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Tier One

Tier One consists of universal supports provided to every student in the building and is the foundation of SWPBIS (George et al., 2009). Tier One is the behavioral and social-emotional learning curriculum that educators provide to each student. Every student has access to the curriculum and teachers actively instruct the curriculum using instructional principles and behavior theory. When students receive additional supports above and beyond Tier One, they still continue to receive Tier One supports (additional supports supplement Tier One, they don’t supplant it). If there are gaps within Tier One, the additional tiers will be less effective, so it’s important that teams build an effective Tier One before designing and implementing the upper tiers (Greenwood et al., 2008). We summarize Tier One specifics in table 2.1.

Table 2.1: Tier One Summary

Tier One Is …	Tier One Is Not …
Universal supports for all students	Just for a few students nor is it removed when students receive additional support
The active teaching and reinforcement of schoolwide expectations	Hoping students learn the schoolwide expectations on their own
Use of active feedback and encouragement for students to display the expectations	Ignoring students when they display the expectations because “they should just do them”
Use of a range of strategies to discourage undesired behavior	The sole use of punishment when students misbehave, nor is it reactionary and punishment based
The foundational piece of the framework	Something that can be skipped
Used and supported by all staff	Only used by a few staff

We have organized this chapter along the four key elements within the context of Tier One of SWPBIS, beginning with identifying outcomes. We then present the practices for Tier One before discussing the systems essential to it. We then discuss commonly used data within Tier One, and we end the chapter by discussing the application of the PSM at Tier One for systems and students. Throughout the chapter, we provide examples of the elements in practice for Tier One and provide extensive case summaries of an elementary school and of a secondary school in chapter 6 to illustrate clear examples of SWPBIS across all three tiers.

Outcomes

Within this section, we share outcomes that schools may identify for Tier One when using SWPBIS. Educators can identify outcomes for fidelity of implementation and for impact of Tier One. Outcomes provide the overall purpose of Tier One for the school and represent what the school wants to achieve with implementation of the model.

The school should ensure that the Tier One elements are implemented with fidelity. After all, if Tier One isn’t being implemented, it’s difficult to expect to obtain any outcomes of impact. Schools will regularly check their implementation of Tier One to ensure they are implementing its key elements well. We commonly measure these elements by using a published fidelity measure with a designated fidelity criterion. (We discuss these measures later in the Data section, page 52.)

When considering the impact of Tier One, it is difficult to identify common outcomes across schools because each school will contextualize SWPBIS for its sites and identify outcomes that are specific to it. However, one common goal is to create a healthy system in which most students’ needs are met through universal instructional supports alone. As such, schools using SWPBIS will examine their disciplinary data and determine if their SWPBIS system is healthy and effective in meeting the needs of most of the students. One marker of a healthy SWPBIS system is one in which at least 80 percent of students have zero to one office discipline referrals for major behaviors, no more than 15 percent have between two and five referrals, and no more than 5 percent have six or more referrals (Horner, Sugai, et al., 2005). If a school’s data do not approximate these percentages, then efforts go toward improving the system as a whole to achieve such percentages.

Schools using SWPBIS are not limited to disciplinary data for outcomes. They can also review various data such as truancy, attendance, academic achievement, perceptions of safety, and the number of suspensions and expulsions, particularly between student subgroups (such as racial or ethnic groups, gender, or students with disabilities) and decide what outcomes or goals make sense for its site. For example, a school may discover that students with disabilities are suspended twice as often as students without disabilities, leading to a goal of creating more equity with suspension practices. Additionally, schools using SWPBIS may survey their staff or community members (such as parents or guardians) to gather information on concerns about school climate and discipline as well as identifying relevant outcomes.

Schools using SWPBIS will identify long-term and short-term outcomes for Tier One. Long-term outcomes are significant and distal outcomes regarding the use of SWPBIS that take time to achieve (for example, over the course of one or more school years), such as improvement in school climate. Short-term outcomes are immediate outcomes that are often achieved within the context of the school year, such as a reduction in referrals during lunchtime. Long-term outcomes (like improving school climate) are decided early on, but various short-term outcomes (like reducing office referrals from the hallway) will arise as the school implements and monitors the model.

Having determined the outcomes they wish to achieve with SWPBIS, schools can then turn to the exact practices they’ll implement for Tier One in order to reach those outcomes.

Practices

The practices for Tier One include identifying and teaching three to five common school-wide expectations to students, along with implementing methods to reward students for displaying the expectations and to decrease problem behavior (we also refer to problem behavior as undesired or unwanted behavior; George et al., 2009; Horner, Sugai, et al., 2005). We discuss each of the following practices of Tier One next.

