Key to Student Success

Creating a School-Wide Positive Behavior Plan

Student
Achievement

Rigorous Behavior
Instruction Management

v Increasing Staff Competency and Capacity

v Investing in Outcomes, Data, Practices and Systems
 Key to Student Success:
Creating A School-Wide Behavior Plan
October 2007

Principals and School Leaders:

Our vision is that Minneapolis Public Schools will be safe, orderly learning
environments where students, staff and families share high expectations for
academic achievement and personal behavior. However, we cannot fulfill this
vision on our own. We also envision a community in which everyone helps to
create a mutually respectful, fair and caring environment where diversity is
valued.

This guide will help your school create a preventive, proactive and positive
school-wide behavior plan. Its content is based upon research from around the
nation and around our own school district. These strategies, supported by a
federal Safe Schools Healthy Students grant and by the Minnesota
Department of Education, have proven effective in several Minneapolis
schools and can work in yours.

This is not another new initiative, but a framework to help your school align
the work of teaching academics with the work of teaching behavior.

Simply put, teaching behavior is teaching. By developing a climate where

everyone can learn, we are increasing the chances for all students to succeed.

Eleanor T.Coleman
Chief of Student Support, Family and Community Engagement

October 10, 2007 | Key to Student Success 2


Excellent Attendance, Positive Behavior and Healthy Student Development
Community &
Family
v Public policy supports
developing positive
behavior
v Knows and supports MPS
behavior and attendance
expectations
v Parent forums offer
opportunities for
engagement with families
on academics and support
parent input
v Communication consistent
and ongoing
v Early childhood programs
high quality and aligned
with best practices of
academic and child
development
v Partnerships offer targeted
support resources at:
School level
Groups level
Individual level
v Student Attendance
Review Board (SARB)
supports student
attendance
v Youth leadership is
recognized and nurtured
Accountability
Systems
October 10, 2007 | Key to Student Success
Developing Positive Behavior
Components of a District-Wide System Promoting
v System is organized, consistent, cohesive
District v District policies and procedures support system
v Families engaged early in positive ways
Level v District articulates clear behavior and attendance expectations
v Systems in place for adult leadership and skill development (HR, MFT, unions)
v Cultural competence increased through training and skill development
v Resources consistent and aligned to support development of positive behavior
v Responsibility, accountability, monitoring assured (ELL, Sp Ed, C&I)
Principals/ Teachers All Staff Students
School Administrators v Have skills to connect v Have skills to v Understand
v Responsible for ensuring with students connect with behavior and
Level v Are culturally competent students attendance
building-wide
approaches to behavior v Have classroom v Are culturally expectations
and attendance management skills competent v Develop the skills to
v Clear behavior and v Have skills to teach and v Are able to teach and be responsible for
attendance expectations reinforce behavior and reinforce behavior own behavior
posted and taught attendance expectations and attendance v Help students gain
v Connect with students v Resources in place to expectations age-appropriate
and families in culturally support positive v Know how to deal skills to create and
respectful ways behavior instruction with inappropriate maintain a safe and
v Ensure staff training in behavior learning-focused
effective teaching skills, v Use problem solving environment
including cultural teams (CTARS, SST, v Have input on
competence etc.) to intervene building wide
v Ensure fair, equitable, with at risk students behavior plan
consistent treatment v Represented on
building-wide
behavior teams
Student v Receive targeted,
individualized help to Data Systems
Level develop positive behavior v Aligned v User friendly
v Interventions focused on v Data accurate and easily accessible
redirecting toward v Staff have skills to access and interpret data (T.A.)
learning and developing v Process for data collection and monitoring standardized
positive social skills
v Aligned with data v Lines of accountability clear v Expectations are clear
v Monitoring frequent v Focus on learning and improving adult and student performance
3
 School-Wide Positive Behavior Plan
Table of Contents

Page 5 Components of a School-Wide Positive Behavior Plan

Page 6 3-Tiered District-Wide Support Services for Students

MPS Tiered School-Wide Systems of PBIS
Mapping Tool for School Supports

Page 10 Progressive Phases of Implementation

Phases 1-3

Page 15 Prevention Intervention Program Systems Checklist

Page 18 Positive Behavior Plan Details Sample

Page 21 Positive Behavior Plan Details Worksheet
Tabbed Resources and Samples
Section Online Resources, p24
Steps to Access PBIS Big 5 Graphs, p25
A Walk-Through Tool for Examining Your Positive Behavior Plan, p27
Sample Matrix of Expectations and Worksheet, p28-30
Active Response Flow Chart, p31
Discovery Discipline Codes and Definitions, p32
Behavior Incident Report Form, p35
School Board Policy for School-Wide Behavior Plans, p37
Effect of PBIS at Sullivan, p39
Page 40 Indicators of PBIS / Best Practices

October 10, 2007 | Key to Student Success 4

 Components of a School-Wide Positive Behavior Plan

There are fundamental components for a school-wide positive behavior plan to be effective. While each school will have its
own individual characteristics for how these components appear and operate, all are essential for success.

1. A positive behavior team that is representative of
the entire school community and meets at least
monthly to review and analyze data, write action plans
and train other members of the staff and school
community.
2. Three to five positively stated expectations
with a system for teaching, practicing and positively
reinforcing throughout the school year.
5. Clear distinctions between which behaviors are
handled in the classroom and which behaviors are
handled outside of the classroom. The distinctions are
communicated and understood by all staff.
6. A systematic approach for responding to behavior
violations and for dealing with dangerous situations
and crisis management. The approach is
communicated and understood by all staff.

3. An educational approach to teaching
expectations, including direct teaching of routines,
transitions and social skills. Emphasis is placed on
prevention.
4. Positive acknowledgement for staff and students
who demonstrate understanding of these
expectations, as well as a system for delivering
positive acknowledgement.
7. Data based decision making with a system for
collecting, analyzing and making decisions based on
data from multiple resources.
8. Families know and support behavior and
attendance expectations.
Reference:
Sugai & Horner, 2007, www.pbis.org

October 10, 2007 | Key to Student Success 5