Lawnwood Elementary’s core PBS team is a cohesive team which is well represented by various stakeholders in the school. We work collaboratively to implement the PBS initiative with integrity. During the first few months of full implementation the core team met weekly to fine tune the plan, to review data, and to consider feedback that was received from faculty and staff members. The team also dedicated a full month to reviewing expectations with each class in each setting. The PBS team utilizes data to make adjustments on the school campus where needed. A specific example of this is when an increase of referrals on the playground was noted. We addressed this by revising the recess schedule and providing more supervision during that time. This has in turn had a direct impact on referrals. The team also works very closely in planning events for the students. Each student in the school completed a survey which provided the team with valuable information when planning these events. We also seek support from parent volunteers and outside sources. We have received full support from our Parent Teacher Organization which consistently provides volunteers and supplements events financially. Administration is an integral part of the PBS team. They are very hands on in reviewing data, and providing teachers, staff member, and parents with feedback. They are also very active participants on the team. They are consistently looking for new and inventive ways to keep the PBS initiative “fresh’ and provide incite in looking at the global picture. It is through constant support, collaboration, and the hands on approach that Lawnwood Elementary’s PBS initiative continues to grow and evolve.

Our team examines data on a bi-monthly basis in our core team meetings. The data is accumulated by our Coach and distributed amongst the members for personal and collegial evaluation and interpretation. Data is also shared with staff members through weekly newsletters, grade chair meetings, or in faculty and staff meetings. The data is used by the core team to not only evaluate successes and limitations, but to also modify existing strategies and action plans. The data also drives discussions on how, when and what to focus on with staff to improve upon those areas that are deemed in need of improvement. For instance, earlier this year we noticed a spike in referrals with 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades especially during the 12:00 – 1:00 time frame on the playground. We surmised that this was occurring during supervised recess and that the older students were resorting to other means to occupy their time because they were not motivated by the organized activities that we were offering. We suggested to the staff that we move part of their supervised playtime to the basketball courts and the older students’ playground for more “grown up” activity. What resulted was a dramatic decrease in overall problematic behavior within that age group. Consequently, recess time has been more enjoyable for all involved and more of a motivating factor for targeted behavior awareness.

Information is shared with faculty members by email, weekly bulletins, memos and teacher meetings. Information is shared on a weekly basis.

Lawnwood’s core team is 100% dedicated to PBS. Our team consists of staff members from varied grade levels to ensure school wide representation. We meet twice a month to share ideas, review data, and continually assess implementation strategies. During our meetings, members are encouraged to honestly share their ideas without feeling intimidated or inadequate. Because we don’t feel restricted in any way, we are able to think outside of the box and dig deeper for new ideas. We also have full administrative support, and our principal is an active part of each of our meetings. Our PBS coach is a tremendous help in guiding us through our PBS journey. Team members review data each month, and we strive to identify trends and offer solutions where needed. When we identified a spike in the number of referrals during after lunch recess, our team decided to split the recess areas into two different locations and provide extra supervision. If a particular grade level doesn’t seem to respond to our PBS reward system, we survey those students and teachers to determine what will work best for them. The goal of our team is to continually assess our progress and create inventive ways to implement PBS at Lawnwood Elementary. We achieve this by working together.

The PBS team at our school has excelled in many areas. These areas include rewarding the students and faculty, teaching expectations, and data based decision making. They have been most helpful in providing a positive outlook for the students, faculty, and staff. The weekly and quarterly events we provide help to stimulate the students to strive to do their utmost best to achieve acceptable behavior. The students are given “Lawnwood Loot” for exhibiting positive behaviors. This loot can be used to gain entry into the weekly and quarterly events. These events include the magic show, Bingo, a dance with a DJ and karaoke. The students are also given the opportunity to spend their loot all during the nine weeks with weekly raffles. The students spend one or more loot on items such as skates, dolls, and games. We have invited the students to spend their loot in other various ways such as having pie with the principal and cookies and cocoa with the principal. We also open our PBS store. This gives the students and opportunity to spend their loot on various items ranging from candy to CD players.

We have held drawings and randomly rewarded the teachers who worked most diligently to enforce our PAWS expectations. They have received dinner coupons to local restaurants, boxes of chocolate candy, or gift certificates to Barnes and Nobles.

The expectations are taught by the core team as well as the teachers. The core team roleplay and explain the expectations for the cafeteria, playground, hallway, and the bus. The classroom teacher is thus responsible for the classroom expectations. The faculty plays an active role in writing lesson plans for each expectation. The core team constantly reviews the data. It helps drive our PBS program. It is by far very helpful in decision making. We always share the data with the faculty and staff. We review the referrals. We make sure we check the time of day and location of the referral. We check to see the office referrals per day and per month. The data is available when decisions need to be made.

The Positive Behavior Support initiative has positively impacted the overall school climate. Based on the data there has been an overall reduction in the number of classroom disruptions and behavior incident referrals (both formal and informal). The focus is on creating and sustaining a school environment that is conducive to learning. Data based monitoring and adaptations to the plan are regularly conducted. All staff members are informed monthly on current data. Staff members have an opportunity to review and make suggestions and/or recommendations regarding this data.

The morale at Lawnwood Elementary has improved tremendously it has become a more positive and calm school environment. This change is directly due to the implementation of PBS and the teaching of clear expectations. All faculty and staff members are provided with the school-wide expectations and they create meaningful lessons which reinforces PBS on a daily basis. Administration continues to play a key role in supporting this initiative and providing valuable feedback to faculty, staff, and parents.