Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS)

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 Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS)


What is it?

Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) is a preventative framework that aims to improve social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes for students (Simonsen et al., 2022). As it says in the name, PBIS puts emphasis on the positive aspects of reinforcement and discipline. For example, expectations are stated using positive language (i.e. "treat classmates kindly", rather than "don't be mean"). Rewards or positive reinforcement should focus on what students can earn, rather than what they lose if they are misbehaving. If implemented properly, the school should have a team or committee dedicated to the creation, implementation, and evaluation of the PBIS framework in the school. Strategies for interventions should be evidence-based and regularly evaluated for effectiveness and student growth (Simonsen et al., 2022). Students should be monitored for behavioral, emotional, and academic changes that may signal the need for more intensive interventions and supports.

Three Tiers of Support

A key aspect of the PBIS framework is the three tiers of support. According to the Center on PBIS (2024), the three tiers are as follows:
  • Tier 1: Universal strategies for prevention (i.e. setting expectations in different areas of the school, explicitly teaching skills for success, encouraging positive behaviors)
  • Tier 2: Targeted interventions for students who are not responding to the Tier 1 universal strategies (i.e. providing extra skills instruction and practice, additional academic supports)
  • Tier 3: Intensive and individualized interventions for students who are still not responding to the Tier 2 supports. This is the most intensive intervention tier and less than 5% of students will need this level of support.

How It's Different from Traditional Discipline

The main difference between PBIS and traditional approaches to discipline is that PBIS is a preventative approach. Most traditional approaches are reactive, waiting for behavioral or academic problems to occur before stepping in ("How is PBIS different from traditional approaches to student behavior?," n.d.). PBIS aims to prevent these problems from occurring in the first place. This leads to another key difference in that traditional discipline focuses on punishing misbehavior whereas PBIS teaches and rewards positive behaviors ("How is PBIS different from traditional approaches to student behavior?," n.d.). Implementing the PBIS framework changes the mindset among students and staff to focus on rewards for doing good rather than punishing misbehavior.

Benefits

According to the Center on PBIS (2024), there are many benefits to implementing the PBIS framework including:
  • Establishes a healthy school culture and climate
  • Increases student engagement and instructional time
  • Empowers students to play a central role in their education
  • Reduces racial inequities in Discipline
  • Reduces teacher burnout
  • Reduced exclusionary discipline (i.e. referrals, suspensions, expulsions)
  • Improved academic, behavioral, social, and emotional outcomes for students

References

Center on PBIS. (2024). What is PBIS? Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports. https://www.pbis.org/pbis/what-is-pbis 

How is PBIS different from traditional approaches to student behavior? (n.d.). In Florida PBIS Project. Florida Center for Inclusive Communities. https://flpbis.cbcs.usf.edu/docs/How_is_PBIS_different_from_traditional_Handout.pdf

Simonsen, B., Freeman, J., Gambino, A. J., Sears, S., Meyer, K., & Hoselton, R. (2022). An Exploration of the Relationship between PBIS and Discipline Outcomes for Students with Disabilities. Remedial and Special Education, 43(5), 287–300. 

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