What is PBIS?

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



    What does PBIS look like at Roadrunner?


    PBIS consists of three sections or Tiers:



    Primary Prevention
    Tier one interventions are school-wide expectations for all students and staff. At Roadrunner we have three behavior expectations: Be Respectful, Be Responsible and Be Safe. The goal of tier one is to create a positive culture in which positive behaviors are explicitly taught and reinforced and all adults respond to problem behaviors in a consistent way. Throughout the year teachers and staff teach the expectations and behaviors that should be demonstrated all over campus. Teachers and staff use effective tools to teach, reteach, reinforce and correct behavior such as morning meetings, collaborative problem solving, positive recognition, nonverbal reminders, eye contact, and proximity to name a few.

    Secondary Prevention
    These are additional interventions for students with at-risk behaviors who need a little more than Primary Prevention. Students needing tier two interventions may be at risk for developing chronic problem behavior but do not need the high intensity interventions typical of tier three. For example the check-in/check-out program, small group or individual review of the rules, social skills groups or clubs, additional teaching of problem solving skills, individual behavior contracts, additional modeling or role-play, or reflection or reset time.

    Tertiary Prevention
    Tier three interventions are developed following a comprehensive and collaborative assessment of the problem behavior by people who know the student the best. Interventions and supports are then developed based on this information and are tailored to the student’s specific needs and circumstances. The goal of tier three interventions is not only to diminish the problem behavior but to also increase the student’s adaptive skills and opportunities for an enhanced quality of life. These highly individualized interventions are for students who engage in serious problem behaviors that are chronic, dangerous, highly disruptive, impeding learning and/or resulting in social or educational exclusion. These students may or may not have emotional or behavioral disorders.  Interventions include individual behavior plans, wraparound services, and individual counselor meetings.