Steve Vitto Pbs Newsletter, December 2008

ISSUE #1 MiBLSi PBS Newsletter DECEMBER 2008 Inside This Issue Welcome! Welcome to the first online edition of the MAISD Michigan A review of commonly used Integrated Behavior and Learning Support Initiative (MiBLSi) Positive Behavior Support Tools Positive Behavior Support (PBS) Newsletter. We would like to be- Effective Behavior Survey 4 gin by congratulating all of you for your efforts in providing a posi- School Evaluation Tool 4 tive behavior supports initiative in your school this year. We believe Team Implementation Checklist 4 that your hard work will make a positive difference in the lives of all of your students. School Wide Information System 4 PBS at Wesley School 5 Your PBS-ISD coaches, Susan Mack and Steven Vitto, and MiBLSi Making a Case for Rewards 5 specialist, Deanna Holman, will provide a monthly sample of some of the exciting PBS activities going on in your schools. In addition, we will provide summaries of PBS tools, regional trainings, and PBS Participating Schools success stories. Each month, we will be asking for PBS information Beach Elementary (Fruitport) from your school. Our hope is that the newsletter will be shared with Beachnau Elementary (Ravenna) all teachers in PBS participating schools and the result will be an Bluffton Elementary (Muskegon) increased understanding of the hard work being accomplished by all Campbell Elementary (Mona Shores) of your PBS/MiBLSi teams. To share questions or ideas, please Cardinal Elementary (Orchard View) e-mail me at svitto@muskegonisd.org. Thanks! Churchill Elementary (Mona Shores) Edgewood Elementary (Fruitport) Edgewood Elementary (Muskegon Heights) Steve Vitto, Newsletter Editor Holton Elementary Lincoln Park Elementary (Mona Shores) Loftis Elementary (Muskegon Heights) Marquette Elementary (Muskegon) Martin Luther King (Muskegon Heights) McLaughlin Elementary (Muskegon) McMillan (Reeths Puffer) Muskegon Heights Middle School Nelson Elementary (Muskegon) Nims Elementary (Muskegon) Oakview Elementary (Muskegon) Orchard View Early Elementary Orchard View Middle School Reeths-Puffer Elementary Roosevelt Elementary (Muskegon Heights) Shettler Elementary (Fruitport)

Cohort #2 Expectations Shettler Elementary (Fruitport) Principal: Norm Heerema RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY & SAFETY Cardinal Elementary (Orchard View) Principals: Pam Snow & Brenda Hodge S.O.A.R. Riding the W.A.V.E. Martin Luther King (Muskegon Heights) Cohort #1 Expectations Principal: Marvin Nash The FIVE B’s We are Responsible, Always Respectful, Very Safe, Loftis Elementary (Muskegon Heights) Excellent Attitude Principal: Rosie Holmes Beach Elementary THE THREE B’s Principal: Julie Van Bergen Roosevelt Elementary (Muskegon Heights) W.A.V.E. Principal: Jaronique Benjamin Beachnau Elementary (Ravenna) Be Safe, Be Respectful, Principal: Sue Sharp Be Responsible P.E.A.C.E. Reeths-Puffer Elementary Lincoln Park Elementary (Mona Shores) Principal: Greg Helmer Principal: Raymond McCloud ROCKET C.R.E.W. “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.quot; THUMBS UP Pictures like the one above are displayed throughout Orchard View Early Elementary. Orchard View Early Elementary (OVEE) In November Orchard View Early Elementary Staff served up 475 snow Principals: Sue Fuller and Brandy Dahl cones to students who received eight “The object of teaching children “Thumbs Up” slips for the month of October. Orchard View Early Elementary is to enable them to get along offers different rewards each month. without their teacher.”