1. Identifying schoolwide expectations

2. Teaching expectations

3. Reinforcing expectations

4. Responding to undesired behavior

Identifying Schoolwide Expectations

At the foundation of Tier One are a handful of schoolwide expectations that are taught to all students (George et al., 2009; Horner et al., 2005). Expectations are general descriptions of desired behavior that apply to all students and all settings (George et al., 2009). The expectations are positively stated (that is, tell students what to do instead of what not to do), involve action words, and use developmentally and culturally appropriate language. They are limited to no more than five because additional expectations become redundant and burdensome for students and staff to remember (McKevitt & Braaksma, 2008).

Perhaps the most common expectations schools use are Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible because safety, respect, and responsibility cover a wide range of desired behavior in schools (Lynass, Tsai, Richman, & Cheney, 2012). Teams can organize their expectations into acronyms (PAWS: be Prompt, Accept responsibility, Work hard, Show respect) or mnemonics (The 3 Bs: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible; Lynass et al., 2012), which help students remember the expectations. Visuals can also prompt and remind students, such as Gimme Five and holding up one’s hand open to signify the five expectations—Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Follow Directions, Keep Hands and Feet to Yourself, Be There and Be Ready (Taylor-Greene et al., 1997). We have included sample expectations here.

▴ Respect Ourselves, Respect Others, Respect Property (Netzel & Eber, 2003)

▴ Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Academically Engaged, Be Caring (Bohanon et al., 2006)

▴ GRIT: Goals, Respect, Integrity, and Teamwork (Houghton-Portage Township Schools, n.d.)

▴ RISE: Respect Individuals, Self, and the Environment (PBIS Maryland, n.d.)

▴ Be REAL: Responsible, Engaged, Appropriate, Learner (Fenton Community High School, n.d.)

▴ STAR: Safe, Teachable, Accept Responsibility, Respect (McKevitt & Braaksma, 2008)

Once educators have identified expectations, the educators concretely define common settings in the school (George et al., 2009; McKevitt & Braaksma, 2008). This is depicted in a matrix with the expectations listed across the columns (or rows) and the common settings listed in the rows (or columns). Table 2.2 has a sample matrix. Within each cell of the matrix, each expectation is explicitly defined as a set of rules for that particular setting. Whereas expectations are broad descriptions of behavior, rules are explicit, specific descriptions of behavior (George, 2009; Lynass et al., 2012). Rules are positively stated, expressed in simple language, limited to five per setting, more detailed than expectations, and applicable only to certain settings (George et al., 2009).

Table 2.2: Sample Matrix of Expectations and Rules for Common Settings

Each school using SWPBIS will have a schoolwide matrix for the entire school, and some sites may choose to include a classroom setting within their matrix so that universal rules are established for classrooms. However, some schools may wish to have individual classroom matrices (George et al., 2009; Simonsen & Myers, 2015). In this situation, teachers will individually (or in grade-level or department-level teams) create their own matrices. Instead of settings, teachers will define common routines within their classrooms such as morning entry, lining up, independent seatwork, and using a hall pass (see table 2.3). The classroom matrices are used at the elementary level, but secondary schools may opt for a classroom row as part of their schoolwide matrix. This is because older students may not need as much explicit instruction for classroom routines as younger students (McKevitt & Braaksma, 2008).

Table 2.3: Sample Matrix of Classroom Expectations and Rules

Some schools may also create matrices for other major settings or events, such as a school event (for instance, assemblies) or for those who play sports (see table 2.4). Additionally, schools may opt to include teacher responsibilities as part of their expectations, listing what teachers can do to prompt and reinforce students’ use of the expectations for each setting or routine (for example, use active supervision, stand by the entrance and greet students as they enter your classroom).

Table 2.4: Sample Matrix of Expectations and Rules for Athletics at a Secondary School

Source: Adapted from Lewis, n.d.

Each teacher should be free to individualize the exact strategies within the classroom to fit his or her needs. However, the practices and strategies should align with the schoolwide practices, as creating a disconnect between classroom practices and the schoolwide practices can confuse students. When considering classroom practices, school teams can consider the following five evidence-based practices that are connected to high-quality classroom management (note the overlap with schoolwide Tier One practices; Harlacher, 2015). In doing so, teams can further ensure the effectiveness of their Tier One supports.

1. Identify and teach classwide expectations. These should be linked to the school-wide expectations.

2. Maximize structure and routine. Students should be taught procedures to get their needs met and the classroom should be physically and temporally predictable.

3. Use a variety of active engagement strategies. Students are engaged with instruction through a variety of means, such as peer-to-peer responding, unison responses, small groups, discussions, and projects.

4. Use a range of strategies to reinforce behavior. Teachers can use a variety of means from social to tangible to verbal reinforcement to provide students feedback on the desired behaviors in the classroom.

