The School-wide Positive Behavior Intervention Support model (SWPBIS) continues to gain widespread use across schools in the U.S. and abroad. However, despite its widespread use across schools and the large body of research demonstrating its utility, little research has examined the implementation process to see what factors contribute or inhibit its successful implementation. Informed by Rogers’ diffusion theory, this study examined factors that may influence the sustained implementation of the SWPBIS. These factors are relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialibility, and observability. Results of this study indicated that the relative advantage and observability of SWPBIS may explain school personnel’s willingness to continue with its implementation. These results led to some important implications for practitioners involved in the implementation of the SWPBIS. Limitations and recommendations for future research are also provided.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a school-wide attendance and truancy intervention and universal procedures (ATI-UP) on student attendance. Student attendance was measured through average daily attendance and the percentage of students who would be considered chronically absent, i.e., missing 10% or more of school. The sample included 27 elementary schools in Oregon implementing school-wide positive behavior intervention and supports (SWPBIS) with varying levels of fidelity. Results indicate that schools can have a moderate effect on increasing average daily attendance (ADA) and a small effect on decreasing chronic absenteeism, although these results were not statistically significant. SWPBIS implementation did not act as a statistically significant moderator on the ATI-UP effects, although the treatment effect on ADA decreased with higher SWPBIS implementation.

abstract: Teachers use different rates of positive feedback with students who are high-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in comparison to the rates of positive feedback teachers' use with low-risk students. By addressing the differential treatment, it may alleviate some of the related negative effects students high-risk for EBD experience, such as poor educational and social outcomes. The study explored the extent of teachers' differential use of feedback toward students identified as high-risk and low-risk for EBD. The data were collected in 56 teachers' classrooms by measuring rates of feedback delivered to 1 high-risk and 1 low-risk student per classroom (112 students total). Results revealed that teachers used positive strategies infrequently with the students high- risk for EBD. Results further indicated that teachers were over reliant upon using negative feedback with high-risk students. Descriptive variables within the study, such as school-wide and teachers' self-evaluations of positive classroom strategies, schools' special education population, and suspension rates were further explored. Implications for professional practice and potential future lines of inquiry on the differential treatment of students at risk for EBD in educational settings are presented. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Special Education 2011

Middle school special education teachers are often concerned about challenging behavior. In recent years, school wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) has been shown to be effective in improving students behavior. Class-wide Function-related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is a SWPBS-based program designed to for implementation at the classroom level. CW-FIT utilizes an interdependent group contingency by utilizing social skills training, teacher praise, and positive reinforcement to improve students behavior. Students are taught how to achieve specific social skills and then work in teams, using these social skills, to earn a group reward. CW-FIT has been effective in elementary general education classrooms. It has also worked well for small classrooms of students in elementary schools who have emotional and behavioral disorders, autism spectrum disorder, or other health impairment. CW-FIT has not yet been evaluated in a middle school special education setting. The present study examined the effects of CW-FIT implementation on teacher praise rates and student on-task behavior in a middle school self-contained classroom, where 12 of the students had severe disabilities and 11 were typically-developing peer tutors. A single-subject, reversal design was used to evaluate impact. Results indicate that CW-FIT increased teacher praise rates and student on-task behavior. Both teachers and students reported CW-FIT to be socially valid. The present study suggests promising results for the implementation of CW-FIT in a middle school self-contained classroom.

By the end of the kindergarten, students are expected to possess early academic skills as well as the social maturity to be successful in first grade. Students leaving kindergarten without these readiness skills are sometimes held back in first grade or referred for a special education evaluation in later grades if they fail to make adequate progress. However, before a special education referral can be made, the education system must demonstrate that the deficit is not due to a lack of instruction. Response-to-Intervention is a preventive intervention framework supported by federal legislation (No Child Left Behind (NCLB); 2002 and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEIA); 2004) that ensures that only valid special education referrals (i.e., referrals based on quantitative data) are processed. Using a multi-tiered assessment and intervention approach, students are first identified as at-risk through the use of screening tools designed to indicate academic or behavioral deficits. At-risk students are then exposed to evidence-based interventions with increasing levels of intensity to determine the type and amount of support needed. However, response-to-intervention has yet to be extended down to kindergarten students, and the screening instruments available for this population have yet to be evaluated for their predictive validity with end of first grade academic and behavioral performance. This study examines the predictive validity of psychometrically sound academic and behavioral screening instruments with first grade academic and social-emotional success. Participants included kindergarten students (n=290) from five ethnically diverse elementary schools located in a small suburban city in a mid-Atlantic state. Early literacy, early numeracy, writing, and social-emotional screening assessments were administered three times a year to determine whether the screening tools were adequate measures of kindergarten readiness skills for first grade academic and social-emotional success. Participants were followed from the beginning of kindergarten until the end of first grade to determine which skills measured by the screening assessments were the most predictive of a conceptual model of first grade academic and social-emotional success. The results indicated that the social-emotional screening assessment was able to significantly predict social-emotional success at the end of first grade. Kindergarten academic screening assessments however, were not able to significantly predict first grade academic success. Results also indicated that there were significant differences in scores across gender, ethnicity and family composition. / School Psychology

