Supporting Teachers and Students Through PBIS

a publication of Kent ISD

Supporting Teachers and Students Through PBIS

December 7, 2021

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The past two years have been hard for everyone, and this is especially voiced by our teachers in the classroom. The Data-Review and Problem Solving Process has highlighted the need for more support and strategies within the classroom, and we are here to help!

Adding Capacity for Supports

The Kent ISD MTSS (Multi-Tier Systems of Support) Team is excited to welcome our new MTSS Consultant, John Mudie. John has worked in education for 14 years, with his most recent position at Montcalm Area ISD. During his eight years at Montcalm Area ISD, John worked as a Special Education Teacher Consultant and an MTSS Coordinator. He is passionate about supporting districts in the implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), coaching and training staff in effective classroom management techniques, and utilizing the data-based decision making and problem solving process with school buildings and districts.

Since John is an Acadience Mentor, a trainer of Classroom PBIS, CHAMPS – Classwide Positive Behavior Support, and the Tough Kid Tool Box behavior strategies, the MTSS team now has added capacity to provide more focused training on classroom supports for improved behavior. Our MTSS Implementation Team is planning to add focused training around classroom management, also referred to as Classroom PBIS to support teachers and student learning.

PBIS in the Classroom

Because students spend the majority of their school day in classrooms, it is essential to have classroom systems in place that utilize the Big Ideas of School-Wide PBIS to support all students. These Big Ideas include:

identifying and defining behavior expectations,
explicitly teaching behavior expectations,
monitoring and acknowledging expected behavior,
establishing a continuum of responses to behavioral errors,
using data for decision making.

Participants will be provided information about how the Big Ideas of School-Wide PBIS can be brought into the classroom, how to teach expectations within procedures with a classroom matrix, and how to prevent and respond to common behavioral difficulties. The principles of Classroom PBIS will be outlined through the CHAMPS Classroom Management Approach as well as the works of Dr. Anita Archer (educational consultant and author) and Dr. Kevin Feldman (Emeritus Director of Reading and Intervention with the Sonoma County Office of Education).

Currently, we are looking for feedback from educators to determine the best timing and format of the Classroom PBIS sessions. If your district is interested, please complete this brief Classroom PBIS Interest Survey.

PBIS in Action

West Godwin (one of 18 districts in the Kent ISD’s MTSS partnership) is taking a proactive approach in helping students be better learners and resolve conflicts. “When an effective PBIS program is in place, a school would expect to see a minimum of 80% of the student population responding positively to first-tier interventions. Current data for West Godwin shows 91% of the students responding to the tier-one level” as reported by School News Network recently in a story called Positive Behavior: that’s the ticket.

How Can Your District Learn More

Districts that join the MTSS partnership receive dedicated coaching support and data coordination support from a member of the Kent ISD MTSS Team, attend District Installation training described in the MTSS Service & Supports document, and choose a behavior and/or reading scope and sequence each year based on the needs of each building and previously completed training. But you don’t have to join into a partnership to receive support. There are many services and supports provided by the MTSS team for districts that have not joined into a partnership. This includes but is not limited to professional learning opportunities.

Additional PBIS Resources

#MTSS #PBIS #WeLeadLearning #KentISDpd

This blog post was written by Kirsten Rice, MTSS Coordinator for Kent ISD and edited by Amanda Walma, Professional Development Coordinator and Sara Sefcik, PD Hub Intern for Kent ISD.