Cohort 3

It was difficult to select from the 15 schools that applied to be part of Cohort 3. Due to our capacity, we asked districts to select one school per district in each cohort. We welcome the following schools to Cohort 3:

• Coloma Junior High (Coloma)
• Countryside Upper Elementary (Countryside)
• Lybrook Elementary (Eau Claire)
• Mars Elementary (Berrien Springs)
• Merritt Elementary (Brandywine)
• New Buffalo Elementary (New Buffalo)
• Northside Child Development Center (Niles)
• Sylvester Elementary (Berrien Springs)*

*You might have noticed that Berrien Springs has two schools in Cohort 3; that’s simply due to the fact that Sylvester Elementary, which was a Cohort 1 school, has decided to re-start their implementation due to changed behavior expectations at their district level.

Fidelity

Congratulations to all Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 schools (see list below). Each school met fidelity on the Spring Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI). The TFI is a reliable and valid measure used to determine the implementation of key features of schoolwide PBIS. The purpose of the TFI is to regularly (three times per year) assess the implementation of PBIS. The TFI is used to guide the work of the school leadership team. Meeting 70 percent fidelity on the TFI means schools will see an improvement in student outcomes.

Cohort 2 schools:

• Ballard Elementary (Niles)
• Berrien Spring High School (Berrien Springs)
• Countryside Early Learning (Countryside)
• Ottawa Elementary (Buchanan)
• South Elementary (Watervliet)

Cohort 1 schools are making progress implementing Tiers 2 and 3:

• Blossomland and Lighthouse Education Center met fidelity on Tiers 1, 2 and 3, and were recognized by MIBLSI as bronze level schools regarding PBIS implementation.

Acknowledgments

PBIS is not a behavior plan. It's not where students go to change their behavior. It's not a store where students cash in tickets. PBIS is a culture. In a PBIS environment:

1. Expectations are identified and clearly defined.
2. Behavioral expectations are taught (and re-taught) to students, teachers and family members.
3. Behaviors are monitored.
4. When the expected behaviors are observed, students, teachers and family members are acknowledged and encouraged with specific and meaningful feedback.
5. If the expectations are not observed,  pre-established continuum of responses to behavior are implemented. One of the best example of responses is re-teaching.
6. All along the way, data is being collected and used to make decisions.

Using fragments of this system and calling it "PBIS" create misconceptions. One common misunderstanding is that PBIS is all about rewarding good behavior and ignoring bad behavior. However, this is incorrect; acknowledgements are at the core of creating an environment where individuals can flourish and meaningful relationships develop. Tickets or physical acknowledgements are as much tools to remind adults to notice good behavior as they are to encourage students to do what is expected.

PBIS acknowledgements are positive interactions used for the reinforcement of appropriate, expected behavior. When someone does not behave as expected, they are first and foremost re-taught the behavioral expectations, but may also experience other consequences associated with restitution, for example. PBIS schools are not light on discipline — they are light on punishment, which research has shown does not work. If the answer to illiteracy is to teach reading, then the answer to behavior illiteracy is to teach behavior.

Consistency is a huge factor of effective PBIS culture. Consistently using data and focusing on expected behaviors throughout the school building allows students to know what to expect. PBIS teaches school personnel how to use data to anticipate when expectations will not be followed. By acknowledging and re-teaching behavioral expectations consistently over the course of the year, it is more likely that students will continue to exhibit these positive behaviors outside of school and into the next school year.

PBIS is about intentionally building a positive, proactive learning environment where students learn, experience and model behaviors that are needed to be successful in school and the rest of their lives.