Using Positive Behavior Support Systems to Help Implement
Response to Intervention for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.

In Partial Fulfillment for the
Requirements of
SPE 650 Characteristics: Children with Emotional Disorders

To
Dr. D. Walker
E. Hayles

From:
Melissa Meyer
July 8, 2013

Author’s Note: This is a “teaching paper.” Since I am employed by a small private school, that does not use PBS or RTI, I feel it is necessary to inform the reader that I am writing as if I were a veteran teacher at a school that uses both. I took on the persona of a teacher who is introducing the school’s policies on RTI and PBS for children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.

Using Positive Behavior Support Systems to Help Implement
Response to Intervention for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.

Welcome to Paradise School District, and more specifically Utopia School. We are believers in teaching strategies that are supported by evidence. As a new teacher in our school, the veteran teachers, as well as the administration, will do all that is possible to not only help you understand how to implement evidence based practices in your classroom, but to aid you in becoming a confident and effective teacher. In keeping with that goal, I would like to introduce you to our school’s method of utilizing Response to Intervention (RTI) for behavioral issues as well as Utopia’s School Wide Positive Behavior System (PBS). According to the website RTI 4 Success, the debate about RTI first began around 2001 because there was a dislike for the current system which was based on the model of IQ discrepancy. (Bradley et al, 2010) RTI traditionally utilizes a three tiered approach to intervening with students who are struggling learners; with each tier providing more intense and focused strategies. (Griffiths et al, 2007; Bradley et al, 2010). Utopia School uses a similar three tiered approach for classroom management and behavioral issues. Since poor classroom management often results in loss of instructional time, teachers need proven strategies and systems to benefit all their students. (Sayeski & Brown, 2011) Using the RTI model of a tiered approach to behavior management enables educators to address behavior issues at all levels: basic classroom management, students who need extra social skills or behavior modifications and students with extreme behavior issues. (Fairbanks, Sugai, Guarding, & Lathrop, 2007; Griffiths et al, 2007) The first tier is one that is universal in Utopia School: a School-wide Positive Behavior System (PBS). All staff, teachers, and administrators receive training on how to implement the PBS. The core features of PBS have been around for over twenty-five years; researchers have repeatedly shown that positive reinforcement of desired behaviors has a more immediate and long term result than negative. (Homer, Sugai, & Anderson, 2010) PBS helps educators define their behavioral expectations, which allows students to fully comprehend what is expected of them. (Sayeski & Brown, 2011) Traditional means of discipline, “punishment”, has not been shown to be effective since it does not address the purpose of the behavior. (Rodriguez, 2007) PBS focuses not only on why a student is behaving a certain way, but also tries to prevent undesirable behavior instead of reacting to them. (Rodriguez, 2007; Bradley et al, 2010) At Utopia, all classrooms use the same system, but teachers create rules based on their expectations. Since there is no widely accepted screening tool or instrument to measure behavior, we at Utopia feel that using PBS for Tier one is effective in identifying students who require a “supplemental” and more “intense” level of instruction for behavior which would occur on Tier two. (Bradley et al, 2010; Horner et al, 2010) For you, our newest member of the Utopia Team, to be successful implementing this first tier of RTI, you will need to determine what your expectations for your classroom are. To do this, we encourage you to talk to the veteran teachers. Things to consider when establishing your expectations in order to create your rules: setting – do you have different expectations for different areas such as gym, lunch, class discussion, center time, etc; typical behaviors – what is age appropriate and normal behavior in those settings; time – is there a time of day that is more or less likely to incur “problems”; and staff – are staff consistent, do all staff agree on definitions, do all staff know terminology. (Rodriguez, 2007) Once you have a clear vision, you should then create three to five rules that encompass all your expectations. These rules should be stated in a positive manner: example – instead of “no running in the classroom,” make it positive “Super Star Students walk in the classroom.” (Rodriguez, 2007) To help students succeed, these rules should be discussed and examples and non-examples should be given. Many teachers use role playing activities to help students fully understand their rules and what could happen if they are not followed. For example, you can have a student pretend to trip and fall while running in the classroom. When you receive your full training on Utopia’s PBS, you will become more familiar with our color code system and how to use it effectively. For now, you should take away that Tier one