations. Our latest school climate survey indicates a high degree of satisfaction with the school and with PBS. The improvement in moral is evidenced by lower staff turnover and the greatest number of students at any one time (seventeen the first semester) transitioning back to their home schools.

The primary obstacles for our team have been staff turn-over and student engagement in classroom instruction. Dealing with extremely challenging students is physically and an emotionally taxing for staff members. The highly emotionally charged atmosphere puts great strain on staff morale. Planning daily instruction that meets the interest and academic needs of highly distractible students presents a challenge to even the most veteran teachers.

Therefore, in an effort to attract and retain high quality staff members, the team has implemented Professional Learning Communities across subjects. These PLC’s act as support for all staff members so that time mentoring and for data-based problem-solving, is available, accessible and on-going. The PBS core team formed a special committee plans specific activities to reward staff members and to recognize them for their contribution to the school wide implementation of PBS.

Furthermore, both district level professional development and school site professional development are aimed at instructional skill building, improving student engagement and increasing student learning gains. The district initiative “Working on the Work” is a framework for developing instruction that fosters “authentic” student engagement and is directly in keeping with PBS as it addresses antecedents to classroom behavior with appropriate, interesting instruction. The added collegial support in the school, along with a higher level of professional preparation, has both reduced our turn-over and increased student learning.