More About Cohort #2 New PBS Schools Cardinal Elementary’s Churchill Elementary in Golden Tray Award Mona Shores Principals: Pam Snow & Brenda Hodge Principal: Mark Platt Cardinal Elementary has a quot;Golden Trayquot; The theme at Churchill is R.O.C.K.S! competition each week. Each day the Really Outstanding Churchill Kids! The Lunch/Play supervisors choose the best Rock Star awards are given to students behaved class from each lunch period. that Stay positive, Take responsibility, The winning classes will be the ones that Act respectfully, and are Ready to Learn. receive the most nominations for their Tickets have been given a new look. grade level that week. These classes are Banners with expectations have been announced over the P.A. Friday afternoon. designed and displayed. They also get the Golden Tray to display in their room. Monday of the following Edgewood Elementary week the winning classes have their tables in Fruitport decorated with table cloths, centerpieces, quot;Considerate Cardinalquot; placemats, and a Principal: Amy Upham small treat. The winning classes also get PBS is off to a very positive start at to be first in line on that day. Edgewood Elementary in Fruitport. From “To catch the reader's atten- the posters and training of students, to the McLaughlin Elementary tion, place an interesting sen- extra recess earned for meeting our tence or quote from the story Principal: Alina Fortenberry R.O.C.K.S. expectations, students, staff here.” and families have embraced these new McLaughlin hosts a pizza party for all practices. The response has been great! Little Red ticket winners. They also announce all of their names at our monthly spirit assembly. Welcome Cohort #5 MiBLSi & PBS Schools Cohort 4 Schools This school year we have four new school joining our PBS family. Enter Year Two McMillan Elementary Campbell Elementary (Reeths-Puffer) Principal: Nate Smith Principal: Ann White McMillan is using the acronym “STAR” Nims Elementary which stands for Stay safe, Take Principal: LaKisha Williams responsibility, Always do your best, and Marquette Elementary Respect everyone. They have their Principal: Gaye Monroe behavior matrix with expectations throughout the school, and have posted Nelson Elementary signs. They are seeing a difference in Principal: Pam Johnson behaviors already. Oakview Elementary Principal: Pam Varga Muskegon Heights Middle School Principal: Bernard Colton Bluffton Elementary Principal: Jerry Johnson Orchard View Middle School Principal: Jim Nelson McLaughlin Elementary Principal: Alina Fortenberry Edgewood Elementary (Muskegon Heights) Moon Elementary Principal: Ed Causey Principal: Christina Precious

Effective Behavior Team Implementation Support (EBS) Survey PBS Tools Checklist The EBS Survey is used by school The Team Implementation Checklist staff for initial and annual assessment For Schools guides the development, implementa- of effective behavior support systems tion, monitoring and revision process in their school. The survey examines for building a positive school wide the status and need for improvement culture. The team managing the of three behavior support systems: positive behavior support goal (a) school wide discipline, (b) non- completes the Team Checklist at the classroom management systems, and beginning of PBS implementation and (c) systems for individuals students uses it at regular intervals thereafter engaging in chronic behaviors. (monthly or quarterly) to monitor Surveys assessing implementation School Evaluation progress. The first section of the status and needs can be conducted Checklist, Startup Activities, is online and reports can be viewed as Tool (SET) primarily for initial implementation soon as a survey is completed. These The School wide Evaluation Tool monitoring, although it can also be surveys have been developed to meet (SET) is designed to assess and used at any time to re-assess the status the data requirements of PBS usage in valuate the critical features of of implementation. The second schools. PBS school teams can use school wide effective behavior section, Ongoing Activities, provides this survey data to assess whether support across each academic school the team with a tool to evaluate the school wide behavior support programs year. The SET results are used to: activities required to sustain a PBS are (a) being implemented with fidelity assess features that are in place, system. Team Checklist information and (b) providing benefits to students. determine annual goals for school is used to monitor the progress of the Click this link to access a PBS wide effective behavior support, entire initiative and to help sustain Implementers' Blueprint and Self- evaluate on-going efforts toward efforts across time (years) as well as Assessment guide from the Office of school wide behavior support, design through administrative and staff Special Education Programs (OSEP) and revise procedures as needed, and changes. Data is summarized and of the U.S. Department of Education. compare efforts toward school wide graphed to show progress in each of effective behavior support from year nine areas addressed by the Team to year. Information necessary for Checklist, and these results are used to The School Wide this assessment tool is gathered create an Action Plan. Information System through multiple sources including The School Wide Information review of permanent products, System (SWIS) is a web-based observations, and staff (minimum of information system designed to help 10) and student (minimum of 15) school personnel use office referral interviews or surveys. data to design school wide and individual student interventions. The Surveys assessing implementation three primary elements are: (1) An status and needs can be conducted efficient system for gathering online and reports can be viewed as information (2) A web-based computer soon as a survey is completed. These application for data entry and report surveys have been developed to meet generation (3) A practical process for the data requirements of PBS usage in using information for decision making. schools. PBS school teams can use These elements give school staff the this survey data to assess whether Please send questions, capability to evaluate individual school wide behavior support pro- comments, PBS photos and student behavior, the behavior of grams are (a) being implemented with celebrations to groups of students, in specific settings, fidelity and (b) providing benefits to svitto@muskegonisd.org behaviors occurring during specific students. Click this link to access a time periods of the school day. SWIS PBS Implementers' Blueprint and reports indicate times and/or locations Self-Assessment guide from the prone to elicit problem behaviors, and Office of Special Education Programs allow teachers and administrators to (OSEP) of the U.S. Department of shape school wide environments to Education. maximize students' academic and

