Problem behaviors in the school setting have become more frequent as well as challenging for teachers and faculty to decrease while attempting to help their students attain their academic goals. Within the last decade, school-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) has become more widespread as an evidence-based practice within the school system. SWPBS uses a multi-tiered support structure in order to affect behavior change across an entire school population. Several common secondary interventions have been utilized with high success rates. However, the research conducted thus far using the Check-In/Check-Out (CICO) program, a secondary intervention, has shown a lesser degree of success in behavior change with those students whose problem behavior is maintained by negative reinforcement or escape from aversive tasks. The current study examined the effects of the CICO program, adapted to address negative reinforcement contingencies. Using a multiple baseline across participants design, students in this study were exposed to a modified CICO intervention strategy in which problem behaviors, specifically related to the escape function as determined by a routine analysis, were targeted for reduction while academic engagement were targeted for acquisition. Results provided reductions in problem behaviors and an overall increase in academic engagement across participants with teacher implementers indicating the modified CICO program as feasible and acceptable. Implications for future research are discussed.

There is ever-increasing pressure on school officials to provide a safe school environment that is conducive to learning. There is also a growing concern from teachers and administrators that many students are unrecognized for their continual appropriate behavior(s), in part, because of the attention consumed by both challenging students and students with exceptional talents and abilities. In response, a School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) approach is growing in popularity to address both of these issues. SWPBS is implemented across an entire school population and involves all individuals whether they are challenging, exceptional, or typical. The initial research shows encouraging results and supports the effectiveness of a School-Wide Positive Behavior Support program. This study focused on the development, implementation, and results of a SWPBS program at a rural high school. Data collected included office daily referrals, suspensions, expulsions, attendance, and the number of reinforcers (Mo-Bucks) distributed by staff. Outcome data indicated that compared to the year prior to the SWPBS program's implementation, there was a reduction in office daily referrals, a reduction in expulsions, and an increase in attendance. The results of this 3-year study supported the effectiveness of SWPBS as an intervention for reducing disruptive behaviors at the high school level for typical students as well as for students with special needs.

School recess can be a problematic setting due to inadequate safety, supervision, and structure. Peer praise notes (PPNs) is a school-wide positive behavior support strategy that was implemented during recess to address these concerns at a Title I elementary school. An ABAB reversal design across all students was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of PPNs. Overall changes in office disciplinary referrals (ODRs) in each phase of the design, an effect size that reflects a highly effective treatment, and a moderately strong and statistically significant negative correlation suggest that PPNs decreased ODRs. Results from social validity surveys completed by eight recess aides and 88 students indicated that participants had positive perceptions of PPNs improving student behavior and peer relations, communicating playground rules, extending supervision responsibilities, and offering structured activity to peer praisers. Students' perceptions were overall more positive than the recess aides' perceptions. Limitations, future research, and implications are addressed.

This study reports long-term evaluation of school-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) in a rurally-located K – 8 and a middle school. With assistance from a university-based PBS project, these schools developed and implemented a SWPBS program. Target positive behaviors (respect, responsibility, cooperation) were operationally defined and directly taught to students. A reward ticket system was used to reinforce students’ positive behaviors. Office discipline referrals (ODRs) and reward tickets were recorded. At the end of each grading period, students with at least 1 ticket attended a school-wide celebration. An A-B case study design analyzed results for five-years for the K-8 and four years for the middle school. Following the first year of SWPBS, ODR rates decreased substantially, correlating moderately with reinforcement tickets given. Compared to two similar schools without SWPBS in the same district, the K-8 school’s had substantially fewer overall ODRs and fewer students with high-risk levels of referrals. ODR reductions resulted in recovering an average 5.25 and 10 student class hours and 11.75 and 25 administrative hours in the elementary and middle schools, respectively. These results replicated and extended effects reported by others. Issues regarding consistent SWPBS implementation and measurement of its effects as well as future research are addressed. [Abstract is from a repeated presentation at the Annual Conference of the Association for Bheavior Analysis International San Antonio, TX]