The first step in setting up a situation where students can be behaviorally successful is to have clear expectations. I think the School-Wide Positive Behavior Support s (SWPBS) system is an excellent program that sets students up for success and understands that there will be students at different behavior levels. SWPBS uses a tiered system. In class we learned that the idea is that most kids (about 80%) will fall in Tier 1. If the school has clear and easy to remember expectations that are practice and are routine. As well as positive reinforcement built in, most students will see success. There is also a tier 2 and 3. Tier 2 typically represents 10%-15% of the student body and tier 3 about 5%-10%. What makes SWPBS unique, I think, is that there is still a SWPBS plan for the tier 2 and 3 students. They do not just get thrown into a different program. The program is for everyone, it just may need to be adjusted according to the needs of those students. “Within an SWPBS framework, these evidence-based interventions are organized further into a continuum that first considers what all students require for behavior support and then sequences interventions into an array of increasingly specialized intensity to accommodate students whose behaviors are not responsive to a given intervention (Sugai and Horner, 2009, p.229).
Another way to improve behavior outcomes is to look at an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) approach. In this approach there are four ways of explaining behavior. These are:
1. Escape- This is where students try to avoid a difficult task
2. Wants attention – This can be from peers or adults
3. Access to a Tangible-Which is seeking monetary or social reinforcements
4. Self-reinforcement- Giving self a reward, like you get to go for a walk if you do this
By using this approach and explaining why students are engaging in certain behaviors, the circumstances can be modified to get better behavior outcomes.
Sugai, G., & Horner, R. H. (2009). Responsiveness-to-intervention and school-wide positive behavior supports: Integration of multi-tiered system approaches. Exceptionality, 17, 223-237.
rebeccaaf 