5. Use a range of strategies to manage misbehavior. Teachers can use a variety of means to manage misbehavior, such as active supervision, reteaching, conferencing with students, and modeling desired behavior.

Additionally, ensuring strong classroom management increases the likelihood that students who need additional supports, such as Tier Two or Tier Three, will benefit from them. By providing effective Tier One and classroom management practices, school teams can be confident that additional supports layered on top of Tier One will be effective. We discuss this more in the next chapter, but it’s important that a strong foundation of effective practices is evident within classrooms.

Teaching Expectations

Once educators define the expectations and create the matrix, they explicitly teach the expectations to students. They create lesson plans that include explicit modeling and teaching of the expectations in the actual setting, examples and nonexamples of the expectations, follow-up or extension activities, a plan to remind or prompt students for the expectations, and a monitoring plan (Langland, Lewis-Palmer, & Sugai, 1998; McKevitt & Braaksma, 2008). See table 2.5 for a lesson format.

Table 2.5: Lesson Format for Teaching an Expectation

Step	Description
Step 1: Identify the expectation.	The staff identify the expectation to be taught for this lesson.
Step 2: Provide a rationale for teaching the expectation.	The staff indicate a rationale for why the expectation is important.
Step 3: Define a range of examples.	The staff teach students the expectation using a range of examples and nonexamples to illustrate how the expectation looks and does not look in the school.
Step 4: Describe activities or role playing for practice of expectation.	The staff list activities to provide extended practice for students to demonstrate the expectation.
Step 5: List methods to prompt expectation.	The staff list ways that students will be prompted or reminded to follow the expectation.
Step 6: Describe how staff will assess student progress.	The staff list ways that they will monitor student progress (for example, lesson impact).

To teach expectations, schools typically have some sort of kickoff event during which they introduce the expectations and SWPBIS model to students (McKevitt & Braaksma, 2008). Following an introductory assembly, the staff teach the expectations in the actual setting and involve the adults who are naturally part of the setting (for example, cafeteria staff teaching lunchroom expectations). Susan Taylor-Greene and colleagues (1997) described an efficient method in which an assembly is held to introduce the program to students, and then fifteen- to thirty-minute lessons are held at each of six common locations: (1) classroom, (2) hallway, (3) gym, (4) cafeteria, (5) commons area, and (6) bus. Students rotate through in groups of thirty to sixty and received minilessons on what the expectations looked like for that setting. In the study, the staff was able to teach all 530 students all of the expectations in just one half-day. In addition to assemblies or a rotating schedule described previously, schools can create videos, skits, songs, or poems to teach and illustrate the expectations to students (George, 2009).

Once teachers initially teach the expectations, the school will want to ensure that the expectations are embedded within the school’s daily routine through a variety of methods (George, 2009; McKevitt & Braaksma, 2008). For example, the expectations should be physically visible at the school—for instance, on classroom posters, T-shirts for staff and students, bumper stickers for cars, or hallway banners. School teams can also design ways to embed the expectations into the school’s subjects and curricula. Students can read stories in literature and identify the extent to which the characters engage in their school’s expectations (George, 2009). Students in a civics class can write letters to the community about how they are learning and displaying their expectations. Mathematics classes can incorporate how many PBIS tickets students earn or develop ways to estimate how many tickets are given out per day or week. The fine arts department can create a play or skit about the expectations or develop artwork depicting the expectations to display around the school.

School teams can partner with local businesses to extend the expectations outside the school; for example, store owners can hand out PBIS tickets or display a PBIS matrix for the store in their business (George, 2009). For example, imagine that a store owner near a small rural high school was having difficulty with high school students loitering and engaging in disruptive behaviors in his store. After learning about the behavioral expectations and the SWPBIS system at the local high school, the owner adopted the same behavioral expectations and SWPBIS system. Not only did he hand out the tickets, but he also provided certain items for sale in exchange for the tickets. This resulted in an increase in appropriate behavior at the store and also increased buy-in for the tickets in the school setting since items at the store were often highly preferred by the students (and often unobtainable since many of the students did not have money to purchase items in the store).

Additionally, schools may have a monthly focus lesson based on one of their expectations (George, 2009; PBIS Maryland, n.d.). For example, if Be Respectful is one of the expectations, schools can tease apart the expectation of respect into other behavioral qualities, such as cooperation, empathy, and understanding culture. A lesson can be created for each of those qualities, and students can receive monthly lessons on those qualities. Finally, schools will want to hold data-driven booster sessions on the expectations as another way to ensure ongoing instruction (George, 2009). For example, looking at data on referral rates can indicate to staff when students will need refreshers on the expectations (for example, after winter break) as well as what expectations, and in which locations, may need reteaching.