of RTI for behavior is our PBS that is intended for all students and staff in all settings. (Rodriguez, 2007; Horner et al, 2010; Bradley, 2010) If a student is struggling with the PBS, s/he will then move to Tier Two of RTI for behavior. When a child is moved to Tier Two, a team, which includes the teacher, the behavior interventionist, the parent, etc., meets to determine the best strategies for the teacher to implement to help that student succeed. (Rodriguez, 2007; Bradley, 2010) This is done by examining the areas in which the student is struggling: setting, expectations, time, and staff. (Rodriguez, 2010) The team then uses the data collected to design a specific course of action for the teacher to implement and designs a strategy that is incorporated into the daily routine, while still allowing the child to participate in the PBS. (Bradley, 2010; Horner 2010) One of the strategies that is commonly used on Tier Two is Check-in/Check-out (CICO). CICO has been shown to work not only with academic support, but also behavioral. (Horner et al, 2010; Fairbanks et al, 2007). In CICO a student is given a “report card” that has the daily schedule on it as well as expected behavior, at various scheduled time, the teacher marks the card as to the child’s behavior. (Todd, 2010) The student can earn rewards such as free time, computer time, etc by fulfilling the behavior requirements for each activity. The CICO system helps a student know the schedule and gives him written expectations for each activity, helps teachers by allowing them to give constant positive feedback to students, and keeps written data to determine if further interventions are needed. (Todd, 2010; Fairbanks et al, 2007; Horner et al 2010) Although this tier is mainly done in the regular classroom setting, you, the classroom teacher, will receive support and guidance from the behavior interventionist. If the student continues to struggle after strategies and interventions are tried on Tier Two, s/he is moved to Tier Three. The typical first step of Tier Three is to give the student a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA). (Horner et al, 2010; Fairbanks et al, 2007; Rodriguez, 2010; Sayeski & Brown, 2011) The FBA requires school personnel, other than the teacher, to conduct observations, do interviews of student, teacher, parents, etc, and use other assessment tools available for behavior. Once the FBA is done, it is used to create an intervention plan that is child specific. (Fairbanks et al, 2007). It is at this point that a child is usually referred to the Special Education department and an Individual Education Program is developed for the child. (Bradley et al, 2010) The interventions needed for this level vary greatly and as the general education teacher, you will receive guidance from the special education staff if you have a child on this level. Some of the typical interventions used at Tier Three level are: direct teaching of prosocial skills; changing antecedent conditions to pre-empt behavior issues; and change of placement to decrease stimulation levels. (Fairbanks et al, 2007) Our Special Education staff here at Utopia School will provide you with any necessary training, documentation sheets, and assistance to implement the interventions that are decided upon. The goal is for the student to remain in the least restrictive environment while being giving the tools and skills needed to be a successful student. The best way that you can help our Special Education staff is just by following the PBS! We, at Utopia, understand that paperwork can be overwhelming, so we have created a system that makes it less time consuming. With the PBS, the necessary data is collected for each student on a daily basis. Further, at each Tier there is a built in data collection systems to aid teachers and staff in “fine tuning” the strategies implemented. (Fairbanks et al, 2007; Rodriguez 2010) No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requires schools and teachers to document student progress and Utopia School’s RTI for behavior provides the new teacher an easy and successful way of gathering the data on behavior. If you, as a new teacher, just follow the guidelines in our PBS, you will be creating a data base for each child in your class. As you will learn in the PBS training, each student has a “clip” that you move up or down depending on behavior. You will keep track of the student’s points, which is determined by where the student is on the chart at various points of the day. All the materials and documentation sheets have already been created for you. All you, or your assistant, will do is in put the necessary data and turn it in to the special education staff who will create the data base. This data base will be used to determine a variety of things: does a student need a more intense intervention?; is the student performing appropriately on his tier?; are teacher expectations too high or too low?; and is the school appropriately meeting the need of all students? (Horner et al, 2010; Fairbanks et al, 2007) By looking at the data that the PBS and specific interventions collect, we can determine how to better serve our students. Through the RTI for behavior, which includes the PBS, Utopia School believes it has created a work environment that all can be successful in – both teacher and student.

