Positive Behavior Support Project (PBS) Definition

Delaware’s Key Elements of Positive Behavior Supports

“PBS is a broad range of systemic and individualized strategies for achieving important social and learning results while preventing problem behavior” (Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support, 2001). 

Following this broad definition, a list of key elements was created to characterize PBS schools in Delaware.  PBS Schools:

• Embrace both “systems” and “individualized” perspectives in adopting a broad range of evidenced-based strategies, programs, and supports.
• Establish a positive and safe school climate that promotes academic, social, and emotional development.
• Place great emphasis on the importance of preventing behavior problems. They are proactive and positive, rather than reactive and punitive.
• Recognize that ALL students can benefit from proactive positive behavioral supports.
• Emphasize the critical importance of close teacher-student relations, student-student relations, school-family relations, and school-community relations.
• Adopt a team process for planning, development, implementation, and evaluation.
• Demonstrate sustained commitmentand participation by the majority of staff and administrators in a shared approach to the PBS process. PBS is integrated into the school improvement plan.
• Value the importance of data-based decision making, as reflected in the on-going evaluation of program effectiveness and modification of program components.  The decisions are based on data and input from multiple sources and methods (including referral and suspension rates, and student, teacher, and parent ratings of school climate).
• Apply evidence-based techniques, strategies, programs, and supports – those supported by research and theory.
• Implement, with demonstrated fidelity, a variety of positive techniques, strategies, programs, and supports at three levels of prevention and intervention: universal (for all students), secondary (targeting “at-risk” students), and tertiary (targeting students with serious and/or chronic behavior problems).
• Provide a range of positive supportsnot only to students, but also to teachers and families.
• Demonstrate sensitivity to individual and cultural differences.
• Recognize that by improving school climate and students’ social and emotional functioning, schools also improve academic learning.
• Recognize the need for consistent and fair policies, rules, techniques, and strategies for correcting misbehavior. When using punitive techniques to correct misbehavior (e.g., time-out, suspension, etc.), they make sure that such techniques are always combined with positive techniques for increasing appropriate behavior.
• Recognize the importance of teaching a small number of clearly defined behavioral expectations (e.g., Be Responsible, Respect Others).  Such behaviors are taught in a planned and systematic fashion using both direct (e.g., via modeling, reinforcement, etc.) and indirect (e.g., via highlighting related values in the curriculum, service learning, etc.) methods of instruction. Frequent acknowledgement and/or reinforcement of appropriate behavior are greatly emphasized.
• Implement a character education or social and emotional learning (SEL) program designed to achieve the long-term goal developing self-discipline among all children. This would include the infusion of character education or SEL lessons into the general curriculum and/or the implementation of evidence-based packaged programs for fostering such skills as responsibility, empathy, positive peer relations, communication skills, friendship skills, impulse control, anger management, and conflict resolution.
• Recognize the importance of the long-term goal of developing self-discipline and positive self-concept among all students.
• Provide on-going professional developmentto teachers and staff in a variety of PBS elements.
• Develop individualized behavioral support plans, linked to functional behavioral assessments, when supporting a student with challenging problem behavior.
• Recognize that many students with serious and chronic behavior problems require coordinated and integrated “wrap around” services.
• Understand that a variety of school, individual, family, community, and peer factors explain student behavior. However, school factors, especially home-school relations, classroom management, academic instruction, instruction in social skills and social and emotional learning, receive primary emphasis in understanding student behavior and developing intervention plans.