1000 x 90

Five Schools Recognized for Positive Behavior Programs

 

Among the WCS personnel representing their schools at the Department of Public Instruction awards ceremony for schools using the PBIS model were (from left) Joan Ward, teacher of exceptional children and PBIS coach for Watauga High School; Preston Clarke, assistant principal at WHS; Melissa Costin, principal of Parkway School; Patrick Sukow, principal of Blowing Rock school; and Karla Lerner, PBIS coordinator for WCS. Photo submitted
Among the WCS personnel representing their schools at the Department of Public Instruction awards ceremony for schools using the PBIS model were (from left) Joan Ward, teacher of exceptional children and PBIS coach for Watauga High School; Preston Clarke, assistant principal at WHS; Melissa Costin, principal of Parkway School; Patrick Sukow, principal of Blowing Rock school; and Karla Lerner, PBIS coordinator for WCS. Photo submitted

March 7, 2013. Bethel School, Blowing Rock School, Green Valley School, Parkway School, and Watauga High School have each won recognition from the NC Department of Public Instruction for the high quality of their Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) programs.   Blowing Rock achieved Exemplar School status for its program and Bethel, Blowing Rock, Green Valley, and Watauga High School each won recognition as Model Schools.

Exemplar Schools are those that have demonstrated the highest standards of excellence in PBIS training, implementation, and results. Schools pursuing Exemplar School status must submit a formal application with data that demonstrates improvements in measures such as student referrals to the school office, attendance, academic achievement and individual student behavior.  Model Schools must meet most of the same standards but do not have to document their improvements in student achievement and behavior.

Green Valley has the longest history with the program among WCS schools and was one of the first five schools in the state to employ PBIS.  Bethel, now in its second full year of implementation, is the most recent school in WCS to adopt the program.

PBIS is a team-based, school-wide approach to teaching and reinforcing appropriate student behavior in schools with the goal of reducing problem behaviors and improving student achievement.  It requires schools to develop a shared understanding of school rules and appropriate behaviors, and to provide direct, systematic instruction about those rules and behaviors to students.  As its name implies, the system emphasizes rewarding positive behaviors to reinforce appropriate conduct and improve school climate.   A key feature of PBIS is that all school personnel, not just teachers, work as a team to apply rules in a consistent manner and to respond appropriately to both positive and problem behaviors by students. 

PBIS emphasizes ongoing use of data at the school level to guide program implementation and promote continuous improvement in implementation and results. This gives each school the ability to tailor the program to suit the specific needs of their students and faculty.

To find out more about PBIS, visit the NC Department of Public Instruction online at www.dpi.state.nc.us/positivebehavior/background/.