Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a proactive, team based framework for creating and sustaining safe and effective schools. Emphasis is placed on prevention of problem behavior, development of pro-social skills, and the use of data-based problem solving for addressing existing behavior concerns. Schoolwide PBIS increases the capacity of schools to educate all students utilizing research-based school-wide, classroom, and individualized interventions.

PBIS is an approach in behavior management on a schoolwide level, in a specific setting such as the bus, hallways, classrooms, cafeteria, lunchroom, recess, and assemblies, or with an individual student. PBIS methods are research-based and have been proven to significantly reduce the occurrence of problem behaviors.

One of the keys is to focus on prevention. It is based on the idea that when students are taught clearly defined behavioral expectations and provided with predictable responses to their behavior, both positive and corrective, 80-85% of students will meet these expectations. The 15-20% of the students not responding to universal interventions will receive additional support through group and individual interventions.

Another key element is an analysis of discipline referral data. This team-based approach to data analysis allows Newton Falls' PBIS Team to identify problem areas, brainstorm interventions, acknowledge students exhibiting positive behavior, and communicate the findings to staff, students, and parents.

The key components of an effective school-wide PBIS system involve:

• Clearly defining and teaching a set of behavioral expectations


• Consistently acknowledging and rewarding appropriate behavior


• Constructively addressing problematic behavior


• Effectively using behavioral data to assess progress

Newton Falls Elementary/Middle School is currently in year 1 of Tier 1 PBIS implementation. Focuses for the current year include establishing common expectations and routines, explicit and consistent teaching/modeling of expected behaviors and acknowledgment of student positive behavior through daily video announcements, building level goal setting and positive incentives such as Pie the Principal, extra recess, board games and lunch with the principal. Leading our PBIS team this year is an outstanding group of educators: Mrs. Fischer and Ms. Brown - School Counselors; Miss Blank - Kindergarten teacher; Mrs. Williams - First grade teacher; Mrs. McIntosh - Second grade teacher; Mrs. Metheny - Fourth Grade teacher; and Mrs. Criazzo - Music teacher.