We feel it is a combination of many factors that include administrative support, staff buy-in and commitment and parental support. Our PTO has actively supported our efforts and pledged financial assistance. Our core PBS Team has broad representation that includes administrators, general education staff, ESE staff, resource staff, guidance staff and union representation. Both administrators actively facilitate but not dictate as part of the PBS Core Team. Our Team truly has an open dialogue other PBS Core Team members and our school. We are open to change and “mixing things up”. In our effort to refine what we are implementing for PBS, we are constantly seeking input from school staff/ students regarding rewards/incentives. We have had older students survey other students regarding desired incentives and tangibles for our store. Our Team also understands and respects issues regarding confidentiality when we are problem solving regarding issues with frequent flyers.

We have successfully used our data to identify and target locations where students are demonstrating concerns and provide intervention. We decided to place more staff in certain locations and to have them there during the time when we had identified the concern (for example, our lunchroom has been targeted). This year, we also analyzed the data and we used it to completely re-vamp our dismissal procedures, decide how students get to where they need to go at the end of the school day and employ our school staff efficiently. Although controversial initially, we have received positive feedback from school personnel, increased our efficiency and decreased behavioral concerns during dismissal.

Our morning announcements are a tool that we have used very effectively to communicate and reiterate expectations for the various school areas. At a minimum, three times a week one expectation is selected, presented and examples/nonexamples are demonstrated. Data is shared with both school staff and parents at the School Advisory Council once a month. Each quarter our school posts PBS expectations and incentives being offered in the School Digest of the Port St. Lucie News and the Fort Pierce Tribune. Members of the Core Team also present information/PBS updates at our faculty meetings. We also are diligent about posting information regarding upcoming incentives, in classrooms and around the school. Flyers are sent home with students to parents and the Bobcat Roar is another way we inform and involve parents and staff.

First, our PBS Core Team has an open invitation to teachers and their input. We are approachable as a Team and able to communicate with staff in our common language. Our Core Team members have actively networked with peers to model and demonstrate research based behavioral and teaching strategies. We welcome staff to come and sit in on our meetings. We hold Open Faculty Forums to obtain information regarding behavioral concerns and issues that staff feel need to be addressed. We developed an innovative ISS program to keep as many students here at PSLE, instead of moving to OSS (a last choice) after one of our Open Forums. Second, we have provided Targeted Intervention to our frequent flyers by staff members with the strongest behavioral backgrounds. We have employed a research based social-emotional curriculum and paired it with a strong behavioral component for our frequent flyers (Why Try). Our Core Team has selected candidates for Why Try, Hospice, Rainbows, Mental Health Collaborative referral and Conflict Resolution in an effort to be proactive in regard to behavioral and educational issues. Lastly, our level of long-term commitment is to provide quality education for every student, every day (that is the PBS way!)!

Data based decision making combined with rewarding students is definitely a strength of our PBS Team and has proven an effective way of making decisions that benefit our entire school in a positive way. As previously indicated, we have effectively analyzed the data to determine what time of day behavioral issues are likely to occur and the location they may occur. We have also looked at the past history of behavioral issues (months/times of the year that typically have increased numbers of referrals) to plan for the present and implement school wide interventions/incentives. Data has provided us the names of our frequent flyers and led us to do targeted intervention with individual students (BEP last year, Why Try/Rainbows/Anger Management/Mental Health Collaborative). We have also analyzed the data when considering which students will participate in the Why Try Breakfast Club, Why Try Graduate Check In Club and Why Try Groups incentives/rewards. These rewards are planned to target problem behaviors during high referral periods when behaviorally challenged students may encounter difficulty following the basic school expectations. We also use data when determining which students will be receiving our Totally Outstanding Performing Students (TOPS) awards. We have excelled in our ability to keep our students interested and eager for rewards/incentives. Our PBS Team is always open to creating novel and exciting rewards/opportunities for students. We collectively seek input from school staff, parents and students. We have recruited New York Yankees baseball players, Mets players and other prominent sports figures to inspire and motivate our students. We have had numerous dances, raffles (you name it – we raffle it!), as well as pizza and ice cream parties. Port St. Lucie Elementary has also excelled in the Targeted Interventions provided to our most at-risk students through a continuous and collaborative effort of the PBS Core Team and the Guidance Department. The most at-risk students have participated in the Why Try Breakfast Club, Why Try Graduate Check In Club and Why Try Groups. Next year will be the year that our most proficient graduates start to mentor other students and teach the school wide expectations with staff support.