PBIS December 2013 Coaches Front Page Newsletter

Evaluation  Thanks to those coaches utilizing eval@pbisillinois.org for PBIS Assessment and SWIS related questions! Please keep those questions coming!

Implementation Inventory 

As schools begin fall self-assessments of PBIS, remember that the Illinois Phases of Implementation (PoI) tool is being phased out and replaced by a new and improved National Implementation Inventory. The Inventory will assess all tiers of support for action planning and recognition. Implementation Inventory webinars will be starting in early December. Paper and pencil PoIs can be completed for self-assessment, or teams can attend the webinars in December for hands-on support in completing an online Inventory.

Become a PBIS Assessment Account Coordinator!

All District Coaches have the ability to become a PBIS Assessment Coordinator.

Assist your schools in opening & closing surveys, in addition to coaching them in data-based decision making and action planning. To learn more about becoming a PBIS Assessment Coordinator, visit our Evaluation page.

SWIS 5.1

The SWIS 5.1 fall release is coming this week! PBIS Apps will release several brand new features and bug fixes to the SWIS Suite on December 5, 2013 at 7pm CST. The application will be unavailable for 5 minutes during the upgrade process; the upgrade will happen automatically, you do not need to do anything. For specific details about new and updated features in SWIS 5.1, view the updates on the PBIS Apps website. To become familiar with all new features that have been implemented since August, view Video Tutorials in the Resources portion of the PBIS Apps website.

Classroom Management

Reductive techniques are those evidence-based practices that will temporarily stop or suppress a behavior. Teachers can use reductive techniques to stop challenging behaviors while they work on building appropriate replacement behaviors.

The reductive technique most frequently used by teachers is verbal reprimands (approximately 42%) [Source: The Tough Kid Book], but they are often overused, and often not used effectively. Planned Ignoring is an effective technique that helps reduce both common misbehaviors and the rate of teacher reprimands. For an information brief on this strategy, click here.

Curriculum/Innovation Updates 

A New Opportunity for School-Based Clinicians!

The role of the school-based clinician is constantly evolving to meet the needs of our youth, schools, families, and communities. Plan to join our School-Based Clinician Learning Community! This learning community, facilitated by Ali Hearn, will provide a place for networking, continuing dialogue, sharing successes, and strategizing together around data, systems, and practices for supporting our youth. Mark your calendars for the following dates:

• • January 29, 2014:  In-person, northern region, location to be determined

  • March 4, 2014:  Follow-up webinar

  • May 7, 2014:  In-person, northern region, location to be determined

Registration and more information to follow in December!

PBIS Supporting Students with Autism

Is PBIS impacting ALL students? How can PBIS be modified for students with autism? If your school is asking these questions, we have a resource for you. Learn how you can make PBIS more effective for students with ASD by clicking here.

Coaching Focus

As a coach, you help teams set challenging and achievable goals. Have you tried using the decision making model to support teams? This model involves three steps:  Explore, Focus, Decide. This process allows all points of view to be heard and considered before a decision is reached. More information can be found in the November Tier 1 Coaches Meeting materials.

Tier 2/Tier 3 Coaching 

Are all students accessing simple secondary interventions (CICO and SAIG) at the same rate in your building? Are simple secondary interventions perceived as supports for both students and teachers? Do students access these interventions to prevent further problem behaviors?

These are questions and discussions that coaches considered in November's monthly Coaches Meeting. Access the November Tier 2/Tier 3 Coaches Meeting materials for more considerations and examples. 

High School Corner 

The December High School virtual chat focused on student and staff engagement.  To access the PowerPoint from this opportunity and register for upcoming events, visit the High School Coaches Network Meetings webpage. The next virtual chat is January 30, 2014 from 9:00-10:30am and the topic will be Tier 2.

Administrator Tip of the Month

Maintaining staff and student engagement in school-wide practices can be challenging around the holidays. Use your schoolwide, grade-level, or class specific data to uncover those success stories, however small they may seem. Sharing the small successes with the entire school can maintain school-wide focus on the positive.

School Family Community Partnerships (SFCP) 

Conference Registration Fees Waived for Two Family & Community Partners! Registration fees for up to two family and/or community team partners from each district

will be waived at the Illinois PBIS Network Winter Leadership Conference in O'Fallon on January 23-24, 2014!  Two additional family or community team members can also participate at a 50% reduced registration fee. Register your valuable family/community team members as soon as possible while scholarships are still available!  To receive the waived registration fee, note the person's role as "family/community team partner" during registration, and then contact Patti Bardell at patti.bardell@istac.net to request the waived fee. For further details, and to view the SFCP strand, visit the Winter Leadership Conference webpage.

Upcoming Events 

Training Schedule for December 2013 and January 2014

Registration now available. Review the Tier 3 Readiness Documents with your team before registering to ensure your district and building systems are able to support and maximize the skills taught in these trainings. 

Click links for more details and registration: 

Register now for the annual Illinois PBIS Network Winter Leadership Conference to be held at the Regency Conference Center in O'Fallon, Illinois on January 23-24, 2014. Exemplars from across the state will share a range of experiences from all three tiers of PBIS implementation, including Early Childhood, District Leadership, Coaching, High School, Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, Administrator roles, and School/Family/Community Partnerships. This conference is an excellent opportunity to learn information from implementers in the field.

The Association for Positive Behavior Support (APBS) Conference will be held March 5-8, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. Conference participants will be able to gain an understanding of research-based strategies, identify practical applications of positive behavior support in a variety of places, and describe the most current, state-of-the-art research on positive behavior support for a variety of populations and settings. Register here.