Character education has increased over the past years to build student character in such a way that students are more successful and teachers spend maximal time for classroom instruction as well as minimal time with behavioral concerns. If a student experiences positive character traits and practices success in earlier grades, then it is logical to assume that the positive habits he or she establishes will transfer into the upper grades. However, very few studies have determined whether positive habits established in early grades will continue to bring success in subsequent grades. The purpose of this study was to examine the success of students in subsequent years after they were taught character traits and 21st-century skills in elementary school using The Leader in Me program. Previous research indicates a lack of studies that measure results after students leave the program setting. The main question for this study was the following: Do middle school students who have received instruction in The Leader in Me program for two years during elementary school show more improvement on selected measures of student behavior and academics than students who have not received such instruction? In order to determine the success of the program, the researcher reviewed discipline referrals, attendance records, and cumulative grade point averages (GPA) for reading and math students in grades six and seven. Independent samples t-tests were performed on the data sets to find relationships between the treatment population who had received The Leader In Me instruction for two or more years during elementary school and the control population who had not received any instruction in The Leader in Me during elementary school. Descriptive statistics showed fewer discipline referrals for the treatment group, but the numbers were not statistically significant. The results of the study showed a significant difference in attendance between the two groups. The students who had been instructed in The Leader in Me missed significantly fewer days than those who had not been instructed. Reading and math GPA did not show a significant difference for either group. / Ed. D.

Teacher education programs focus on preparing teachers to instruct students, but they usually do not focus on preparing teachers to manage students’ behavior, which may prevent teachers from providing effective instruction. This project study evaluated a classroom behavior management model, CHAMPS, designed to help teachers manage student behavior so they can focus their time and energy on instruction and student success. Positive Behavior Systems (PBS), used in the field of behavioral management, served as the theoretical foundation for this study. The evaluation design followed Stufflebeam’s (2003) Context, Input, Process, and Product (CIPP) by employing the outcome-based approach, which evaluated the extent to which a program is meeting predetermined outcomes and objectives. The open-ended research questions explored whether the classroom management system accomplished its goal of guiding teachers in making effective decisions about managing behavior. Data were collected from a researcher-created qualitative questionnaire and phone interviews from a purposeful sample of 7 elementary school teachers who attended all 5 CHAMPS training sessions and who implemented CHAMPS strategies in their classrooms. Qualitative data were open coded and reoccurring themes including connections, support, structure, teach, and model were identified and interpreted for meaning. The findings indicated that CHAMPS, as a model for classroom management, successfully guided these participants in making effective decisions about managing students’ behavior. This study may contribute to a greater understanding of effective classroom management strategies and awareness of classroom behavior management issues for teachers, administrators, and district stakeholders.

There is an abundance of research on chronic absenteeism as well as the multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) approach, specifically the element of positive behavior intervention strategies (PBIS), at the elementary school level. A clear understanding of MTSS and PBIS at the high school level and how those approaches may impact chronic absenteeism of high school students is lacking in the recent research. The literature review provided the reader with an overview on PBIS and chronic absenteeism through the theoretical lens of Cooper’s (1982) Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) theory and explained the influence that PBIS has on chronic absenteeism at the elementary school level. The argument supporting utilizing successful policies already in place to address chronic absenteeism at the high school level is presented. This study identifies PBIS within the current research, as a means to understand how these promising practices may support improved attendance for the chronically absent high school student. The research suggests that positive behavior intervention strategies have tangentially decreased chronic absenteeism by reducing suspension rates at the elementary school level. This study sought to understand how effective, evidence-based positive behavior intervention strategies (PBIS), which have addressed and improved challenging student behavior schoolwide, can be repurposed to combat the causes associated with chronic absenteeism at the high school level. The causes associated with chronic absenteeism at the high school level fall into four categories termed school, family, environmental and personal. The objective of this quantitative program evaluation study was to evaluate the PBIS interventions that a local, small public high school used for targeted chronically absent high school students to see if their chronically absenteeism rate decreases. This study hypothesizes that the PBIS approach to behavior intervention can successfully transfer to decrease chronic absenteeism at the high school level. Additionally, this study discusses the extent to which results may be generalized to high school students across school districts. The results of this research study affirm the research questions that PBIS strategies can be repurposed to address chronic absenteeism at the high school level and having an effective attendance intervention program can improve attendance rates between and within attendance tiers in high school students, resulting in reduced chronic absenteeism. The most effective tier in improving attendance rates and reducing chronic absenteeism was both Tier 3 and Tier 4, with each tier resulting in 50% of participants increasing their attendance rates and reducing chronic absenteeism.

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of school counselors who address the mental health needs of students through at least one of the following educational evidenced-based programs: Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports, Response to Intervention, Restorative Practices, and Student Assistance Program. EBPs have evolved as a staple of quality educational programming with a focus on best practices, data, and accountability. Over the past several decades, school counselors have struggled to demonstrate efficiency, accountability, and transparency consistently in counseling outcomes (Generali, Foss-Kelly, & McNamara, 2013). Recent literature in school counseling embraces the movement toward evidenced based practices to urge counselors to demonstrate their capacity for leadership, advocacy, and accountability (Cressey, Whitcomb, McGilvray-Rivet, Morrison, & Shander-Reynolds, 2014; Goodman-Scott, Betters-Bubon, & Donohue, 2015). Six significant themes emerged through data analysis: 1) Cultivating advocacy and leadership skills; 2) Recognizing benefits of EBP integration; 3) Being frontline in mental health as personal-social domain dominates school counselor role; 4) Collaborating and consulting with school and community stakeholders; 5) Needing supportive environment to promote mental wellness; and 6) Navigating EBP implementation challenges. Findings from this study suggest that promoting mental wellness using EBPs is conducive to address the personal social needs of students. Moreover, the school counselor participants indicated that the EBPs reviewed were valuable school reform models as the EBPs address students’ mental health needs. The findings also suggest that school counselors, as key educational stakeholders, should be included in the discourse of EBP advancement, execution, and assessment.