“Between 10% and 20% of the students in a normal middle school level are behaviorally at risk. For many of these students, the school environment may be their last best hope.” [Larson, 2008]. Traditionally, a young person’s belief about what is right and wrong is strongly influenced by one’s family. However, in society today, children are often coming to school with problematic behaviors.
Society and the media often condone behaviors that are undesirable in the classroom. Children are watching excessive amounts of television, and playing violent video games. They are being exposed to more adult-oriented material at a younger age than in the past. This extensive exposure to the media has resulted in children receiving mixed messages about value of good character. Consequently, children’s opportunities for positive community learning through social interactions are limited [Brannon, 2008].
School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Plans
In order to reduce the frequency of interpersonal aggression, a whole-school approach is necessary. The objective is to create an environment that decreases the likelihood of aggressive behavior while increasing the opportunities to learn socially desirable conflict resolution and anger management strategies. The whole-school approach uses universal supports for everyone, selected supports for higher-risk students, and indicated supports for students with severe problems with anger and aggression [Larson, 2008].
Schools are now looking at ways to develop school-wide positive behavior support plans that are strategically targeted behavioral intervention programs aimed towards minimizing and reducing problem behaviors [Crone, Homer, & Hawken, 2004]. These intervention programs are modeled after the three-tiered Positive Behavioral Support (PBS) plan recommended by Walker et al. [1996].
Primary Positive Behavior Support Plan
Freeman et al. (2006) state that at the primary prevention level, middle school teachers learn the necessity of teaching social skills interventions and establishing positive learning environments. Effective implementation of positive reinforcement at the universal school-wide level is essential for SWPBS to be successful.
At the primary level, staff members master using student referral forms and data as a basis for writing operational definitions as well as designing measurement systems to evaluate the outcomes of individual PBS plans. Similarly, staff members learn about reasons why problem behavior may occur in the classroom (e.g., to gain attention from adults, peer attention, avoidance of tasks, etc.) before they tackle more complex decisions about how to support students with more severe behavioral disorders.
Secondary Positive Behavior Support Plan
Kern and Manz, (2004), recommend that students who are nonresponsive to primary prevention should be identified for secondary prevention plans using school-wide data. Supports include specialized student education interventions such as social, conflict resolution, self-regulation, and specific academic skills training. Approximately 15% of the student body is apt to require secondary prevention.
These targeted secondary intervention groups are designed to address why students may be engaging in problem behavior, and to offer a way for students to overcome such problem behavior. For instance, if a student is acting up in class to escape from difficult reading or tasks, he or she may be invited to participate in a reading buddy program or peer-tutoring program which allows the student to practice their skills in a non-threatening, supportive environment says Freeman et al. (2006).
Tertiary Negative Behavior Support Plan
Kern & Manz, (2004), state their views on the final and most intensive level of support as a level that is reserved for students exposed to multiple risk factors, who have complex behavior problems, and who are nonresponsive to primary and secondary prevention efforts. The tertiary level of the PBS model involves intensive, individualized interventions such as function-based interventions that focus on the reasons why a given behavior occurs.
Eber et al. (2003); and Turnbull et al. (2002), all share similar views on implementing a wraparound process in providing individualized supports at the tertiary intervention level. The wraparound process is where a team of caring adults come together to support, and guide individual students; thereby, creating a support system for a struggling individual student. This team may be comprised of family members, school professionals, and community members.
Standards-Based Education Reform
Sailor et al, (2007) go on to report that recent efforts in educational reform have received a plethora of criticism due to the neglect of incorporating social-behavioral standards that are at least conceptually related to improved academic achievement and desired adult outcomes.
Sailor et al, (2007) recommends that schools introduce a school-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) strategy to provide the means for incorporating necessary social-behavioral development standards into current curricular and instructional programs to produce higher academic achievement for all students.
Changing Student Behaviors
As middle school students across America struggle with dysfunctional social skills, peer pressure, and social media, schools need to be more vigilant in providing students with the important life skills that they need. The School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Plan reaches out to all students at all levels to ensure that students have the necessary social skills to be successful in life.
As Robert Frost so eloquently said, “And nothing to look backward to with pride, and nothing to look forward to with hope,” is the sentiment that will be felt across America if some new and innovative strategies aren’t applied immediately to current educational philosophies in dealing with negative student behaviors in schools.
References
Brannon, Diana. “Character education: It's a joint responsibility.” Kappa Delta Pi Record, 44-2(2008):, 62-66.
Crone, D. A., Homer, R. H., & Hawken, L. S. Responding to problem behavior in schools: the behavior education program. New York: Guilford Press, 2004.
Eber, L., Sugai, G., Smith, C. R., & Scott, T. M. “Wraparound and positive behavioral interventions and supports in schools.” Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders10, (2002): 171-180.
Freeman, R., Eber, L., Anderson, C., Irvin, L., Horner, R., Bounds, M., et al. “Building inclusive school cultures using school-wide positive behavior support: Designing effective individual support systems for students with significant disabilities.” Research & Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 31-1 (2006): 4-17.
Frost, Robert. “Death of the Hired Man.” Holt, Rinehart & Winston. 1979.
Kern, L., & Manz, P. A look a current validity issues of school-wide behavior support.” Behavioral Disorders 30(2004): 47-59.
Larson, J. “Angry and Aggressive Students.” Principal Leadership, 8-5 (2008): 12-16.
Sailor, M., Stowe, M. J., Turnbull, Iii, R., & Kleinhammer-Tramill, P. J. “A Case for Adding a Socila-Behavioral Standard to Standards-Based Education with Schoolwide Positive Beharior Support as Its Basis.” Remedial and Special Education, 28-6 (2007): 366-377.
Turnbull, A., Edmondson, H., Griggs, P., Wickham, D., Sailor, W., Freeman, R., et al. “A blueprint for schoolwide positive behavior support; Implementation of three components.” Exceptional Children, 68(2002): 377-402.
Walker, H. M., Horner, R. H., Sugai, G., Bullis, M., Sprague, J. R., Bricker, D., et al. “Integrated approaches to preventing antisocial behavior patterns among school age children and youth.” Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders,4-4(2008): 194-209.
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Donna Kehl - Educator, researcher, culinary artist and wine enthusiast writing about food, wine, travel, family, and educational issues.
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