Because expectations are taught at the start of a year, school teams will have to consider how to handle new students who enter the school midyear. Teachers can take time to teach the new students the expectations and other aspects of SWPBIS, or the teacher can assign a student or school office staff member to teach the expectations to the new student. Schools can also deal with this issue by planning regular times to review and reteach the expectations (for example, a school may review expectations monthly, so new students will be exposed to the expectations at that time). Capturing all of the creative ways schools embed and extend the expectations is beyond the scope of this chapter. However, school teams should create the expectations with the goal of making them part of the school’s culture and ensuring ongoing instruction.

Reinforcing Expectations

After being introduced to the expectations, students will need ongoing acknowledgment and feedback by school staff to facilitate learning of the expectations. Ongoing acknowledgment for adhering to the expectations is an important practice in SWPBIS because it strengthens the prosocial skills and expectations being taught to students (George et al., 2009; Horner, Sugai, et al., 2005). Staff members will provide acknowledgment for students who engage in the expectations at the individual and group level, but they will also host events that reinforce the school culture and climate for all students. The school will create a comprehensive acknowledgment system that includes high-frequency acknowledgment, long-term acknowledgment, group recognition, and noncontingent acknowledgments. First, we describe behavior-specific praise, which is paired with high-frequency acknowledgment.

Behavior-Specific Praise

To provide feedback and acknowledge students’ appropriate behaviors, teachers and staff should give behavior-specific praise. Behavior-specific praise is instructional because it involves specific feedback about a particular behavior that is provided contingent on performing the behavior (Lewis, Hudson, Richter, & Johnson, 2004; Simonsen, Fairbanks, Briesch, Myers, & Sugai, 2008; Sutherland, Wehby, & Copeland, 2000). Whereas general praise is vague and not attached to a specific behavior (for example, “Good job!” “Way to go!”), behavior-specific praise consists of stating the behavior that the student is displaying and providing feedback that the behavior is desirable: “You did a wonderful job facilitating your group’s discussion and making sure everyone contributed. That’s a great example of being responsible!” See table 2.6 for examples of specific versus vague praise.

Table 2.6: General Versus Behavior-Specific Praise

General Praise	Behavior-Specific Praise
Wow! You did such a good job!	John, thank you for raising your hand and waiting to be called on before answering.
Marianne, that is great! You’re a hard worker!	Marianne, you worked really hard and stayed focused on that assignment. I can tell you put a lot of work into it.
Super!	Everyone contributed, and you all found a way to cooperate. Excellent.
Incredible! Yes!	You’re looking at me and following along. That tells me you’re listening and that you’re ready to work. That’s appreciated.
You’re so nice!	It’s really respectful of you to hold the door for others as we come into the classroom.
Good job!	Thank you for walking in the hall. That is a great way to demonstrate safety.
Thanks!	Wow! You showed responsibility by arriving to class on time with all your materials.

Source: Harlacher, 2015.

Behavior-specific praise is very powerful for changing behavior and increasing rates of prosocial behavior. For example, Kevin Sutherland, Joseph Wehby, and Susan Copeland (2000) studied an increase in behavior-specific praise from once every ten minutes to once every two minutes in a self-contained fifth-grade classroom. This resulted in almost twice as much on-task behavior, rising from 48 percent to 86 percent. Other studies have found increases in on-task behavior and decreases in problem behavior as a result of using more behavior-specific praise in elementary and secondary settings, as well as regular education and special education settings (Allday et al., 2012; Hawkins & Heflin, 2011; Pisacreta Tincani, Connell, & Axelrod, 2011; Rathel, Drasgow, Brown, & Marshall, 2014; Sutherland & Wehby, 2001). Behavior-specific praise serves as a positive, meaningful connection as well as a reminder for expectations (saying, “I love that you were responsible and finished your work neatly and completely” reminds all students who hear this praise of what is expected). Behavior-specific praise can be paired with tangible acknowledgments, which we discuss next.

High-Frequency Acknowledgment

A high-frequency acknowledgment is a small, inexpensive item such as a ticket, token, sticker, or signature that is given to students contingent on displaying the schoolwide expectations (George et al., 2009). The acknowledgments serve a clear functional purpose: they strengthen the learning of the expectations and provide immediate, tangible feedback to students. Additionally, they can serve as visual prompts for staff to regularly provide acknowledgment for engaging in desired behaviors. All staff give high-frequency acknowledgments, including custodial, playground, bus, and cafeteria staff on a daily, regular basis. They provide a steady dose of feedback to students to teach and strengthen the use of the schoolwide expectations.

The type of high-frequency acknowledgments used in schools varies considerably. Many schools use paper tickets, referred to as PBIS tickets. See figure 2.1 for examples. Typically, the ticket has a space for the student’s name, the location, and the specific expectation the student displayed that earned the ticket (George et al., 2009).

Figure 2.1: High-frequency acknowledgment tickets.

