An investigation on the effectiveness of positive behavior intervention and support (PBIS) in a middle school environment

Over the last decade a bright beacon has been cast on the issue of safety in schools. Many high profile shootings have brought into question the ability of school officials to keep America’s youth free from harm while on school grounds. Administrators face heavy scrutiny when weighing approaches on student discipline and dealing with disturbing behavior. Teachers, like any other members of the work force, have the right to work in an environment that is safe and devoid of life-threatening behaviors. Positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) is a proactive system that concentrates on emphasizing what students are doing right and evades the punitive consequences which can lead to resentful reactions from individuals. PBIS is a three-pronged approach. There is a primary level of intervention which centers on all of the student body, of which 80% will need no further intervention. The secondary level focuses on a group contingency and will encompass 15 % of the student population in need of the next level of intercession. The third and final intervention is the tertiary level, and it uses a highly individualized approach which targets the toughest and most intense behavior issues. This study is designed to determine the impact of PBIS on a school’s climate. Edgewood and Bellmont, middle schools in northern Indiana, having similar demographics and ethnicity, were chosen to complete a CASE school climate survey. Edgewood received the treatment of PBIS while Bellmont served as the non-treatment school. Significant main treatment effects were found in the interactions between treatment/gender and treatment/time; however, all other interactions, although not deemed significant, follow a similar pattern. Boys appear to score higher when given the treatment, while girls score lower. Over time, climate scores increased for Edgewood, the treatment school, while scores decreased for Bellmont. The success of PBIS depends upon school personnel being proactive and reevaluating the reactive practice of intervening through the use of punitive consequences. Teachers are inclined to ask the question, “Why is this student behaving in an inappropriate nature?” It is not a lock-step method; it takes into account the needs of both teacher and student while increasing time on task, productivity, and independence. As a result, teachers are more clear and predictable to their students