March 2013 PBIS Front Page Newsletter

Upcoming Statewide EventsHigh School Forum 

Meet with other implementing high school teams, network around best practices, and share strategies at all three tiers.  Team activities will include:  problem solving around roadblocks, what works, and other issues specific to high school implementation.  Act fast to join us on March 15, 2013, in Naperville.  Click here for more information.   

Middle School Forum

Coming soon!  A Middle School Forum will be held April 9, 2013, in theNaperville area. Participants will have valuable opportunities to network with other middle schools in an effort to learn best practices of implementing school-wide positive behavior support with this unique population. Click here to register.

External Coaches Forum

On June 5-6, 2013, External Coaches (ECs) will once again come together inNaperville. ECs are positioned to support PBIS implementation as well as collaborative efforts for school improvement.  Forums are an opportunity to meet and network with other PBIS ECs to share strategies and best practices at all three tiers.  Day 1 of the Forum will focus on coaching for capacity building including sessions on coaching classroom management, coaching in differentiated settings, effective communication skills for coaches, and more. Day 2 will provide coaches with hands-on experience using Educational Environment (EE) data and a model for Tier 3 implementation and progress-monitoring.  More details to follow!

Summer Leadership Conference

Save the date!  The 2013 Summer Leadership Conference will be held July 31- August 1, 2013, at a new location, the Tinley Park Convention Center in Tinley Park.  PBIS leaders and implementers will share information on a wide range of topics including classroom management, bullying prevention, braiding integrative initiatives, and many more. Keynote presenters will include Dorothy Espelage of the University of Illinois and a student led RENEW Tier 3 Intervention Panel.  Watch the Illinois PBIS Network website for registration opportunities.

Data-based Decision Making 

How familiar is your School Board with the PBIS accomplishments in your building(s)?  Now is a good time to share your efforts to encourage support for next school year.  Request time to present during an upcoming School Board meeting so that PBIS is a part of planning conversations.  Use data from each school to show effects on student behavior and how the framework fits into school improvement goals.

March Network Meetings will highlight the use of a Specific, Measurable,Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) Goal Template.  This tool will help teams make goal-oriented decisions, delegate roles and responsibilities, and guide the planning processes for achieving timely, data-driven results. Participate in your local Network Meeting to gain access to this valuable meeting assistant!

Evaluation Tools The Illinois Phases of Implementation (PoI) tool provides an itemized rubric to guide action planning at all three tiers. The PoI has been improved for the 2012-13 school year, to clarify the benchmarks around family engagement, Tier 2 and Tier 3, and ensure benchmarks are aligned with effective implementation in each phase.  External Coaches (ECs) should facilitate the spring PoI by April 19, 2013, for schools that wish to update their PoI for their Recognition Applications. TACs will then access the data and support ECs through action planning and technical assistance.  ECs, watch your email on March 11, 2013, for the link to enter your schools' completed PoIs online.

Each year hundreds of Illinois schools apply to be recognized by the Illinois PBIS Network.  Recognition reinforces and validates the expended efforts for systematically creating a continuum of supports that address the needs of the entire school population.  Each level of recognition requires different criteria. Evaluating necessary documents now will properly position your team to apply for the appropriate level.  Click here to view all application materials and requirements. The deadline for submitting application materials is May 17, 2013.

Tier 2/Tier 3 Coaching

District Leadership Teams can utilize the Illinois PBIS Network Tier 2/Tier 3 readiness tools to guide discussion and action planning now for the new school year.  These tools help ensure necessary structures are in place to prepare for and sustain advanced tiers implementation. Click here to download these tools.  Tier 2/Tier 3 Readiness Webinars reviewed these tools and processes for building and district leaders in November, January, and February.  To listen to a recorded Tier 2/Tier 3 Readiness Webinar, click here.

Monthly Challenge Click here to view a new publication by the Illinois PBIS Network, The Impact of PBIS in Schools, which briefly highlights outcomes of PBIS implementation.  Illinois and national data are cited in research to support these powerful outcomes of PBIS implementation.  We would like to challenge your team to analyze your own building or district level data to substantiate one of these outcomes.  Once you have your own data, present findings to your stakeholders including:  families, community members, and the School Board.  Consider also sharing your success with your Technical Assistance Coordinator, as examples are always desired by other districts.  Your district success could end up being shared on the Illinois PBIS Network website or in an upcoming publication!

Classroom Management 

Teachers should have a range of classroom management options for acknowledging positive behavior.  A class-wide group contingency is a strategy for improving social skills or motivation for an entire classroom.  Click here for a quick guide on creating a class-wide group contingency. 

Curriculum/Innovation Updates 

Bullying Prevention Webpage Updates

Click here to visit the new bullying prevention page on the Illinois PBIS Network website!  The webpage includes resources, presentations, artifacts, research, and information regarding this important topic. 

School Family Community Partnerships (SFCP)  

Schools and districts are encouraged to invite family/community members to participate as regular members on all teams. The Illinois PBIS Network would like to learn more about school, family, community partnerships and team membership in PBIS schools.  District External Coaches can now share their data on family/community team membership with the Network by visiting thePartnerships tab on www.pbisillinois.org and clicking on the "Family/Community Team Membership Survey" in the yellow box at the top of the main page.  Complete the quick and easy survey by April 19, 2013.  We are excited to hear of your progress.

High School Corner  

The National High School Center (www.betterhighschools.org) reports that students fail ninth grade more than any other grade in high school, and students who are held back in ninth grade are much more likely to drop out of school (Herlihy, 2007).

 Freshman considered "at risk" of dropout have:

• • A GPA of 2.0 or less

  • Are missing more than 10% of classroom instructional time

  • Receive one or more course Fs in a semester

To adequately plan to meet freshman needs, universal data review, and intervention planning should focus attention on student progress data that includes:  (1) credits earned, (2) course grades, and (3) attendance (Allensworth & Easton, 2005; 2007).

Administrator Tip of the Month 

Ask your administrator to be an advocate for your building by sharing your PBIS efforts with district administration.  Capitalize on every opportunity to spread the word on how your school positively recognizes proper behavior to build strong culture and climate for all.

National Center News   

We are excited to announce a new National PBIS TA Center website.  Starting March 14, 2013, the SWIS Suite, PBIS Assessment, and PBIS Evaluation websites will merge to become www.PBISApps.org - a one-stop, easy to use site for all of your application needs.

Through www.PBISApps.org you can:

• • Login once to access all the applications you use to track behavior support.

  • Access all resources and manuals for every application.

  • Search the new support center full of answers to each of your frequently asked questions.

  • Watch an ever-growing library of training videos.

Keep checking the current National TA Center websites for more updates about this new site!