An Educator's Guide to Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Inteventions and Supports. Jason E. Harlacher
all students and all settings (George et al., 2009). The expectations are positively stated (that is, tell students what to do instead of what not to do), involve action words, and use developmentally and culturally appropriate language. They are limited to no more than five because additional expectations become redundant and burdensome for students and staff to remember (McKevitt & Braaksma, 2008).
Perhaps the most common expectations schools use are Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible because safety, respect, and responsibility cover a wide range of desired behavior in schools (Lynass, Tsai, Richman, & Cheney, 2012). Teams can organize their expectations into acronyms (PAWS: be Prompt, Accept responsibility, Work hard, Show respect) or mnemonics (The 3 Bs: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible; Lynass et al., 2012), which help students remember the expectations. Visuals can also prompt and remind students, such as Gimme Five and holding up one’s hand open to signify the five expectations—Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Follow Directions, Keep Hands and Feet to Yourself, Be There and Be Ready (Taylor-Greene et al., 1997). We have included sample expectations here.
▴ Respect Ourselves, Respect Others, Respect Property (Netzel & Eber, 2003)
▴ Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Academically Engaged, Be Caring (Bohanon et al., 2006)
▴ GRIT: Goals, Respect, Integrity, and Teamwork (Houghton-Portage Township Schools, n.d.)
▴ RISE: Respect Individuals, Self, and the Environment (PBIS Maryland, n.d.)
▴ Be REAL: Responsible, Engaged, Appropriate, Learner (Fenton Community High School, n.d.)
▴ STAR: Safe, Teachable, Accept Responsibility, Respect (McKevitt & Braaksma, 2008)
Once educators have identified expectations, the educators concretely define common settings in the school (George et al., 2009; McKevitt & Braaksma, 2008). This is depicted in a matrix with the expectations listed across the columns (or rows) and the common settings listed in the rows (or columns). Table 2.2 has a sample matrix. Within each cell of the matrix, each expectation is explicitly defined as a set of rules for that particular setting. Whereas expectations are broad descriptions of behavior, rules are explicit, specific descriptions of behavior (George, 2009; Lynass et al., 2012). Rules are positively stated, expressed in simple language, limited to five per setting, more detailed than expectations, and applicable only to certain settings (George et al., 2009).
Table 2.2: Sample Matrix of Expectations and Rules for Common Settings
Each school using SWPBIS will have a schoolwide matrix for the entire school, and some sites may choose to include a classroom setting within their matrix so that universal rules are established for classrooms. However, some schools may wish to have individual classroom matrices (George et al., 2009; Simonsen & Myers, 2015). In this situation, teachers will individually (or in grade-level or department-level teams) create their own matrices. Instead of settings, teachers will define common routines within their classrooms such as morning entry, lining up, independent seatwork, and using a hall pass (see table 2.3). The classroom matrices are used at the elementary level, but secondary schools may opt for a classroom row as part of their schoolwide matrix. This is because older students may not need as much explicit instruction for classroom routines as younger students (McKevitt & Braaksma, 2008).
Table 2.3: Sample Matrix of Classroom Expectations and Rules
Some schools may also create matrices for other major settings or events, such as a school event (for instance, assemblies) or for those who play sports (see table 2.4). Additionally, schools may opt to include teacher responsibilities as part of their expectations, listing what teachers can do to prompt and reinforce students’ use of the expectations for each setting or routine (for example, use active supervision, stand by the entrance and greet students as they enter your classroom).
Table 2.4: Sample Matrix of Expectations and Rules for Athletics at a Secondary School
Source: Adapted from Lewis, n.d.
Each teacher should be free to individualize the exact strategies within the classroom to fit his or her needs. However, the practices and strategies should align with the schoolwide practices, as creating a disconnect between classroom practices and the schoolwide practices can confuse students. When considering classroom practices, school teams can consider the following five evidence-based practices that are connected to high-quality classroom management (note the overlap with schoolwide Tier One practices; Harlacher, 2015). In doing so, teams can further ensure the effectiveness of their Tier One supports.
1. Identify and teach classwide expectations. These should be linked to the school-wide expectations.
2. Maximize structure and routine. Students should be taught procedures to get their needs met and the classroom should be physically and temporally predictable.
3. Use a variety of active engagement strategies. Students are engaged with instruction through a variety of means, such as peer-to-peer responding, unison responses, small groups, discussions, and projects.
4. Use a range of strategies to reinforce behavior. Teachers can use a variety of means from social to tangible to verbal reinforcement to provide students feedback on the desired behaviors in the classroom.
5. Use a range of strategies to manage misbehavior. Teachers can use a variety of means to manage misbehavior, such as active supervision, reteaching, conferencing with students, and modeling desired behavior.
Additionally, ensuring strong classroom management increases the likelihood that students who need additional supports, such as Tier Two or Tier Three, will benefit from them. By providing effective Tier One and classroom management practices, school teams can be confident that additional supports layered on top of Tier One will be effective. We discuss this more in the next chapter, but it’s important that a strong foundation of effective practices is evident within classrooms.
Teaching Expectations
Once educators define the expectations and create the matrix, they explicitly teach the expectations to students. They create lesson plans that include explicit modeling and teaching of the expectations in the actual setting, examples and nonexamples of the expectations, follow-up or extension activities, a plan to remind or prompt students for the expectations, and a monitoring plan (Langland, Lewis-Palmer, & Sugai, 1998; McKevitt & Braaksma, 2008). See table 2.5 for a lesson format.
Table 2.5: Lesson Format for Teaching an Expectation
| Step | Description |
| Step 1: Identify the expectation. | The staff identify the expectation to be taught for this lesson. |
| Step 2: Provide a rationale for teaching the expectation. | The staff indicate a rationale for why the expectation is important. |
| Step 3: Define a range of examples. | The staff teach students the expectation using a range of examples and nonexamples to illustrate how the expectation looks and does not look in the school. |
| Step 4: Describe activities or role playing for practice of expectation. | The staff list activities to provide extended practice for students to demonstrate the expectation. |
| Step 5: List methods to prompt expectation. | The staff list ways that students will be prompted or reminded to follow the expectation. |
| Step 6: Describe how staff will assess student progress. | The |