Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports
PBIS is NOT what separates CGCA from regular schools.
What separates CGCA from regular schools is our emphasis on teaching Social Skills to our students.
The teaching of Social Skills should be given EQUAL importance to the teaching of Academic Content.
And, luckily, for our students, focusing so intently on the acquisition of Social Skills is going to make learning the Academic Content MUCH easier to learn AND to teach!
The Good News!
PBIS Works!
The Reality :
PBIS only works when implemented with fidelity
Fidelity Only Happens with Staff Buy-in
Buy-in at CGCA
Helping to Create a Positive Environment of Caring and Cooperation where students practice being Safe and are not hesitant to
Ask questions.
Ask questions.
Lack of Vision & Skills looks like:
- Speaking harshly
- Calling out, embarrassing students.
- Sarcasm, rude tone of voice, reprimands
- Inappropriate behaviors are perceived as opportunity to punish
- Relationships are not built, no trust is gained as students are passed off to other staff to "deal with" the behavior.
- Positive Modeling is absent.
- Successes are barely acknowledged.
- Intensive Intervention, Therapy Rooms, Assistance from Staff, are seen and used as punitive measures.
- Arguing with students and determined to show them who is boss.
- Data Collection is neglected and not valued.
- And maybe a few that you can think of...
What does buy-in look like at CGCA?
- Routines and Expectations and Social Skills instruction are explicitly taught everyday. Attention is paid to the needs of the students and the focus of Social Skills lessons is on needs assessment.
- It is understood that the behavior that is acknowledged is the behavior that is repeated and therefore it is extremely important to acknowledge the positive!
- Positive statements are heard frequently and are meaningful.
- All Students have a Point Card every day. Even those who refuse to carry one. Even half day students. Half day students will not earn the full 60 points - calculate their daily percentages based on the class periods they are in the building. All classes. When our school is described as " All of our students participate in a social skills program and have a daily point card..." It doesn't mean all students except "this one."
- Point Cards are filled out throughout the day with accompanying teacher feedback spoken directly to the student. Students know and understand what points were earned in a particular class or activity before they get to the next one. (When the entire Point Card is blank and it is the middle of the day - or the end of the day, there is a lack of buy-in)
- Points awarded are deserved - 0, 1 or 2. A student receives a 2 because their performance was one that they should repeat again tomorrow. Otherwise, they earn a 1 or a 0. They know why they earned what they did.
- Points are never taken away. There is no "losing points" - students cannot "lose" points - only earn them. Students, instead, are reminded that their behavior will cause them not to earn all their points.
- No student earns zero points for a day unless they were in EII or absent!
- Account Books are taken seriously as vitally important to the Social Skills program and are filled out every day completely and accurately. Teachers know when students are approaching Progress Level. Account books are understood to be valuable data sources.
- Teachers make sure that Progress Students are maintaining 85% of their daily points every day! If not they need to be removed from Progress according to the "On Probation" rules.
- A Progress Attainment Chart is large and visible in your classroom! It is there day one and is maintained with enthusiasm all year long!
- Rewards are built into daily classroom routines. A reward can be a compliment.
- Point Store is visited regularly and the rules there are strictly followed: -Students bring account books and do the data entry right then and there. Students are supervised and the Point Store visit is structured.
- Create plenty of opportunities for students to "spend" their points in places other than the Point Store.
- Progress is encouraged and rewarded. Progress students are acknowledged within the classroom. Blue point cards for Progress Students!
- Rules are followed with integrity by everyone.