A capable and motivated Tier 1 Team is crucial to successful PBIS implementation. Back row L-R: Teachers Chris Jacobs, Dennis Jackson, Richard Gray. Front row L-R: Teacher Jennifer Polo, Vice Principal Sarah Moore, Teachers Elizabeth Terpening, Katie Stover, Principal Joan Schumann. Photo by Melody McDowell

 

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - The leadership team at Wilson Elementary received exciting news this September: Wilson has achieved Platinum Level in its efforts to implement a strong Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) system for their students. Less than 5 percent of California elementary and junior high schools have achieved this status, including just 3 schools in Oroville as well as a handful of Chico schools that have qualified.

What is PBIS? It’s a framework for making data-driven decisions to plan for and support student learning and behavior outcomes. And if you think that’s a mouthful, well, you’re right. Dr. Joan Schumann, Wilson Principal, says it’s all about mindset. It’s about using data gathered from your students, from the issues and challenges you are seeing, to determine how to meet students’ needs and how to adjust teachers’ classroom teaching and the larger school environment.

Dr. Schumann says, “PBIS is really about intervening at the environment level and changing adult behavior. [At school you] really have to have a common understanding among all the adults in the building [in order to address student behavior effectively].”

Sarah Moore, the current Vice Principal at Wilson, came to Wilson from Citrus Avenue Elementary School (which has also achieved Platinum Level) and was full of praises for the good that this particular mindset can do. She appreciates its focus on prevention, and recognition of positive behaviors. She spoke to the practicality of being able to look at the students and the school environment and decide where more attention is needed.

Moore also emphasized the importance of the enthusiasm and creativity that involved and committed staff members bring to the implementation. Both she and Schumann are quick to hand the credit for this honor to the PBIS team as a whole, who have devoted countless hours to honing their approach and devising incentives and school programs to appeal to their students.

At its core, PBIS dictates a 3-tiered approach to addressing school behavior issues. Tier 1 is the level at which all students are taught schoolwide expectations, offered opportunities to participate in activities designed to encourage positive behaviors and prevent problems before they start. Friendship Clubs, lessons in Social-Emotional Learning skills, Bucket-filler initiatives, are examples of Tier 1 activities that may sound familiar.

PBIS begins and ends with teaching and modeling positive behaviors in an atmosphere that provides positive relationships, and providing feedback regarding the appropriateness of the behaviors students are using.

As problem areas are spotted and needs arise, the idea is that the teaching, modeling and feedback increase in Tiers 2 and 3, specific to the areas of misbehavior and applied in a personal way to just those kids who are struggling. As Dr. Schumann described in an example, traditional discipline strategies dictate that if behavioral issues are showing up during football, you take away the privilege of participating in football. But PBIS says, figure out what’s triggering the issues during football, then look for ways to incentivize positive behaviors at football and replace the negative ones.

Schumann is well-positioned to be able to see the whole picture, with a firsthand knowledge of the potential for PBIS efforts to make a big difference. During her PhD studies, she worked closely at University of Oregon with some of the founders that helped get PBIS started nationwide.

After spending time as a Special Education professor at the University of Utah, Schumann also spent several years overseas, as the Director of Student Support Services at Stamford American International School in Singapore. PBIS is what she did – and she is passionate about the outcomes and growth that she knows are the result. It is clear that she practices what she preaches in this regard; since her arrival at Wilson, there have been many focus groups held to gather data around a variety of parent and student concerns and circumstances, from attendance to parking safety and general “visioning.” Gather data, use that data to inform decisions and intervention strategies . . . sound familiar?

Since returning to the United States, Schumann noted that there have been shifts in how PBIS is implemented. Specifically, PBIS training and efforts have expanded and have a new focus on integrated mental health supports and trauma-based services. She sees this as an overwhelmingly positive development.

When Dr. Schumann arrived at Wilson in 2021, she could see that many elements of PBIS were already in place. Really clarifying the focus and structure of Wilson’s tier support teams was the first major goal. The school counselor, Samantha Stone, was a significant help in this regard. By the end of the 2021/22 school year, a formal PBIS evaluator was invited to the campus. Following that evaluation, Wilson received Gold Level recognition for their PBIS efforts.

Last year, the main target for reaching Platinum Level was being able to document the growth and success of students being served at the top of the tier system. In 2022/23, the 5-6 kids who had extensive Tier 3 plans written to address their behaviors all a) graduated from their behavior plans, moving back down to a Tier 1 or 2 level and b) demonstrated huge academic growth across all subject areas.

Ms. LoriAnne Parks, a long-time 2nd grade teacher at Wilson, said of PBIS: “I feel it has really taught the kids what being a responsible, good human looks like and makes them reflect on their behavior as a whole.” She referenced practices such as restorative questioning (or use of open-ended questions to help kids process, resolve, and move on from conflict) and Primary Intervention Play that help kids develop the skills they need for friendly and appropriate play relationships. She stated that these interventions “really eliminate most of the bullying and lonely kid issues.”

Dr. Schumann reports that students and parents have responded positively. Parents are appreciative of the efforts being made to keep kids in class, where they can continue to learn alongside their classmates, and students recognize that there is a “different” feel than they have sometimes experienced in other schools. And in this case, that difference is a really good thing.