Paper tickets require money for printing, so other schools have opted to use signatures as a cost-saving measure. In this example, all students carry a daily planner with a cover page that lists the expectations and spaces for signatures (see figure 6.5 in chapter 6, page 168). When staff see a student displaying the expectation, they sign the student’s cover page (J. Ancina, personal communication, August 20, 2015). Other high-frequency acknowledgments include stamps, stickers, or recognition posted on a class- or schoolwide board (that is, each classroom posts a symbol or checkmark by students’ names to indicate they earned a high-frequency acknowledgment).

There should be clear procedures and policies regarding how to provide high-frequency acknowledgments to students. Time should also be devoted to teaching the staff how to provide behavior-specific praise, as it may be a new skill for some staff. To make the high-frequency acknowledgments most effective, follow these guidelines (George, 2009):

▴ Flood students with acknowledgments initially in order to establish buy-in and trust with the system among students.

▴ Provide a high ratio of positive acknowledgments to corrections (five praise statements for every one redirect or negative interaction; Flora, 2000; Kern, White, & Gresham, 2007; Reinke, Herman, & Stormont, 2013).

▴ Name the expectation that is being acknowledged, and pair it with behavior-specific praise (Smith & Rivera, 1993; Walker, 1979).

▴ Focus more on the interaction with the student and the specific behavior acknowledged, and less on the high-frequency acknowledgment. Over time, you’ll fade out the high-frequency acknowledgment and use a Behavioral Support Plan (BSP) to acknowledge student behavior. This links the new behavior to intrinsic motivation and natural reinforcement (Akin-Little, Eckert, Lovett, & Little, 2004).

▴ Make the acknowledgment unpredictable and variable.

▴ Provide acknowledgment on a consistent basis and throughout the day and week.

Provide parameters on how often to pass out the high-frequency acknowledgments to avoid staff burnout (for instance, pass out twenty PBIS tickets to ten random teachers each week in their mailboxes; only those teachers pass out their twenty tickets that week, and each week, ten new teachers will receive tickets).

What you pay attention to is what you get, so spend more time promoting responsible behavior than responding to irresponsible behavior (Beaman & Wheldall, 2000; Brophy & Good, 1986; Thomas, Becker, & Armstrong, 1968; Walker, Ramsey, & Gresham, 2004). If you see misbehavior, be sure to also find appropriate behavior to acknowledge immediately. For example, if you notice a student off-task during independent seat work, find a student who is on task and offer acknowledgment paired with specific feedback for being on task. If the student who was off task gets back on task, acknowledge the on-task behavior.

When providing praise and acknowledgement to students, the staff should strive for a five-to-one ratio of praise to redirects. Teachers who spend more time promoting appropriate behavior than responding to irresponsible behavior are more effective in their teaching and classroom functioning (Beaman & Wheldall, 2000; Brophy & Good, 1986; Thomas et al., 1968; Walker et al., 2004). Specific praise statements have been shown to increase the intrinsic motivation of students (Cameron & Pierce, 1994) and may help the learner develop a feeling of competence (Brophy, 1981; Gottfried, 1983; Swann & Pittman, 1977). Additionally, increases in teacher praise have positive effects on reading achievement (Gable & Shores, 1980) and mathematics achievement (Luiselli & Downing, 1980).

A school can also incentivize the use of high-frequency acknowledgments by providing raffles or rewards for teachers who pass out a certain number of them. At one elementary school, to ensure that the five-to-one ratio of praise to redirect statements was maintained, each teacher was given a packet of PBIS tickets that included five minor behavior slips and twenty-five PBIS tickets. Teachers weren’t allowed to obtain more minor behavior slips until all twenty-five of their PBIS tickets were passed out (J. Daily, personal communication, June 14, 2016). Schools can also provide high-frequency acknowledgments for teachers to give each other. For example, a principal might cover a teacher’s recess duty once he or she passed out one hundred high-frequency acknowledgments tickets. Another school we worked with rewarded teachers for certain aspects of SWPBIS with movie tickets donated from a local theater.

“As a result of PBIS, staff and students are committed to working together to create an environment that focuses on positive supports and celebrating student success, and this is energizing for all of us.”

—Marietta VanEkereen, special education teacher, Maple Elementary, Springfield Public Schools, Springfield, Oregon (personal communication, April 5, 2016)

Long-Term Acknowledgment

As part of the reinforcement system, students can earn long-term acknowledgments. These are larger prizes or celebrations that students earn for displaying the expectations over a longer period of time or by redeeming a certain number of high-frequency acknowledgments (thus, the long-term acknowledgment is often connected to the high-frequency acknowledgment). A common example is the school store, where students use their high-frequency acknowledgments to buy products such as school supplies, school shirts, magazines, entries in a raffle, and other items of interest (George et al., 2009; Taylor-Greene et al., 1997). The prizes do not always have to be items that cost money. Instead, schools may sell passes, such as a “first in line” lunch pass, permission to listen to music at an appropriate time, or a free or late homework excuse pass in their stores (George et al., 2009; PBIS Maryland, n.d.). Passes can also include a “bring a buddy” option that allows students to bring a friend along to share the pass.