School Wide Positive Behavior Supports at Wesley School Making a Case for Rewards and Positive Wesley School, a center based setting Reinforcement By Steven Vitto for children with developmental One controversial issue that seems to surface from time to time in our work with disabilities will be one of the first schools implementing school wide PBS, is the issue of intrinsic versus extensive center based programs on this side of reinforcement. Some staff have stated the belief that the use of rewards and ex- the state to embark on a school wide trinsic reinforcement breads dependency and should not be necessary in developing pro-social behaviors in their students. The notion that rewards are bribes and positive behavior supports initiative. will turn kids into “praise junkies” is one that has been argued about for the past Based on a PBS model being used at century. However, this issue has been well researched, and the fact is that motiva- Highland Pines School in Caro, tion is generally a combination of both extrinsic and intrinsic variables. Michigan. MAISD Special Education Director Kathy Fortino, and Those arguing against the use of reinforcement and rewards often have no problem Principals, Susan Ochs, and Tom with using punishment (i.e., extrinsic based systems designed to discourage Miller, have created a PBS team and inappropriate behavior through negative consequences). There is no consistent are in the process of establishing the body of research to support the use of punishment in teaching students better ways foundation for a school wide PBS ap- of behaving, especially those with problem behaviors. If we are to walk the talk of proach. Thus far, school staff are be- Positive Behavior Supports, then we need to show our students that we value their attempts to treat others with respect and exercise self control. ing trained in SWIS, are developing a behavior philosophy and guidelines, So if someone is actively crusading for using only intrinsic motivation, then that and are beginning to train all staff in person should be equally opposed to punishment– and extrinsic control strategy. Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, a The notable difference in using reward and positive reinforcement programs is evidenced based program designed to that these systems change the balance of how we respond to problem behavior. prevent aggression and other problem The research is clear; if we only attend to problem behavior, then this is what we behaviors. will get. By using a systematic reward system, we discipline ourselves to devalue negative behaviors and give attention and acknowledgement for desired or “replacement “behavior. Therefore, before a child is punished or excluded from an educational environment, we need to consider the message we send when that is our primary response. An evidence based approach should fo- cus on prevention and a reinforcement ratio that far outweighs the attention the child receiving for negative behavior (i.e., 5 positives for every correc- tion). Using systematic reward programs , helps students build positive con- nections with staff and school, and to view learning as an improving setting of conditions. Rewards should be a way of celebrating a child’s efforts and building on existing positive relationships. So keep noticing “the good” and that’s what you’ll get! In the Next Issue: Evidenced Based Classroom Management Strategies, Strategies for Defiant Students, Improving the Integrity of SWIS, and One Child’s PBS Success Story

Steve Vitto Pbs Newsletter, December 2008

by Steven Vitto on Dec 30, 2008

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