Twenty-Two HSD Schools Earn Recognition in Missouri School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions, Supports Program

Say what you want about the (HSD), but repetition and execution of process is something very important at all levels for the district. And that may be why twenty-two HSD schools earned earned 2010-2011 Missouri School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS) Awards of Excellence.

There are three levels of SW-PBIS Awards – gold, silver and bronze. Although no schools within the district one the gold, was the only HSD school to earn a silver award.

“We are very pleased to be honored with the Silver Level of recognition for School-wide Positive Behavior Support Implementation,” said Matt Berry, a counselor at Hazelwood West Middle School. “Last year, we received Bronze, so it is nice to know the extra time and effort spent this year has been recognized. More importantly are the ways we are supporting students now socially, emotionally and academically than ever before.”

To qualify for a silver award, a school must – meet all Bronze Level requirements and have a team that meets at least twice a month, have ways to identify students who need more social, behavioral and/or academic support, and show evidence that team shares data and decisions about interventions and outcomes with appropriate staff at least quarterly, among others.

In the , , and elementary schools, and , along with 16 additional HSD schools located in Florissant and St. Louis won bronze awards. 

To qualify for a bronze award, a school must  have a team that meets at least monthly, have consistent attendance, as well as communicate expectations and strategies to all students, families and staff members. The school must also share data regularly with community and families, show that social and behavior skills are taught in all school-wide settings and show that classroom expectations align with school expectations and classroom rules and routines align with school expectations, among others.

“It will be nice for teachers, students, and parents to feel recognized for their hard work to increase positive behaviors and attitudes,” said Andrew Harris, McNair Elementary’s counselor, which is in its third year using PBIS. “This year especially, the teachers have applied themselves to teaching weekly lessons to focus on building the skills students need to be successful."

Harris said that every year, staff at McNair has updated the school's practices in small ways to make the system more effective. He added that this year, staff began recognizing students with “You Were Caught” awards.  He said staff looked for opportunities to recognize students who acted in a way that was above and beyond and displayed one of McNair's “Wildcat Ways to Be.”

The US Department of Education has an online center dedicated to Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. To explain the SW-PBIS process is to say that it's a way  to give schools capacity-building information and technical assistance for identifying, adapting and sustaining effective school-wide disciplinary practices. The Missouri School-wide PBS center adds a few additional aspects in its definition.

According to the state, the mission of Missouri School-wide Positive Behavior Support (MO SW-PBS) is to assist schools and districts in establishing and maintaining school environments where the social culture and behavioral supports needed to be an effective learning environment is in place for all students.

It is designed to be a proactive approach to put behavioral/social skills strategies in place for all students while also building in support for those at risk for and/or those who receive special education services.

The process supports the adoption and long-term implementation of discipline throughout the school environment, and is supported by a three-tiered model:

• Preparation means the school has started the program with adults and plans to use it with the students the following school year.
• Emerging 1 means the school uses PBIS, called Tier 1 or universal, with all adults and started using it with the students.
• Emerging 2 means the school continues to refine Tier 1 PBIS with students and adults and Tier 2 means the school also plans for, implements or maintains a secondary level of PBIS for selected students.
• Tier 3 means additional refinements to reach students not impacted by the other two tiers.

Representatives from each school are invited to attend the Missouri SW-PBS School Recognition Ceremony on June 14. This ceremony will be held in conjunction with the Sixth Annual Missouri SW-PBS Summer Institute at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Columbia, Missouri. Each school will receive a framed certificate indicating the level of recognition. If this is the first year a school receives recognition, a banner will be awarded in addition to the certificate.

“We are doing great things at West Middle as a staff,” Berry said. “‘Wildcat Ways’ is about building community within our school where everyone knows what is expected. I am reminded of a quote by Les Brown who said, ‘No one rises to low expectations.’ We have high expectations here and believe that our school family will meet those expectations. This award validates what we have been doing the past three years.”