Long-term acknowledgments are also tied to public display of high-frequency acknowledgments. As one example, the Principal’s 200 Club is a schoolwide board that uses group contingencies (Jenson, Evans, Morgan, and Rhode, 2006). The school creates a matrix with two hundred numbered squares. When students earn a PBIS ticket, they draw a number and place their name within that square. Over time the board fills up, and when there is a bingo (a consecutive line of tickets in any direction), those students in the line earn an additional group reward. All the names are then taken down and the process starts over. This reward combines high-frequency acknowledgments, long-term acknowledgements, and a group contingency.

Long-term acknowledgments can also take the form of social rewards, such as reading a list of names of students who have earned a certain number of high-frequency acknowledgments over the school’s public announcement system or providing time with a staff member. Some schools give students personalized self-manager badges, which signal that they display the expectations consistently. The self-manager badge can then be tied to other privileges, such as lining up first, choosing certain activities, or even having access to a parking space or lot for the day or week (Harlacher, 2011). Students can also earn phone calls or positive referrals home to indicate to parents that their student is doing well at school. See table 2.7 for additional examples of long-term acknowledgment.

Table 2.7: Long-Term Acknowledgments

Reward	Description
Admission to Events	Student can use high-frequency acknowledgments as “money” to purchase admission to dances or sporting events.
Announcement	Announce student’s name over the loud speaker and congratulate him or her on displaying the expectations.
Classroom Display	Students who earn a set number of tickets can have a sticker or image pasted on the classroom’s wall. Over time, several students contribute stickers or images, creating a collage.
Pancake Breakfast	Students with a certain number of high-frequency acknowledgments attend a pancake breakfast held before school. Parents and community members are invited to attend as well.
Passes	Students can buy passes that allow them to do things like sit in the teacher’s chair for a set time, job shadow someone in the school, be first in line, or use their cell phone or iPod.
Schoolwide Display	Randomly draw students, and display information about them on a billboard or within a school trophy case.
Table at Lunch	Students earn the ability to sit at a decorated table in the lunchroom.

Source: Kendyl Depoali Middle School, n.d.; George, 2009; Harlacher, 2011

Group Recognition

Group recognitions are events or acknowledgments that groups of students can earn (Alberto & Troutman, 2013; Kazdin, 1975; Litow & Pumroy, 1975). Specific grade levels, lunch period groups, or classes may be acknowledged for their success in engaging in appropriate behaviors.

Group recognition can be planned or spontaneous. If planned, students are aware of the reward in advance and can prepare for it. For example, a school may offer a reward to students if they have 100 percent participation in the state-level achievement test. If spontaneous, the acknowledgment is intermittent and arises based on a problem or need that comes up during the school year; the idea being to provide fresh, fun, and relatively unpredictable rewards to students. For example, a school may identify a problem with tardies halfway through the school year, so they offer students an early release day if the number of tardies is cut in half (within a certain amount of time). Or a teacher may decide to spontaneously reward the students in a classroom for displaying a specified expectation during mathematics instruction one day. Additionally, teachers may offer certain privileges based on behavior they see that day or to students who have earned a certain number of high-frequency acknowledgments that day or week. For example, elementary students who have earned high-frequency acknowledgments that day can line up first before the other students line up, or secondary students can be dismissed a minute or two early from class. See table 2.8 for examples of group recognition.

Table 2.8: Group Recognition

Example	Description
Classroom Rewards	Classrooms or grades can compete against other classrooms or grades for a set criterion (first to earn one hundred tickets, the most high-frequency acknowledgments within a week, and so on), which teachers can track by placing them in a bucket or providing a visual display of the total tickets earned. Classrooms or grades can compete against each other, or groups of students within classrooms can compete.
“Days Without” Tracker	A problem behavior is identified, and a sign that says “days without …” is created. If students go a certain number of days without the behavior, they earn a reward.
Free Choice or Free Recess Time	Classroom earns free time or free recess. Teacher can provide tallies for appropriate behavior, with every ten tallies representing a minute. Once one hundred tallies are earned, the class gets ten minutes of free choice or recess.
Golden Trash Can or Plunger	The cleanest classroom or bathroom earns a golden trash can or plunger for the day or week.
Grade-Level Pajama Day	The grade with the fewest referrals for a specific behavior gets to wear pajamas for the day and watch a movie.
Homework Hold Out	If class meets goal for homework or assignment completion, students may earn the opportunity to have a “homework hold out” where they do not have homework on a night that it would usually be assigned.
Marble Jar	A classroom has a jar with a line drawn on it. As students display expectations, the teacher places a marble in the jar. When the marbles reach the line, the class earns a reward (for instance, a dance party, a popcorn party, or the teacher doing something silly).
Music During Lunch	Music is played softly during lunch to control the noise level. Students can hear the music only if they speak relatively quietly.
Teacher Fun	Students can work for fun rewards, such as duct-taping the principal to the wall, using a dunk tank on a teacher, and so on.