References
Algozzine, B., Wang, C., White, R., Cooke, N., Marr, M. B., Algozzine, K., & Helf, S. (2012). Effects of mulit-tier academic and behavior instruction on difficult-to-teach students. Exceptional Children, 79(1), 45 - 64.
Bradley, T., Dickson, E., Green, T., Griffin, J., Johnson, T., Johnson-Gros, K., Kaase, K., & Medley, M. Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Curriculum Instruction. (2010). Response to intervention: Best practice handbook. Retrieved from Office of Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations website: http://www.mde.k12.ms.us
Fairbanks, S., Sugai, G., Guardino, D., & Lathrop, M. (2007). Response to intervention: classroom behavior support in second grade. Exceptional Children, 73(3), 288 - 310.
Griffiths, A. J., Parsons, L. B., Burns, M. K., VanDerHeyden, A., & Tilly, W. D. (2007). Response to intervention: Research for practice. Retrieved from http://www.rti4success.org/resourcetype/response-intervention-research-practice
Horner, R. H., Sugai, G., & Anderson, C. M. (2010). Examining the evidence base for school- wide positive behavior support. Focus on Exceptional Children, 42(8), 2 - 15.
Rodriguez, A. Division of Special Education, Clinical Behavior Services. (2007). Positive behavior support: addressing the behavior of all students. Retrieved from Miami-Dade School District website: http://.dadeschools.net/ScienceK8/TeacherAcademy/Teachers_PBS_Overview Training
Sayeski, K. L., & Brown, M. R. (2011). Developing a classroom management plan using a tiered approach. Teaching Exceptional Children, 44(1), 8 - 17.
Todd, A. (2010, March 1). Check-in/check-out: How to implement. Retrieved from http://pbisnetwork2010conference
Assignment RUBRIC / Checklist Form Student Name: | Melissa Meyer |

Objective:
Develop a product that educates a specific audience about RtI and / or PBS. This product should be creative, clearly written, professionally presented, concise, and user friendly.
Please check all that apply: Information used for this assignment was compiled from the following websites: | X | mde.k12.ms.us (Mississippi Dept. of Education) | | X | Other: see references | | | Other: | My target audience was: | | Parents | | X | Teachers | My focus was on: | | RtI | | | PBS | | X | RtI and PBS together |
Content Requirements: Checklist | (Your assignment should somehow answer these questions) Remember who your TARGET AUDIENCE is when formulating your responses. | | 1. What is the definition and purpose of RtI / PBS (choose one or both)? In other words, why are schools using RtI / PBS and how are they using it? If discussing both RtI and PBS, explain how they are “kin” to each other or used together (PBS as a part of the whole, RtI). | | 2. What is meant by Universal Procedures as related to RtI / PBS? Delve into how using SW-PBIS and other universal procedures create a school climate of success for all students. | | 3. Discuss the Three Tiers and what happens at each. (For example: Who is targeted? Why? How do we know? Who does the work? Who keeps track? What is the rationale behind moving students through the tiers? What is the ultimate goal?) | | 4. What do “interventions” look like at each tier level? (Choose academic or behavior interventions, or both) How would the teacher implement them in the classroom? | | 5. What is the importance of data collection in RtI / PBS? How is the data collected and used? | When developing your product for this assignment, you do NOT have to list each of the above questions and answer them directly. Just make sure you have addressed all of them within the product. Remember, you can be as creative as you wish and develop this product in a multitude of formats. It does not have to be just a report. Use the RUBRIC below to assist you with your assignment. Grading RUBRIC

Student Name: | | Final Score | Melissa Meyer | | | out of 100 pts. |

Grading: | Grammar and Mechanics | Organization and Presentation | Content Accuracy based on mandates | Content RequirementsAligned to Assignment | Informativeand Relevant to target audience | 20 pts | Few or no errors in grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation, etc. | Professionally arranged, well organized, concise, easy to read, user friendly | Completely accurate and well written, clearly based on the stated mandate used | all five questions answered appropriately | Overall product was extremely informative and relevant to the target audience | 15 pts | Several minor mistakes | Nice, but arrangement detracts slightly from the product | Mostly accurate and well written, clearly based on the state mandate used | four questions answered appropriately | Overall product was somewhat informative and relevant to the target audience | 10 pts | Multiple mistakes | Arrangement detracts heavily from the product | Several inaccuracies or poorly written or not clearly based on the state mandate used | three questions answered appropriately | Overall product was slightly informative and relevant to the target audience | 5 pts | Too Many Mistakes to Count | Arrangement detracts completely from the product | Multiple inaccuracies and not clearly based on any mandate | two questions answered appropriately | Overall product was not very informative and irrelevant to the target audience | 0 pts | Unable to grade | Unable to grade | Unable to grade | one or fewer questions answered appropriately | Unable to grade |

Instructor Comments: |