The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine a problem of practice present in an actual school district. The study examined School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Implementation as it relates to the recidivism rates of students of color in the in-school suspension setting. Over the course of one school year, the perceptions of seven middle school teachers, three parents, and two administrators were explored in a suburban middle school in Southeast Texas. Although In-school suspension programs exist in every American public school to some degree, little research has been done in regards to the academic outcomes associated with those who are frequently placed in this campus based disciplinary alternative educational placement. In many of these "placement" many of the students assigned are not afforded access to instructional materials, supplies, or a certified teacher. Since the enactment of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (2001), the achievement gap has been discussed and studied. However, few studies have been done to understand how the current practices in in-school suspension contribute to the achievement gap specifically among students of color. This study examined key stakeholder's perceptions of School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports, and In-school suspension as a vehicle for referral reduction and removal of middle school students from their academic setting. The participants were "key-stakeholder" parents, teachers, and administrators who educate students at Caden Middle School. Findings from this problem of practice indicated that not only was the campus not imploring consistent practices and interventions related to and promoted by the SWPBS system in the in-school suspension setting, many of the staff members teachers and administrators alike did not adhere to the philosophical tenants of the SWPBS within the general classroom setting. The research presented in the record of study, identified gaps in both perceptions and understanding among key stakeholders in regards both in-school suspension and the school-wide positive behavior support systems at Caden Middle School. Results of this from this problem of practice found a severe disconnect in understanding the purpose and rationale of SWPBS among the administrators, teachers, and parents that participated in this study. Furthermore, the variance in the "self-sense making" done by each of the stakeholder groups after campus leadership failed to communicate, support, and sustain district expectations for program implementation with fidelity. Initiatives implemented through the investigation of the questions related to this problem of practice assisted in providing relevant professional development to re-solicit teacher and staff buy-in, prioritization of organization goals, and engaging teacher leadership to re-implement SWPBS to countermand system practices that were contrary to the district's original expectations.

Students with persistent challenging behaviors are associated with negative school, community, and transition outcomes. The presence of challenging behavior is due in part to social skills deficits that are in need of remediation. Although social skills interventions are commonly provided to this student population, they are often ineffective at promoting behavior generalization and maintenance, which is necessary for improving social outcomes and developing social competency. Social skills interventions also fail to consider the individual characteristics of social skills deficits when they are conceptualized. Function-based social skills and replacement behavior interventions may be effective at addressing these concerns. This dissertation study investigated the effects of function-based social skills and replacement behavior interventions on the problem behavior of three students who attended a public elementary school in rural Central Texas. Results show an experimental effect for two of the three participants when observation data on challenging behaviors for baseline and treatment phases were compared. Generalization of behavior change was also measured for all three participants, with analysis of observation data indicating a positive effect for two of the three participants. vi Maintenance of behavior change was strong for two participants. The limited effectiveness of the intervention for one participant may be explained in part by the absence of intervention components that may have been critical to student success. Lower levels of implementation fidelity also may explain the limited effectiveness of the intervention. A social validity measure indicated that participating teachers and an assistant teacher viewed the interventions positively. A comparison of pre and post intervention scores on the teacher report form of the Behavior Assessment Scale for Children show some improvement in student composite scores, particularly Externalizing Behaviors. However, student composite scores still fell in the Clinically Significant or At-Risk range. / text

In this study, a concurrent randomized multiple baseline across three parent-child dyads single-case design was employed to evaluate the effects of a brief three-week parent training program, titled Practiced Routines. The Practiced Routines parent training program included positive behavior supports (PBS) and mindfulness strategies within the context of natural family routines. Three mothers and their children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) participated. Visual analysis combined with a standardized mean difference analysis revealed mixed results with a medium effect found for increases in parent behavioral strategy use and small effects found for reductions in parent stress and child challenging behavior. All three mothers rated the social validity of the Practiced Routine program favorably. Implications for science and practice in educational and behavior health early intervention for families of children with ASD are discussed.

The purpose of the current study is to examine the effects of the Caught Being Good Game (CBGG) on students’ classroom behaviors. The CBGG is a positive variation of the Good Behavior Game, which has been identified as an evidenced-based intervention designed for managing classroom behavior across students, behaviors, and settings. In the current study, the effectiveness of the CBGG intervention was examined within 2 high school special education classrooms located at two school districts in rural southeastern United States. Using a multiple baseline design, the data were analyzed using visual inspection and calculation of non-overlapping data. Results revealed that the percentage of intervals in which on-task behavior occurred increased during the implementation of the CBGG game, while the students’ level of off-task behavior decreased. Acceptability of the intervention of both teachers was favorable. Given the results, the implications of this classroom management tool are positive. Future directions are discussed and the literature base regarding the CBGG was expanded.

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Current public health reports show that early childhood behavior problems have increased in magnitude and prevalence in educational settings in recent years (Brauner & Stephens, 2006). The prevalence of problem behaviors in young children in general is more than 10% for children under age 8 in the U.S. (Joseph & Strain, 2003). Challenging behaviors are those that deviate from the expected appropriate behaviors within a context (Gresham & Elliot, 1993). This study investigated the effects of positive behavior supports (PBS) on children with challenging behaviors in early childhood settings (ages 3-8 years). The implementation of multiple-component PBS interventions resulted in decreases in challenging behaviors and increases in appropriate behaviors across settings for each participant, respectively. / text

Function-based assessments and interventions are routinely used in school settings as an effective method to address problem behaviors that impede the learning of the student or others. When function-based interventions are not successful, it is often due to problems with treatment integrity (TI). Using an ABCBC single subject design, this study examined whether function-based teacher supports could improve TI. The results demonstrated that the function-based supports provided to the teacher resulted in higher levels of TI and improvements in student behavioral outcomes. Using function-based intervention concepts to develop teacher intervention support, limitations to the study, and directions for future research are discussed.

Positive Behavior Support (PBS) programs are being implemented in schools in the United States to support faculty, staff, and students. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a PBS system at a rural west Texas middle school to discover what improvements are necessary for district-wide implementation and sustainability. The study drew on Bandura's social learning theory, which posits that people learn from each other through observation, imitation, and modeling. PBS systems provide the framework for exhibiting specific behavior expectations so students and teachers can get the most from their educational experiences. A program evaluation was completed using discipline data from 2008-2012 from the middle school, observations at the middle school, and archival campus improvement plan results from the campus needs assessment from 2012. The research instrument used to assess the information was a pre-established PBS evaluation system called the School-Wide Evaluation Tool (SET) designed for programmatic assessment. The SET assessment tool guided the evaluation of information gathered from 100 students, 15 teachers, and an administrative team survey to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the PBS program in the school and district, identify necessary changes to improve its effectiveness, and determine how to best implement the system district-wide. These findings were used to inform a white paper outlining how to implement a successful program and how to maintain the program over time. This evaluation provided specific steps to strengthen each component of a PBS program to ensure school-wide application and sustainability. A positive social change is experienced by students, teachers, and parents by the enhancement of a PBS system that improves student behavior in the school and district.

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