Source: Kendyl Depoali Middle School, n.d.; George, 2009; Harlacher, 2011; Springfield Public Schools, n.d..

Noncontingent Acknowledgments

Noncontingent acknowledgments are rewards or events that are provided to enhance the positive culture and climate associated with the school. These positive experiences are for all students in the school, and students do not have to meet a specific behavioral goal to receive this type of acknowledgment. They can range from simple to complex, and the teachers deliver them at regularly scheduled intervals regardless of the person’s behavior (Alberto & Troutman, 2013). An example of a simple noncontingent acknowledgment is making an effort to give students positive attention when they arrive at the classroom or regularly during the day without a student needing to meet a specific behavioral expectation. A complex example is a field day where a school celebrates what it means to be a member of the school and plays field games, with all students invited to participate regardless of behavioral successes.

Responding to Undesired Behavior

In addition to creating practices to identify, teach, and reinforce expectations, schools also determine the practices they will use to document and manage undesired behavior. The steps in creating a coherent system for managing undesired behavior are to:

1. Define major versus minor problem behaviors

2. Identify strategy levels for responding to undesired behaviors

3. Develop a response process

Define Major Versus Minor Problem Behaviors

Teachers may have different levels of acceptability of behaviors, which in turn can lead to one teacher referring many students for fairly minor infractions and another teacher referring students for only serious infractions (George et al., 2009; Todd, Horner, & Tobin, 2006). The result is inconsistency in discipline among the teachers, the administration, and even the students. To ensure a more coherent, clear system, the administration and school team first define minor versus major behaviors (George et al., 2009; Greenwood et al., 2008). Classroom teachers manage minor behaviors—those that are disruptive yet not serious, such as running in the hallways, distracting others from working, being off task, or misusing technology (for instance, texting in class). Minor behaviors may still be documented on a minor referral form, but they do not require administrator involvement to solve the problem. Administrators (principal or vice principal) manage major behaviors which are those that are unsafe and warrant immediate attention and action, such as physical aggression, bullying, or certain acts of defiance. Schools also identify crisis behaviors or situations, such as firearm possession or drug possession, that require immediate action because of the threat such behaviors pose.

Obtaining agreement on crisis behaviors is more straightforward because of their nature, but obtaining agreement among staff for major versus minor behaviors can be challenging (George, 2009; McKevitt & Braaksma, 2008), particularly for behaviors that can have major or minor versions (for example, disrespect, noncompliance, or disruption). Prior to implementation of SWPBIS, it is likely that different teachers have different ideas of what is acceptable and not acceptable in the classroom. Getting the staff to agree on minor versus major behaviors can be an iterative process, so school teams should be prepared to revisit the definitions of problem behaviors a few times before establishing consensus (George et al., 2009). School teams can also conduct activities in which the staff review referrals from their own school and discuss if the behavior is a minor or major behavior, or they can have staff develop definitions on their own and compare them to reach agreement. The result of such a process should be a graphic or a chart that lists the minor and major behaviors. Staff might decide to include a definition of the behaviors like you see in table 2.9 (page 42) and list crisis behaviors as well.

Table 2.9: Minor Versus Major Behaviors

Minor Behaviors	Definition	Example
Defiance	The student willfully does not follow or respond to adult requests within five seconds of receiving them.	Student ignores a 1:1 direction to begin his or her worksheet.
Disrespect	The student is rude to a teacher or speaks in a condescending or contentious manner.	The student makes a sarcastic comment and rolls his or her eyes.
Disruption in class	The student engages in behavior that interrupts a lesson or activity, such as untimely noisemaking, roughhousing, or sustained out-of-seat behavior.	The student throws crumpled-up paper across the room.
Inappropriate language	The student communicates using vulgar or derogatory speech, gestures, or writing.	The student utters a curse word.
Tardiness	The student arrives late to class or is not seated when the bell rings.	The student is not in his or her seat when the bell rings.
Major Behaviors	Definition	Example
Fighting and other physical aggression	The student pushes, shoves, hits, kicks, or is in some way violent toward a classmate.	A student punches another student.
Harassment and bullying	The student harasses or bullies a peer by making rude comments, fighting, spreading rumors, or otherwise targeting the peer with malicious intent.	A student writes a false and mean rumor about a student in a notebook.
Property misuse and vandalism	The student intentionally uses property or materials in a destructive or improper manner.	The student is writes in a school textbook.
Repeated tardiness	The student is tardy two times in one week.	The student is late to class on Monday and Tuesday.
Stealing	The student takes something or has something that does not belong to him or her.	The student steals another student’s electronic device.

