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PBIS

What is Positive Behavior Interventions and Support?

PBIS is a process for teaching expectations and procedures and establishing classroom routines. It is a systems approach to enhancing the capacity of schools to educate all children by developing research-based, school-wide, and classroom behavior support systems.

 

What is PBIS at Northwood?

We have adopted a unified set of school-wide expectations for behavior in our school. You will see these expectations and procedures posted throughout the school. Our unified classroom expectations, found in every classroom and non-classroom setting in the school, are as follows:

  • Be Respectful
  • Be Responsible
  • Be Engaged

As part of our PBIS process, teachers and other staff members use evidence-based practices to increase student learning and decrease classroom disruptions. To help students learn these in a positive manner, we do the following when teaching academics and behavior:

  • Continually teaching and referring to our school-wide expectations.
  • Provide students with more praise than correction.
  • Actively engage everyone in the class during instruction.
  • Use pre-correcting, prompting, and redirecting as we teach.
  • Look for the positive first and provide positive, immediate, frequent, and explicit feedback.

 

What does PBIS look like?

  • Behavior Matrix
    • The behavior matrix is a detailed description of expected behaviors in each setting of the school. Your child will see a specific matrix for classroom, cafeteria, hallways, playground, etc. posted around the school.
  • Gold Slips
    • Acknowledging and reinforcing positive behavior is one of the best ways to encourage appropriate behavior. At NWES, students can earn gold slips. When goals are met, students enjoy taking a trip to the PBIS prize cart and celebrate in school wide celebrations.
  • Celebrations
    • The PBIS team plans monthly celebrations to encourage positive behaviors. These monthly celebrations can include cosmic bowling, dance parties, etc.
  • Reflect and Refocus Forms
    • These forms assist students in reflecting and refocusing on positive behaviors. Students and teachers have conversations in which they reflect on their actions and choose “stop and think strategies” to use.
    • These forms are used as teachable moments, not as consequences.
    • The forms are shared with parents, so they can reinforce PBIS expectations your child as well.
    • A separate cafeteria communication form is shared with parents to communicate PBIS expectations during lunch.

 

What can parents/guardians do to help?

To be successful, our behavior program needs to be a partnership between home and school. Please help support PBIS at Northwood by reviewing the expectation matrix with your child.

 

How do our students feel about PBIS?

  • 1st grader: “PBIS keeps our school safe and happy. Kids are quiet and don’t run in the hallways. I love being here!” 
  • 3rd grader: “Gold slips remind me that I’m being good and I like the monthly celebrations. I can’t wait for Cosmic Bowling! ”
  • 5th grader: “I like PBIS because it helps everyone work harder to behave and you earn gold slips and prizes. The monthly celebrations are awesome!”

If you have questions or would like to learn more about our PBIS system at Northwood, please reach out to our Assistant Principal, Michelle Levine, or our School Counselor, Jennifer Weeks.