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New Jersey Positive Behavior Support in Schools (PBSIS) is a collaboration between the New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Special Education and The Boggs Center at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Jersey's University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service. This initiative is funded through the I.D.E.A. 2004, Part B Funds and is administered by the New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Special Education. The purpose of the PBSIS initiative is to build capacity to support the social-behavioral needs of all students, including students with disabilities.
NJPBSIS provides school staff with training and technical assistance to create environments that encourage and support pro-social student behavior at the school-wide, classroom, and individual student levels using current, research validated practices in positive behavior support. In doing this, school staff are better prepared to positively and proactively address the individualized behavior support needs of all students, including students with disabilities, engaging in repeated behavior issues.
To support the capacity of schools to promote the inclusion of students with disabilities and challenging behaviors in general education programs and settings, the PBSIS training team provides training and technical assistance for schools to implement a multi-tiered intervention model known as school-wide positive behavior support. the three tiered school-wide positive behavior support intervention model includes:
- Tier 1: Universal Interventions that promote a positive school climate by teaching and reinforcing a consistent set of behavioral expectations for all students, staff, and settings school-wide;
- Tier 2: Secondary Interventions that provide function-based interventions through small group and individually tailored strategies for students with repeated behavior problems; and
- Tier 3: Tertiary Interventions that use a function-based problem solving process to conduct assessment and design individualized support plans for students with disabilities who have the most intensive needs.
Participation in the PBSIS training initiative is designed to result in 5 key outcomes:
- Improvements in overall building climate;
- Reduction in office discipline referrals and suspensions for students, including students with disabilities, school-wide;
- Reduction in the number of students, including students with disabilities, who receive repeated office discipline referrals;
- Reduction in the number of students referred for special education services; and
- Increase in the number of students with disabilities and challenging behaviors who are successful in general education settings.
Research suggests that schools with a positive social climate are associated with fewer occurrences of conduct problems and better student performance outcomes (e.g., achievement and attendance). Affirming positive behavior, teaching social skills, involving students at all levels of the school, equipping teachers with the skills to meet the needs of diverse learners, coordinating programs, and using multi-setting interventions are all examples of recommended practices for promoting a positive school climate. While a positive school climate benefits all students, students with disabilities particularly benefit when school environments are positive, welcoming, and supportive of individual needs. Students with disabilities included in general education programs with appropriate supports are less likely to develop conduct problems and more likely to have positive social outcomes. As a result of a growing body of evidence that affirms positive school climate is associated with better school outcomes for all students, including students with disabilities. School personnel have increasingly expressed an interest in implementing evidence-based practices that promote positive school climate and encourage socially responsible behaviors.
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