Source: Todd et al., 2006.

Identify Strategy Levels for Responding to Undesired Behaviors

Following identification of the minor versus major behaviors, the school team and staff identify options for how the staff can or should respond to minor, major, and crisis behaviors. This response begins with preventative and antecedent strategies as well as reinforcement-based and instruction-based methods (that is, reteaching the desired behavior; note that the desired behavior has likely been taught previously as part of the schoolwide teaching of expectations) before progressing to punishment-based methods. Additionally, the strategies or responses to behavior can be organized based on how frequently a behavior occurs (for example, more intensive involvement is specified for repeat behaviors).

For example, teachers may provide a brief error correction for the first minor misbehavior. To provide error correction, a teacher labels the misbehavior that the student is engaging in, reminds him or her of the expectation, models it, and asks him or her to demonstrate it. (“Jacob and Laura, I see you are off task by talking to each other instead of working. Remember that to be respectful during independent work time, we work quietly and stay focused on our task. [Briefly models working quietly, holding pencil, eyes on own paper.] Please show me that.”) Then the teacher provides acknowledgment when students comply. (“Thank you for working quietly and being responsible.”) The error correction is brief and instructional, and afterward everyone continues with his or her day; the teacher holds no grudge and displays no reluctance to acknowledge the students for appropriate behavior after the incident. The teacher then makes a concentrated effort moving forward to use prompts, active supervision, and increased praise for appropriate behavior.

For future occurrences of the same behavior, the teacher response becomes more intensive. For the second offense, the teacher response may involve reteaching the desired behavior and using more antecedent and reinforcement strategies. For a third offense, the teacher may use punishment strategies in addition to antecedent and reinforcement strategies, such as reteaching again and assigning a time-out or loss of a privilege.

A school can provide a general list of strategies for managing minor behavior to teachers, or it can organize a list of strategies into a hierarchy, such as the example in figure 2.2. The options are limited for the first and second occurrence before offering more choices for the third occurrence of the behavior. This is by design to communicate to teachers the schoolwide plan for managing minor behavior. Bear in mind that this is just an example; schools may wish to include more or fewer options to respond.

Note: DRL = differential reinforcement of lower rates of behavior; DRO = differential reinforcement of other behavior; DRA = differential reinforcement of alternative behavior; DRI = differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior.

Figure 2.2: Strategies organized into a hierarchy. Visit MarzanoResources.com/reproducibles to download a free reproducible version of this figure.

If a student continues to display the same minor behavior despite the use of a variety of classroom-based strategies, it is likely the behavior will constitute a major referral. In this situation, the classroom teacher has exhausted what is reasonable for him or her to use to manage a behavior and now requires support of the administration to manage a particular behavior. Sometimes, schools determine three or four minor behaviors (George, 2009), or a certain number of minor behaviors within a time period (for instance, three minors within four weeks) equate a major behavior referral. However, this process can be confusing for students, parents, and staff. Instead, we encourage teams to document both minor and major behavioral infractions and use that information to make decisions about if or when a repeated minor behavior becomes a major behavior. Teachers can also use this information when determining individual and group problems as part of discipline data review (for example, decision rules are created around major office referrals as well as minor discipline referrals for interventions and other problem-solving supports).

For major behavior, school administration will determine options for responses and communicate the range of possibilities to the staff. The response to a major behavior will be more substantial and involved compared to responses to a minor behavior, but the administration will still focus on teaching and strengthening the desired behavior and not just assigning punishment strategies.

Finally, leadership within the school clearly outlines responses to crisis behaviors. Crisis behaviors are ones that pose a danger or threat to the student or others. The immediate response is to secure the safety of the student and others, so typically the staff will notify the office of the behavior and have a lockdown where no one can leave or enter the school. The school’s district staff usually determine such procedures.

For students with disabilities or who are on individualized behavior support plans, it is typical that teachers will still document major and minor behaviors for these students according to schoolwide procedures following the process. This is to ensure that discipline behavior data accurately reflect the incidents in the school. Additionally, these data can determine the effectiveness of supports for the individual student. However, the actual response to misbehavior (for example, the consequences and administrative actions) may be individualized, based on team agreement, for what works best for the student and staff who support the student (for instance, a student may not be sent to the administrator office if the plan states that she will cool down in a special location, but the behavioral infraction will still appear on a major referral form).

Develop a Response Process